Taoist Philosophies · Taoist Philosophy & Internal Practice
Ancient energy cultivation for modern health, clarity, and strength.
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Start with The Living Breath: A Complete Guide to Chi Gong if you are new to this kind of practice. It is the broader course and assumes no experience. It teaches three foundational methods (Standing-On-Stake, relaxed and quiet practice, and optional spontaneous movement) with starting times and stop signs, and helps you set up a daily routine. Modules 6 and 7 are advanced and optional. It is listed under Taoist Philosophies.
Wu Ji Gong: Primordial Tai Chi is narrower. Its 24 lessons are about one 12-minute movement form: the ideas behind it, its principles of practice and a 100-day practice plan. The lessons explain what each part of the form is meant to express and refer to an instructor's demonstration for the movements; they do not teach the sequence step by step. Take it after The Living Breath, or when you can learn the movements from an instructor. It is listed under Astral Magic and Mysticism.
Review the lesson outline and any lesson-specific preparation before you practise.
These studies do not provide clinical training or a professional qualification.
Full study requires active Academy access. This course can be audited independently of optional assessed programs.
Chi gong is one of the oldest health practices on earth. This course teaches the traditional practice of cultivating internal energy through breath, stillness, and simple movement, and it is clear about what the tradition claims and what research shows. Nine modules take you from zero experience to a sustainable daily practice grounded in classical Chinese medical theory.
The foundation: the nature of chi, its role in Chinese medicine, and how chi gong differs from exercise.
Where chi lives, how it moves, and what happens when the flow gets disrupted.
What research does and does not show about qigong in chronic illness, cancer care, and immunity, and when not to practice.
Three foundational methods: Standing-On-Stake, Relaxed and Quiet, and Spontaneous Movement.
The framework, schedule, and environment that make the difference between trying chi gong and living it.
Advanced and optional. The traditional progressions for developing external chi, and how to read claims about it.
Advanced and optional. One-Finger Art, Magic Palm, martial applications, and Empty Force, as tradition and history.
The seven emotions, stages of meditation, and seven methods for entering the meditative state.
Where chi gong fits within Chinese medicine, martial arts, and internal cultivation.
This course belongs to the following optional programs. Each has its own required course bundle, evidence review and separate fee. Each program page shows its approved fee and current registration status.
4 required courses · non-accredited assessed certificate
Taoist Philosophies · Taoist Philosophy & Internal Practice
Selected chapters of Laozi and Sunzi in the original Chinese, with pinyin, word-by-word glosses and public-domain translations.
Included with Academy
Try lesson 1 free
Taoist Philosophies · Related Traditions
A survey of Asia's major wisdom traditions: their teachers, core ideas, and key texts.
Included with Academy
Try lesson 1 free
Taoist Philosophies · Taoist Philosophy & Internal Practice
Twelve months of Taoist internal cultivation in the Wei Family tradition, written for the people who will teach it.
Included with Academy
Try lesson 1 free