AIMC Continues the Tradition of Rich Learning in Medical Qi Gong Program CEU

A class of twenty completed the Medical Qi Gong certification program led by Suzannah Stason LAc, CMQ this past summer. The program included six modules spanning over the length of a year. With the momentum of the resounding success of this graduating class, the program is being offered again, beginning with module one on September 16-17, 2017. The practice of Medical Qi Gong is one of the original branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In the West, we often think of just acupuncture but when we look at Traditional Chinese medicine as a whole system, we see the many aspects that it addresses from the internal medicine that herbal formulas provides, the qi cultivation and regulation that qi gong provides and the balancing aspects of acupuncture.

Medical qi gong is another tool practitioner’s have in their toolbox to address a patient’s pattern of imbalance that causes disease. Like every other aspect of healing through the lens of Chinese medicine it works to support the body’s internal resources, to support our organs and our organ functions, to clear stagnation and create harmony that is at the root of everything in health. At AIMC Berkeley, our students and our teachers recognize the importance of providing this amazing tool to our growing practitioners. The philosophies and techniques of qi gong are invaluable as we learn to become contributors to our field and effective practitioners. Many practitioners have a qi gong practice that helps them stay centered while treating others. It provides a path back to our own source of inspiration, wonder of the mysteries of the world and a deep sense of peace within the rhythms of our own lives. The gift is being able to share this with patients as well. The Medical Qi gong certificate program, which was reinvigorated last Fall 2016, is a six-weekend series that provides students and practitioners from across healing disciplines the opportunity for deep self-inquiry and qi cultivation, in-depth understanding of Chinese medicine theory and experiential mastery of Medical Qigong therapeutic diagnostic and treatment techniques. The six weekends provide a total of 90 hours of class time with additional 60 hours of required clinical practice hours to earn a 150-hour certificate in Medical Qigong Therapy. Each weekend includes group qigong practice, meditation instruction, lectures, individual and partner work, written assignments and discussions. The work is always incredibly rejuvenating and rewarding. Karen Villaneuva a senior intern in the AIMC Berkeley clinic shared her experience of the program, “I started the Medical Qigong Certificate Program in 2013, and I had the honor and privilege of studying with Suzanne Friedman for a short time. I miss her terribly and am so grateful for the teachings and learnings she transmitted before her passing. She has helped shape me into a more kind, compassionate, and competent practitioner. Suzannah Stason has picked up where Suzanne left off, and she does an excellent job of honoring the way Suzanne taught, while bringing forth her own unique way of sharing. I've been able to utilize my medical qigong training in the clinical setting with great success, and I have these two Teachers to thank for that.” There is the moving form of qi gong for self-cultivation and there is the therapeutic role of medical qi gong, used by a practitioner to treat a patient. Medical qigong puts us in touch with the way in which we each desire to live. In school, we learn acupuncture points and we learn the Chinese pharmacopeia but the intention, the awareness and the presence that we need to bring to these tools to life are taught in qigong. Cultivating qi, directing qi, dispersing qi, working with these energies in a way that provides deep effects within our patients and within ourselves must be done with the clear intentions. To experience a medical qi gong treatment, book an appointment with a practitioner who has completed the program. A list of practitioners is kept at the front desk. To learn medical qi gong, sign-up for the upcoming series beginning in September 2017 or reach out to the administration for upcoming program dates. To begin your practice now, take a look at books and offerings from Suzanne Friedman, our late great master qi gong whose teaching lineage is continuing to be passed down through this program.