The Chi Institute has just completed its first week long Tui- Na Intensive in Oct, 2003. For me it was a very powerful and valuable week. I know this sentiment was shared by everyone I spoke with.

We began the week with an introduction to Qi Gong. We continued our Qi Gong practice each morning and after each break, throughout the week. This practice kept our Qi flowing and balanced. The course was taught by an incredible team including Dr. Xie, Dr. Zhang, Dr. Bruce Ferguson, Dr. Deng, Dr. Bob Spiegel, and Julie.

The first 3 mornings we learned the various techniques that comprise Tui-Na, including "self techniques". One of the highlights of the sessions was Dr. Keija Zhang He is the president of the China Society of TCVM and Dr. Xie's mentor. It was an honor to meet him and have him share his wisdom and wit. He explained that there were many styles of Tui-Na, including Chinese, European, Japanese, Korean, etc. He encouraged us to create the "American Style" of Tui-Na. Dr. Zhang also shared a few Chinese idioms, One of the favorites was "it does not matter what color the cat is so long as it catches the rat," He also reminded us that there is something good in everything... Thank you Dr. Zhang!

The first 3 afternoons were spent practicing the techniques on each other. During the last 3 morning sessions we discussed specific conditions of animals and how to incorporate Tui-Na into a total package of Chinese healing modalities. The last 3 afternoons we had the opportunity to hone all our TCVM skills on actual cases including dogs, cats, horses, a goat, and a bearded dragon. Some of the results were immediate and dramatic!

As always, part of the Chi experience is the chance to connect with other like-minded people from all over the planet! On Saturday evening we had a fabulous celebration. There was great food, fun entertainment, including hoola hooping (by Timmy Xie) and drumming led by Helena and Sam.