My Journey
My journey with the Chinese internal arts started in 2012. After my first trip to China in 2014 I began traveling to Asia multiple times per year in pursuit of the best teachings and masters. Although I have learned many styles of practice and have been helped by so many wonderful teachers, I will provide just a brief overview of my experience and background as it relates to the styles of neigong (inner work) and neidan (inner alchemy) that have formed the core of my daily practice.
Neigong 内功
A trip to Anhui Province in 2014 to Master Jiang Feng’s renowned Apricot Forest Chinese Medicine Hospital opened my eyes to the power of rare lineage-based neigong 内功 (“internal work”) and Classical Chinese medicine treatment. From that time forward, neigong training became a huge part of my life. The style of Yi Jin Jing 易筋经 (“sinew changing”) neigong that I began to study on the visits to Jiang Feng in China was a powerful form of neigong passed down by a monk who had lived in the Shaolin Temple for decades prior to the Cultural Revolution in China. The disciples of this monk could demonstrate extraordinary abilities, including the ability to emit qi in powerful and very tangible electric-like currents. This proved to me that this level of development, which I had previously only read about in books, was something that actually existed and that neigong practice truly had the power to deeply transform those who persist in daily practice. I was also blown away by the results from their rare form of Chinese medicine treatment, and left with multiple “incurable” chronic conditions completely cured on my first visit.
Later, I expanded my practice and developed a wider perspective by training with other highly renowned neigong masters. I became an indoor disciple of Master Zhou Gan Sheng, a master who carries unmatched skill in combining acupuncture with powerful qi emission and special lineage based herbal pills from the Daoist monastery that he grew up in. My studies in Shaolin Yi JIn Jing also have continued through Master Jiang who is adept at using the style of blood-transforming treatment that originally had such a profound affect on my health after my very first trip to China.
In recent years, I also became one of only a small handful of foreigners to train under Master Jin Jiazhou, learning his famed “Ancient Yi Jin Jing” (Gu Yi Jin Jing 古易筋经) that has been passed down within his martial family over centuries. This style of Yi Jin Jing originated in the Song Dynasty (with a Song Dynasty manuscript to prove it) and is capable of producing remarkable results in advanced practitioners including high levels of mastery of the skill of yunqi 运气–the ability to direct qi to any part of the body and thus use it for either martial application (i.e. iron body, iron palm) or medical application (qi emission).
In addition to preserving and teaching these rare arts, Mountains and Rivers Neigong organizes trips to Asia each year to meet some of the masters who offer high-end Classical Chinese Medicine treatments and neigong-enhancing energetic adjustments. If this interests you, please get in touch for more info.
Neidan 内丹
In addition to the development of advanced neigong, I have always had a deep interest in Daoist and Buddhist meditation, particularly in Daoist inner alchemy meditation (neidan). After learning from some of Wang Liping’s disciples in the United States in 2012, I attended a meditation retreat with Wang Liping in 2014, and then later connected with Nathan Brine to continue learning this style of Daoist Alchemy. I later broadened my perspective by learning from teachers in other lineages as well, including Su Huaren and his disciples, who carry forward teachings from several renowned neidan lineages, including that of the the famous neidan and longevity master Wu Yunqing.
Below are a handful of photos showing some of the memorable moments from trips to Asia over the years as well as photos taken with some of my teachers.
