Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC)

03/16/2026

How Slow Breathing Can Quiet the Mind and Support Sleep

Dr. Roger Jahnke shares powerful breath practices that can support better sleep. These are especially helpful for those who wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty falling back asleep.

One of the techniques emphasizes slow, deep exhalations that help quiet the mind by making it harder for the brain to focus on daily concerns.

In Breath Alchemy program, Dr. Roger Jahnke guides participants through ancient breathing methods designed to relieve stress, quiet the mind, deepen meditation, and activate the body's natural healing capacity.

Join us on June 19–21, 2026 in Kripalu Center, Massachusetts if you're curious to experience the full practice and learn the five primary breath methods: https://kripalu.org/experiences/breath-medicine-discover-profound-balance-and-inner-peace?sku=18440273

03/15/2026

Tai Chi Easy Practice Leader Certification (In-Person Training on April 5–10, 2026)

What if there was a simple, proven way to bring more calm, balance, and vitality into your life — and share it with others?

Join IIQTC senior trainers Brian Trzaskos and Audra Mace for the in-person Tai Chi Easy Practice Leader Certification in Kripalu Center, Massachusetts, on April 5–10, 2026. Learn more: https://kripalu.org/experiences/tai-chi-easy-practice-leader-certification-0?sku=18438953

Tai Chi Easy™ was developed by Dr. Roger Jahnke, the author of The Healer Within and disseminated widely by the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC). In this Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader Certification, you'll master the gentle yet powerful Tai Chi Easy™ method designed for all ages and fitness levels.

In this program, you will learn:

• Gentle movements: Learn simplified forms that promote healing, balance, flexibility, and relaxation.
• Breathing techniques: Discover how to synchronize your breath with movement to enhance energy flow and calm the mind.
• Mindfulness and meditation: Experience the meditative aspect of tai chi, helping you cultivate inner peace and presence.
• Self-applied massage: Enhance circulation and promote overall well-being by soothing muscles and relieving tension.

Secure your place today and start your journey as a Tai Chi Easy Practice Leader: https://kripalu.org/experiences/tai-chi-easy-practice-leader-certification-0?sku=18438953

03/14/2026

☯️ Golden Elixir Cultivation with Dr. Roger Jahnke
📍 Sivananda Ashram, Nassau, Bahamas
📅 June 13–17, 2026

Looking for a way to reduce stress and boost well-being — for yourself and your community?

Join Dr. Roger Jahnke for Golden Elixir Cultivation (10 Phases of Immortal Energy Mastery) and experience the wisdom of the ancients: https://sivanandabahamas.org/course/golden-elixir-cultivation-june-2026/

Benefits include:

• Awaken deep healing and harmony of body, mind, and spirit
• Enhance vitality, immunity, and energy flow
• Reduce stress and stabilize emotions
• Cultivate mental clarity, focus, and spiritual connection
• Experience lasting inner peace through the union of Spirit and body

Begin your journey of inner transformation and awaken the healing power within: https://sivanandabahamas.org/course/golden-elixir-cultivation-june-2026/

03/13/2026

Tai Chi: The Accessible Path to Strength, Balance and Calm

There is an easy, accessible, and profound secret behind the healthy longevity, inner peace, and healing experienced by tai chi and qigong practitioners. It's called Tai Chi Easy.

In the Tai Chi Easy Practice Leader Certification, you'll master the gentle yet powerful Tai Chi Easy method designed for all ages and fitness levels. Learn more: https://kripalu.org/experiences/tai-chi-easy-practice-leader-certification-0?sku=18438953

Cindy Kuzma's article "Tai Chi Is a Workout for the Brain and Body" on "The New York Times" website discusses some relevant distinctions between Tai Chi and other Martial Arts:

"Unlike karate or taekwondo, Tai Chi focuses on quiet strength rather than combat, which makes it more accessible to older adults or those who have been injured.

Peter Wayne, the director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and the author of "The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi" enriches the article by making other comparisons:

The poses are upright and less demanding than many in yoga, another mind-body practice. 'Because tai chi evolved in terms of physical function and interaction, I think it translates better to everyday living activities, like lifting groceries, pushing doors open, or catching things that fall, 'Dr. Wayne states.

Tai Chi is also different from passive techniques like meditation because it pairs deep breathing and movement, which experts say helps you to calm your nervous system."

Gain hands-on experience in practicing and leading Tai Chi Easy while discovering its evidence-based benefits, including stress reduction, improved focus, and enhanced overall well-being.

Join IIQTC senior trainers, Audra Mace, founder of Lady Chakra Holistic Healing, and Brian Trzaskos, Director of Education at the Somatic Coaching Academy, for a transformative weeklong Tai Chi Easy Practice Leader Certification from April 5–10, 2026 at Kripalu Center in Massachusetts.

Are you ready to experience the benefits of Tai Chi for yourself and share them with others? Click here to learn more: https://kripalu.org/experiences/tai-chi-easy-practice-leader-certification-0?sku=18438953

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/well/move/tai-chi-workout.html%201/6

03/12/2026

Practice these Tai Chi Easy Breathing and Movements (Sitting or Standing)

Discover how to synchronize your breath with movement to enhance energy flow and calm the mind. Join IIQTC senior trainers Brian Trzaskos and Audra Mace for the in-person Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader Certification in Kripalu Center, Massachusetts on April 5–10, 2026. Learn more: https://kripalu.org/experiences/tai-chi-easy-practice-leader-certification-0?sku=18438953

In this guided practice, Dr. Roger Jahnke demonstrates simple Tai Chi–inspired movements that coordinate breath and motion. By focusing on deep breathing, gentle stretching, and present-moment awareness, you can activate what he calls the "medicine within"—your body's natural capacity to restore balance.

Move at your own pace. Sit or stand if it feels right. And most importantly, stay in your comfort zone while allowing your breath to guide the rhythm of your movements.

Sometimes the most powerful practice is simply pausing, breathing, and paying attention to how you feel.

Take a moment today to reconnect with your breath and your inner calm.

Follow along with Dr. Jahnke in this Tai Chi Easy practice and let your breath guide the movement. Watch the video and practice with us: https://youtu.be/TvBpbpu04zo?list=PL1uK6Y2zPpI-jWkb2WBhctcVaDpeP2RNL

Follow along in this guided practice that teaches you a few gentle Tai Chi movements. The movements in this video are the same as the movements in the Level ...

03/11/2026

Learn a "No-Content" Meditation in One Minute

What if a few minutes of stillness could change how you experience the entire moment?

In this short reflection, Dr. Roger Jahnke reminds us that the moment we're in right now is unique—something we may never return to in exactly the same way. Instead of rushing past it, he encourages us to pause and train the mind to experience "no content"—a state beyond constant thoughts and distractions.

The practice is simple but powerful: notice when your mind drifts back into mental chatter, and gently return to stillness and oneness. According to Dr. Jahnke, this inner training is a form of discipline. It's not about fighting others—it's about becoming a warrior against distraction, learning to guide your attention back to presence again and again.

Even if you feel like you barely have time for yourself, now is the time to take a few minute to reconnect with the present moment.

Follow along with the video, and if you want more practice with Dr. Jahnke, join our free membership site today: http://iiqtc.org/free

03/10/2026

The Power of Conscious Breathing

Research shows that breath modification can positively impact our vagal tone, autonomic nervous system, and heart rate while activating immunity, reducing inflammation, and more.

Join Dr. Roger Jahnke for Breath Alchemy, an immersive retreat at Kripalu Center in Massachusetts on June 19–21, 2026: https://kripalu.org/experiences/breath-medicine-discover-profound-balance-and-inner-peace?sku=18440273

The practices in "Breath Medicine" form the foundation of breath traditions found in every original culture, and they are now supported by thousands of scientific studies.

The intention of breath practice is to calm the mind and deepen relaxation, activating powerful beneficial effects on your neurochemistry. This enhances internal mechanisms that support self-healing, restoration, creativity, productivity, and inner peace.

Breath Medicine can help prevent disease, increase vitality, and sustain healthy longevity. Yet, your usual breathing patterns may not be activating these powerful functions.

Join author, and master Qigong teacher Dr. Roger Jahnke for Breath Alchemy, a comprehensive retreat that will empower you with "The 5 Primary Breath Methods." Dr Jahnke distilled these five methods from the traditional breath practice systems of all the ancient, indigenous societies.

Learn more and join the in-person weekend retreat at Kripalu Center on June 19-21, 2026 and experience these ancient practices firsthand: https://kripalu.org/experiences/breath-medicine-discover-profound-balance-and-inner-peace?sku=18440273

03/09/2026

Tai Chi: The Moving Meditation That Builds a Superpower

In this video, Dr. Roger Jahnke shares how Tai Chi differs from traditional Qigong by engaging both the hands and feet in coordinated, flowing movement.

By incorporating walking gestures, Tai Chi challenges the brain and body simultaneously. This dynamic practice not only promotes inner healing but also enhances brain plasticity—unlocking what Dr. Jahnke calls a true "superpower."

Unlock the ancient healing power of Tai Chi and become a certified leader with IIQTC senior trainers Audra Mace and Brian Trzaskos at the transformative Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader Certification, April 5–10, 2026, at Kripalu Center in Massachusetts: https://kripalu.org/experiences/tai-chi-easy-practice-leader-certification-0?sku=18438953

03/08/2026

How do Tai Chi and Martial Arts practices affect Qi — meaning the functional capacity of the human system?

There is a simple yet profound principle behind the healthy longevity and inner steadiness often seen in long-time Tai Chi and Qigong practitioners: purposeful skill refinement.

From April 5–10, 2026, at the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts, the Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader Certification offers a weeklong immersive experience in this revolutionary mind-body energetics system: https://kripalu.org/experiences/tai-chi-easy-practice-leader-certification-0?sku=18438953

What if the secret to healthy longevity isn't doing more — but refining how you do what matters?

Briefly, when we stop doing what we usually do and turn our attention to refining skills - Tai Chi - Taiji, Qigong, making tea, gardening - it is referenced as Gongfu - Kungfu. This means "skills refinement" and it requires time and focus.

When we use our consciousness to elect a next activity or focus, that is purposefulness. Non-distracted purposeful engagement — whether in movement or in stillness — has a huge effect on function. It shifts the autonomic nervous system and shifts a wide array of regulatory mechanisms - both physiological and psychological.

Traditionally, in the indigenous view of the Chinese tribes, this also includes an influence on the spiritual aspect of self as well. The best English words for this are — purposefully integrating the Body-Mind-Spirit complex. And, it is all discussed using the concept of Qi — as in human Qi. Tree Qi, weather Qi, and any other form of Qi is unique to its function, so human Qi is not weather Qi.

Busyness and worry have an effect too. Mostly, we are busy and worrying. When we purposefully develop the skill — Gongfu — of being present to the task at hand — the painting, the cooking, the Tai Chi, the playing of the violin, the making of compost — it shifts internal function. This is Gongfu — also referenced as "cultivation". It shifts the autonomic nervous system, tones the vagal system, moderates the neurotransmitter profile, alters internal energetic discharges of ions and the related magnetic field, enhances heart rate variability, protects and sustains the telomeres, and much more.

Click here to read more: https://www.quora.com/How-do-Tai-Chi-and-other-martial-art-stances-affect-chi-flow-and-opening-and-closing-of-the-meridians/answer/Roger-Jahnke

Are you ready to move beyond busyness and cultivate the kind of presence that truly transforms your internal landscape?

Join IIQTC senior trainers Audra Mace and Brian Trzaskos for a week of purposeful practice at the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts, April 5–10, 2026, for the Tai Chi Easy Practice Leader Certification.

Rooted in the teachings of Dr. Roger Jahnke and the work of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, this immersive experience brings the principles of skill refinement through presence into an accessible, modern format.

Click here to learn more: https://kripalu.org/experiences/tai-chi-easy-practice-leader-certification-0?sku=18438953

03/07/2026

Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader Certification (In-Person Training on April 5–10, 2026)

What if there was a simple, proven way to bring more calm, balance, and vitality into your life — and share it with others?

Join IIQTC senior trainers Brian Trzaskos and Audra Mace for the in-person Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader Certification in Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Massachusetts on April 5–10, 2026. Learn more: https://kripalu.org/experiences/tai-chi-easy-practice-leader-certification-0?sku=18438953

Tai Chi Easy™ was developed by Dr. Roger Jahnke, the author of The Healer Within, and disseminated widely by the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC). In this Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader Certification, you'll master the gentle yet powerful Tai Chi Easy™ method designed for all ages and fitness levels.

In this program, you will learn:

• Gentle movements: Learn simplified forms that promote healing, balance, flexibility, and relaxation.
• Breathing techniques: Discover how to synchronize your breath with movement to enhance energy flow and calm the mind.
• Mindfulness and meditation: Experience the meditative aspect of tai chi, helping you cultivate inner peace and presence.
• Self-applied massage: Enhance circulation and promote overall well-being by soothing muscles and relieving tension.

Secure your place today and start your journey as a Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader: https://kripalu.org/experiences/tai-chi-easy-practice-leader-certification-0?sku=18438953

03/06/2026

Many People Come to Tai Chi for Stress Relief.

What They Find Is Something Deeper:

The capacity to meet life's challenges with greater calm, clarity, and self-awareness — not just in the moment, but as a way of being.

(Tai Chi Easy is an accessible, research-informed approach to these benefits — gentle enough for any body, profound enough to transform how you move through the world. There's a live training at Kripalu this April for those wanting to explore it in depth — details in the comments.)

Dr. Jahnke responded to the question 'Does Tai Chi teach you to control stress?' directly on Quora as follows:

"Tai Chi — Taiji, contrary to the assumptions of many, is actually a cosmological phenomena. According to Chinese tradition Tai Chi is associated with the creation and nature of the universe.

There is a martial art named after Tai Chi. There is also a clothing line and a line of acupuncture needles that are named after Tai Chi as well.

If you ask, does Tai Chi teach you to control stress? There are a number of answers:

First, we need to modify the question to something like - Can implementing the practices that are named after Tai Chi support me in managing my relationship with the stressors in my life which create the influences of stress in me?

Then, let's be sure that we acknowledge the differences between stress, stressors and the influence of stress and stressors.
Stress is a kind of brand, it isn't actually something. Stressors and the influences of stressors is more what we want to control or manage.

It is difficult to control stressors - traffic, violence, overwork, trauma, pollution, relationship complexity, acts of God. It is very possible, however, to have a more intentful, more cultivated relationship with stressors to modify their influence on you.

So, the answer to the modified question is, yes, we can learn to modify the influence that stressors can have upon us.

And, while Tai Chi will not necessarily teach you to control the stressors in your life, the practice of Tai Chi can definitely support you in developing a more empowered capacity for self regulation — that is understanding that one's reactions to stressors are within one's control.

Tai Chi can assist us in understanding ourselves more deeply. Understanding ourselves leverages more considered and more cultivated responses. Through choices and responses we can reduce the negative influence of the stressors in our lives.

Practices based on Tai Chi are excellent for exploring the mind and body interactions with the intent of gaining mastery over the influence of stressors."

— Roger Jahnke, OMD

That deeper self-understanding — and the calm, grounded presence it cultivates — is what Tai Chi Easy is built to develop. If you're ready to bring those benefits into your own life and share them with others, the Tai Chi Easy Practice Leader Certification at Kripalu this April is a meaningful next step. Details in the comments.

03/05/2026

Activate the Healer Within Through Breath

Breath practice is very simple and can be done anywhere. Learn, practice, and embody "The 5 Primary Breath Methods" in the Breath Alchemy program on June 19–21, 2026 in Kripalu Center, Massachusetts: https://kripalu.org/experiences/breath-medicine-discover-profound-balance-and-inner-peace?sku=18440273

In this video, Dr. Roger Jahnke explains that breath practice is not complicated. You simply change the pace and depth of your breath. You can do it while working, driving, brushing your teeth, or falling asleep. Anytime. Anywhere.

Research continues to affirm what ancient masters understood: when you consciously modify the breath, you positively influence the autonomic nervous system, vagal tone, heart rate, and internal emotional states. In other words, you activate what Dr. Jahnke calls the healer within—your body's own innate medicine.

At Breath Alchemy, you'll learn the 5 Primary Breath Methods distilled from traditional indigenous systems around the world:

1. The Conscious Breath
2. The Maximum Breath
3. The Elixir Breath
4. The Ultra Breath
5. The Breath Symphony

Learn more and attend this in-person weekend retreat at Kripalu Center, Massachusetts on June 19–21, 2026, to experience these ancient practices firsthand: https://kripalu.org/experiences/breath-medicine-discover-profound-balance-and-inner-peace?sku=18440273