It was Teacher Fay McGrew who introduced Martha to Zhineng Qigong. After her first Zhineng Qigong weekend workshop, she knew the search was over, she had found a practice that would encompass all she had been looking for. She was eager to learn how to cultivate qi. Awakening inherent abilities for healing through connecting with the natural world resonated deeply. Martha felt like she had come home at last.
In 2005, Martha and Leonard took their first trip to China for a month-long retreat with Zhineng Qigong Teacher Mingtong Gu. That full immersion into qigong practice and theory was profoundly transformational. She took a deep dive into the Wisdom Healing Qigong teacher training program and was certified as a teacher in 2007. The same year she returned to China to attend a second retreat and ask for blessings to begin teaching Zhineng Qigong. She traveled home with confidence which supported her to start a program for Western students. Martha and Leonard then built a qigong studio on their property using straw bale construction. This studio has become a qi sanctuary for many Qigong for Life practitioners.
Some beloved qigong friends invited Martha to meet Zhineng Qigong Teacher Jane Jin. Martha’s curiosity was piqued. She was struck by Jane’s way of sharing the depth of qigong theory that was easy to understand and felt like a soothing balm. Martha joined Jane’s core group of students in her Advanced Qigong Program. A new type of transformation began. Jane’s profoundly kind, dedicated and compassionate way of teaching fed Martha’s soul. The core group stayed together, meeting weekly, for over 5 years.
Martha’s many devoted teachers helped influence the way she shares Zhineng Qigong today. Her teaching style is kind, compassionate, direct, patient, fun and filled with nuance and depth. Being with Martha inspires practitioners to cultivate kindness and compassion for themselves, their families and communities. She gently reminds us that qigong will always support us in discovering our own self-healing abilities on all levels.
Martha’s primary Zhineng Qigong teachers: