In Yi Quan, there are no secrets... and there are secrets.
There is no secret because as the founder, Wang Xiangzhai, said, “Yi Quan knowledge is the common property of humanity, transcending all national boundaries.”
Yet there is one secret — which is PRACTICE.
There is a Chinese saying: The teacher passes the fire of knowledge to the kindling wood of a new generation of students. But to truly maintain this fire requires a commitment to practice and lifelong learning.
Continue deepening your practice in the extraordinary system of Yi Quan (say YEE-CHUEN) mind-body training that builds upon and extends the brief, easy-to-learn postures, exercises, and meditations shared in the beginning course, Yi Quan Qigong: Healing Movements & Dynamic Meditations for a Supple, Energized Body, Balanced Emotions & Awakened Mind.
When you engage in this practice, you’ll replenish your energy reservoir so you’ll be full of vital breath (rather than out of breath) at the end of a workout. You’ll experience improved speed and coordination at any age — being able to mobilize body energy at a moment’s notice. The sounding techniques will help you create a deep well of internal strength, grounding you in this world... with meditations that help you tap into the Universal Qi of Heaven and Earth and experience unity with the cosmos.
Ken Cohen is a Tai Chi and Qigong Grandmaster, and a winner of a Lifetime Achievement Award in Energy Medicine, who has practiced Chinese healing and contemplative and martial arts since 1968. He is one of the most significant teachers of the mystical underpinnings of Chinese culture in our generation — particularly because he’s known for his friendly and engaging teaching style, making ancient healing arts easy to understand and a joy to practice.
Ken received his training in Yi Quan directly from a student of the founder, Master Wang Xiangzhai (1885-1963), as well as from other second- and third-generation students.
Yi Quan consists of brief, easy-to-learn postures, exercises, and meditations that improve skills used in Tai Chi, Qigong, sports, and everyday life to preserve the health of your joints, improve your balance and coordination, refine and deepen your breathing, and mobilize hidden resources of strength. Like Tai Chi, Yi Quan is both a healing art and a vocabulary of martial arts skills.
But unlike Tai Chi, it does not require learning a long and complex choreography. Rather, Master Wang Xiangzhai took a radical approach to healing, body-energy management, and athletic training by asking a simple question:
“What is the quickest and most direct way to help people realize their innate potential, without imposing a ‘system,’ a new form of conditioning that might limit awareness and expression?”
The beautiful Yi Quan movements provide a complete wellness workout. Yi Quan is ideal for beginners and all levels, as it does not require previous experience in the healing arts or Chinese medicine.
However, body training is only half the answer. Yi Quan includes sophisticated methods of healing imagery to cultivate mental focus, relaxation, inner peace, and your connection with nature.
While they’re practice-oriented, these principles will also be delightfully explored through anecdotes of the old masters. If you prefer learning with a touch of fun, join Ken as he shares with wit and wisdom this original and rare system — using a blend of story, Qigong insights, and standing meditation exercises to refine your posture, align your breathing patterns, and replenish your energy reserves.
— Lorelei Chang, Dancer, Artist, and Qigong Master: “Ken Is One of the Most Qualified Living Treasures in the Qigong World”
— Michael Gelb, Bestselling Author: “Ken Is the Rare Combination of Profound Scholarly Wisdom and Actual Practice at the Very Highest Level”
— Dr. Mardi Crane-Godreau, Former Assistant Professor at Dartmouth Medical School: “Ken Is an Amazing Teacher With an Amazing Depth and Breadth of Understanding of Qigong”
In this 7-week transformational intensive, Ken will guide you through the fundamental skills and competencies you’ll need to deepen into this ideal movement and contemplative practice for cultivating energy, balance, health, and spiritual transformation.
You’ll connect with Ken and experience his teachings through livestreaming video via any connected device. This connection is easy to use and will enhance the impact of his transmissions. Can’t make it live? After each class, you can stream the video and audio recordings to enjoy anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
This course will feature LIVE teachings, interactive training sessions, experiential practices, and Q&A with Ken. Each session will build harmoniously upon the previous ones, so you’ll develop a complete holistic understanding of the practices, tools, and principles you’ll need to deepen into Yi Quan Qigong, an ideal movement and contemplative practice for those who wish to use their bodies more efficiently for greater health.
Just as yin transforms into yang and night turns to day, stillness becomes motion — yet there is always a drop of yin within yang. At its essence, Yi Quan teaches you how inner quiet can remain at the heart of any activity. We’ll begin with a comprehensive 8-posture system of Standing Meditation (Zhan Zhuang) that incorporates all the principles of the basic 5-posture version — and also includes additional postures to fine-tune alignment and work the upper, middle, and lower parts of your body in balance.
We’ll then practice the 5 Methods of Yi Quan Walking Meditation (Bu Fa) and the exciting Experimenting With Force (Shi Li) exercises. As Wang Xiangzhai, founder of Yi Quan, put it, only by experimenting with a wide variety of different movement patterns can you uncover your body’s hidden strengths and potentials.
In this session, you’ll:
While practicing the Standing Meditation postures, you’ll learn two visualizations that create a state of profound inner peace. First, you’ll receive the Autumn Leaf Meditation as you watch worries disappear one by one, then you’ll receive the Sound of Rain Meditation as an imagined sound dissolves rigid boundaries between you and nature.
A relaxed body creates relaxed breathing... slow, relaxed breathing creates a relaxed mind, helping you downshift from quick beta brain waves to the more intuitive alpha-theta state, in which your thoughts can reprogram your body’s energy system. Yet, this is not a purely mental process. Imagery is accompanied by specific postures or movements because Yi Quan is based on the principle that imagery with exercise is more powerful than either alone.
In this session, you’ll:
As a result of a sedentary lifestyle or aging, people tend to lose muscle mass, muscle strength, and speed — the latter being a function of the “fast-twitch” muscle fibers, which help control the speed of your response to a potentially hazardous situation.
You’ll learn how changes in rhythm and speed during Yi Quan practice keep your muscles healthy and your mind fresh, adaptable, and responsive. You’ll learn the 1-2-3 training methods to create ultra-smooth and efficient movements with the capacity to go from stillness to lightning-fast speed. Then we continue with Experimenting With Force Methods 6, 7, and 8 to master new planes of movement — forward and back, up and down, and diagonal.
In this session, you’ll:
What is health? From a Yi Quan perspective, health is more than the mere absence of disease. It is a positive state of connectedness — upper body with lower body, right with left, and inner nature with Nature. How does environmental health affect our own health, and how does our health affect the health of the planet? Ken will share his comprehensive definition of health and how Yi Quan helps us achieve it.
Then, after grounding with Standing Meditation, you’ll practice the complete Experimenting With Force set, adding on new movements 9 and 10. The tenth method is a kind of brain gym, deepening your ability to coordinate different patterns, directions, and styles of movement.
Finally, you’ll learn how these same skills can help you correct dysfunctional somatic habits and broken energy circuits in another person, whether you’re helping a friend or working as a professional healer. Yi Quan healing applies ultra-light touch to improve a client’s alignment and help “thaw out” frozen neuromuscular connections.
In this session, you’ll:
In this module, you’ll learn the rare Shi Sheng method — Experimenting With Sound — in which a sound travels down to the dantian (the energy center in your abdomen) and then rises like a wave of energy spreading throughout the body. Experimenting with sound unifies Shen (spirit), Qi (life energy) and Li (muscular force) and deepens your understanding of the connection between the inner realm and the outer.
Other advanced skills will be approached by first asking the questions: Is there a traditional Qigong or martial arts version of the gym? What kind of exercise equipment is best for Yi Quan fitness? Ken will demonstrate and explain the use of the wooden staff, weights, resistance bands, and other training equipment that can effectively and inexpensively bring you to a new level of skill.
In this session, you’ll:
This particular dynamic presentation has been hosted by numerous medical schools, hospitals, and clinics — and will introduce you to the current evidence for not only the healing benefits of Qigong, but how it actually works! You’ll learn about unique brain waves, bioelectric fields, and biochemical changes that accompany Qigong practice, and how this information is revolutionizing our understanding of the human body and mind.
Yet, we must also ask the question, Does what we’re measuring actually account for the level of healing effect? Perhaps Qigong invokes transpersonal forces that are beyond the scope or scale of our instrumentation and are better understood by mystics than scientists.
In this session, you’ll:
Having learned the scales and basic, melodic pieces... let’s play Mozart! (Figuratively, of course.) In this final module, you’ll discover the wonders of Jian Wu — the Health Dance — a variety of delightful ways to spontaneously combine the movements in your Yi Quan repertoire into improvised sequences. These can be practiced as tranquil Tai Chi-like movements, as dynamic stamina and strength training, or as shadow boxing routines for martial arts skill. Then expand beyond self-imposed limitations and boundaries as you learn the Rings of Power Yi Quan Meditation in which your energies merge with the original Qi of the universe.
In the fifth century BCE, Lao Zi, founder of Taoism, wrote, “The Tao gives birth to the One, Oneness gives birth to duality, duality produces the three (yin, yang, and neutral), and the three produce all phenomena.” During a complete Yi Quan workout, you go from the unified state of inner stillness into the dynamic polarity of yin and yang, and then reverse the process, returning to the oneness of the Tao. Qigong is Taoist cosmology made manifest through the body. The course closes with the most important practice of all: silence and mindfulness, realizing, in the words of Wang Xiangzhai, “the mind of the ancient Buddhas.”
In this session, you’ll:
In addition to Ken’s transformative 7-week virtual course, you’ll receive these special bonuses to take your understanding and practice to an even deeper level.
This rare interview, shared with permission from Crossing the Boundary: Stories of Jewish Leaders of Other Spiritual Paths, features Ken discussing his personal history — including his family background, childhood experiences that prepared him for a path of healing and learning, the challenges and obstacles he has faced along the way, and his relationship to Western religion and the tradition of his ancestors.
Register by January 8 to claim this bonus before it expires.
Learn a complete Qigong wellness workout that draws from the great classical styles. First, Ken will teach you Drop the Qi & Clean the Organs to help you release old, stagnant, or toxic Qi. Then, you’ll recharge and replenish your Qi reservoir with Standing Meditation. And finally, Ken will show you the Walking Meditation (Bu Fa) to help you reach a deep state of harmony, relaxation, and flow. This video includes detailed and practical instruction in posture, breathing, and grounding.
Register by January 17 to claim this bonus before it expires.
Learn about the intersection between Traditional Chinese Medicine, Taoism, and Qigong in this inspiring and rich conversation between Ken Cohen and Steve Jackowicz, PhD, a doctor of Chinese medicine and a 19th generation Taoist priest. Within the space of an hour, they cover such topics as the diversity of Chinese Medicine, the relationship of Taoist philosophy to Taoist religion, the five major facets of Taoism, the importance of ethics and virtue, and the inner meaning of the martial arts.
Register by January 24 to claim this bonus before it expires.
For music lovers and musicians alike, this is a fascinating and information-packed article on the relationship between sound, music, and Qigong, including how the sounds of nature and specific musical notes influence internal organ health, as well as how the imitation of animal sounds enhances strength. In the final pages, Ken candidly shares a personal experience of how sound produced from the dantian (abdominal energy center) once saved his life!
Register by January 28 to claim this bonus before it expires.
Listen in on a lively conversation between two of The Shift Network’s most popular Qigong faculty, both steeped in the traditions of Qigong’s origins, its masters, and its variations — ranging from the simple to the complex. To understand current Qigong, it’s important to understand the past and what it’s been used for — from war and martial arts to health, royalty, and as a way to live a long, fruitful life. Get deep insight into this history, and important tips on incorporating Qigong into your life’s journey.
— Michael Lightner: “Ken’s Connection to Students Is Just Amazing”
— Gillian Carmody: “The Passion Ken Brings Is Absolutely Palpable"
— Andrea Malik: “I Have Never Had a Teacher Like Ken Cohen”
— Gita Brown: “Ken Is Such an Engaging and Effective Teacher”
— Kanti Jocelyn-Bisgaard: “Imagine My Delight and Surprise That I Was Able to Titrate Off My Antidepressants”
— George Hoffman: “Ken Is One of the Most Extraordinary Tai Chi Teachers I’ve Ever Met”
I fell in love with Qigong all over again! The teaching from Ken was superb, and the organization of the course was wonderful. I also noticed that my recently broken arm was less stiff and achy after just a couple weeks of regular practice of the Standing Meditation. I feel very motivated to continue to practice. And there’s so much to explore further, as each session was so rich in detail. I’m very grateful to have access to the recordings forever.
— Lisa, United Kingdom
I was able to understand and practice more deeply what I knew as Zhang Zhuang. I was endowed with many details that come from a person with vast experience in Qigong. Details that finally make a big difference so that these teachings really make an impact on our body, mind, and consciousness. This, added to the innate ability to guide that comes from the heart of this great teacher, gave me a powerful experience that I can also access as many times as I want, because I have access to the audio recordings, videos, and even PDF transcripts. I am very grateful.
— Fernando, Buenos Aires, Argentina
The course has enriched my daily practice and my life. I have learned much about Yi Quan, about Chinese culture, and about myself. It has been utterly uplifting to experience such a generous, qualified teacher and master as Ken Cohen.
— Marilyn, Munich, Germany
I’ve been practicing various forms of Qigong for seven years and had never been motivated toward Standing Meditation. I realized it was important, but preferred moving forms, breathing exercises, or guided meditations. This class was completely transformational in that I am now drawn to standing postures and can definitely feel the positive effects after just seven weeks. Very cool!!
— Mimi, Nevada City, California
This is an exceptional course. The format was excellent. I feel that I have a solid foundation (still a beginner) in this practice. Each class built on the previous class and we reviewed the practices each time and then added new elements. Ken is a wonderful teacher. He provided a mix of physical practices with philosophical/spiritual context, real-life examples, and health benefits. I could not have asked for anything more. It was a privilege to take this class.
— Deborah, Norman, Oklahoma
Yi Quan Qigong — The Next Level offers some of the most transformational online teachings available, within a thriving global community of learning and practice.
Join fellow students and practitioners to support and inspire each other as you integrate the teachings and practices Ken Cohen will share in this powerful training.
You’ll join an international community on the leading edge of manifesting a world grounded in the principles of cooperation, harmony, and reverence for all of life.
Experience a unique opportunity to be mentored by and learn from world-renowned health educator, China scholar, and Qigong and Tai Chi Grandmaster Ken Cohen from the comfort of your own home. Each class includes a livestreaming video option and will guide you to deepen into this ideal movement and contemplative practice for cultivating health and longevity. Course sessions are on Tuesdays 9:00am Pacific.
After each class, the video will be available for you to stream in a high-quality format. You’ll never have to worry about missing a session, and you can watch anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
After each class, the audio will be available for you to stream. You’ll never have to worry about missing a session, and you can listen anytime and anywhere at your convenience.
You'll also receive the entire class transcription after each session is completed. You can then review, print, and highlight the most important insights and practices you were given.
With live class attendance, there will be a 30-minute optional interactive practice session directly following each class. You’ll be placed in an intimate group with several other participants on the Zoom call to interact, share, and do additional practices to help you further integrate the weekly lessons. Practice sessions are available for live attendance only and are not recorded for playback. If you’re unable to attend the calls live, the Facebook online community group allows you to connect with each other and find alternative times to interact.
Between class sessions, you’ll have the option of completing related exercises, practicing new tools, and answering questions to accelerate your learning and integrate each week’s lesson.
Our exclusive Facebook online community is the perfect place to continue your discovery process after each class. Here, you can continue the discussion about your course materials and interact with your fellow students to take your exploration to an even deeper level.
We feel honored that Ken Cohen has chosen to partner with The Shift Network to offer this exclusive LIVE online training. This is a unique opportunity to interact directly with a world-renowned health educator, China scholar, and Qigong and Tai Chi Grandmaster whose powerful insights and pioneering work are helping us heal and awaken ourselves and our world.
If you’re serious about deepening into this practice for health and longevity, then you owe it to yourself to take this one-of-a-kind training.
If you’re ready to take the next step in your own evolution, click the register button below to reserve your space now.
Note: If you have NOT experienced Ken’s Yi Quan Qigong teachings before (through his previous 7-module course), you’re welcome in this advanced training but we ask that you register at a different page. Please click here to discover more and register.
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed! If you don’t absolutely LOVE Yi Quan Qigong — The Next Level — or don’t feel that it meets your needs — please submit your refund request form on or before February 14, 2022 and we’ll happily issue qualifying customers a refund.
Ken Cohen is a rare combination of expert practitioner, gifted scholar, and lucid writer. He manages to convey not only techniques, but wisdom. His work nourishes the clinician, the scientist, and, most importantly, the average individual looking for practical ways to enhance life and health.
— Elmer Green, PhD, author of Beyond Biofeedback
Ken Cohen is a healer who knows how to help the body heal itself. He works with his clients to ready them to participate and take charge of their own healing. He studied with Chinese Masters and in their own language: he has become an embodiment of the Tao in his movement and work.
— Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, author of From Age-ing to Sage-ing
Ken is a warm and remarkable man and a true enlightened teacher of great magnitude. A lover of truth and one who is doing something valuable with his “enlightenment.” For me, Ken is the embodiment of the ancient saying, “Do not look only at the flask, look at what it contains.” He is a walking-invisible-observer with a heart full of humor and joy. He is a precious warrior of the heart to those who encounter him.
— Samuel Avital, director of Le Centre du Silence Mime School
Ken Cohen’s mastery of Chinese healing arts is rooted in a deep understanding of Chinese language and culture, giving him an extraordinary ability to express these arts from the perspectives of East and West.
— Madame Chu Xingyan, former professor at the Beijing Academy of Music
Without actually being in Ken Cohen’s presence, it would be very hard to believe that an American could have such a profound and detailed understanding of traditional Chinese culture. His movements express true mastery and a deep cultivation of the spirit of China. Ken Cohen’s dissemination of Chinese culture to the Western world is an enormous work and a glorious achievement.
— Tu Xinshi, editor of The Chinese American Post
Kenneth S. Cohen (Gao Han), MA, is a world-renowned Tai Chi and Qigong Grandmaster with more than 50 years of experience. A former collaborator with Alan Watts, he’s the author of the internationally acclaimed book, The Way of Qigong, and more than 200 journal articles on spirituality and health. Ken received his teaching certificate from the William C. C. Chen School of Tai Chi Chuan in 1974 and continued training with B. P. Chan and Madame Gao Fu. He eventually became the apprentice of Taoist Abbot Huang Geng Shi (1910-1999), an acupuncturist, Qi healer, and martial artist from China’s sacred Xi Qiao Mountain.
A leader in the dialogue between ancient wisdom and modern science, Ken was one of the first to teach Qigong in North American medical schools. His sponsors have included the Mayo Clinic, the Menninger Institute, the American Cancer Society, and numerous cultural organizations. He is the recipient of the Alyce and Elmer Green Lifetime Achievement Award in Energy Medicine. Ken is known for his friendly and engaging teaching style, making ancient healing arts easy to understand and a joy to practice.
Note: If you have NOT experienced Ken’s Yi Quan Qigong teachings before (through his previous 7-module course), you’re welcome in this advanced training but we ask that you register at a different page. Please click here to discover more and register.
Q: What’s a virtual course?
A: It’s a great way to engage live and pre-recorded teachings and each other from the comfort of your home! All you need is a computer, mobile device, or telephone. If there’s more than one person in your household taking the course, you’ll each need your own connection. We use Zoom video conferencing to make it just like an in-person event, where you can ask questions and deepen your exploration of the course themes.
There’s no additional charge for connecting to Zoom with your computer or mobile device. Please note that dialing Zoom from your telephone is a toll call; your telephone service provider will charge you according to your existing long-distance calling plan. International access numbers are available.
“I’ve never seen a course so well put together ever...”
I had never participated before in an online course. The packaging, presentation, inclusion, and Facebook postings created a wonderful, safe cocoon within which to participate. I’ve never seen a course so well put together ever — not in all the years of taking college classes — and I had my doubts about doing an online course. The wealth of organization and ease of learning materials and support made this fun as well.
— Claudia F., Medford, Massachusetts
Can I still benefit from the course if I miss the live classes?
A: Absolutely! You can stream the recordings and download the transcripts of all course sessions, so you never need to worry about missing live calls. You can also engage with the full community and leaders in our private online community group.
Q: Can you tell me about the private online community group?
A: We’ll have a private online community group for all course participants that will support you in making connections with others, sharing insights, engaging in discussions, and completing homework assignments that can supplement your transformational journey. You’ll have the ability to share your experiences, projects, and growth throughout the course.
Q: Are there scholarships available for this training?
A: Yes, we always make a certain percentage of spaces available for partial scholarships, for those who otherwise would not be able to enroll at the regular rate. If you’d like to apply for a scholarship, please review our guidelines, which include a link to our online application form.
Q: What’s your refund policy?
A: Your satisfaction with The Shift Network and this course is our highest priority! We offer a satisfaction guarantee so that you can sample the course risk-free. The deadline to receive a full refund is February 14, 2022. To request a refund, please click on this refund request form and submit your request. Qualifying refunds will be processed within five business days and an email confirming the refund will be sent. However, we’d love to have a chance to address and resolve your concerns first. If there’s something we can assist you with, please email us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help! (No refund requests accepted after the above date or with scholarship awards.)
Q: How can I reach Customer Support?
A: Please visit our Customer Support Center, where you should be able to find the answer to your question or the solution to your problem. And if you can’t, you can submit an online request form and we’ll get right back to you.
Note: If you have NOT experienced Ken’s Yi Quan Qigong teachings before (through his previous 7-module course), you’re welcome in this advanced training but we ask that you register at a different page. Please click here to discover more and register.
