Qigong Teacher Certification
The 1-Year Qigong Mastery and Teacher Training Program with Master Instructor Tevia Feng
The only Qigong teacher certification program in the world that combines authentic Daoist lineage with neuroscience, sports science, and Chinese medicine — a university-style curriculum developed in collaboration with experts from Harvard, Stanford, Cirque du Soleil, and European ballet.
Master Instructor Tevia Feng, founder of White Tiger Qigong
The Five-Level Curriculum, Rooted in the Three Treasures
Every core Qigong system at White Tiger Qigong is structured through the same five-level progression, drawn directly from the classical Daoist Three Treasures framework — Jing, Qi, and Shen — extended through the medical Qigong tradition and culminating in formal teacher training.
Foundational physical movement, structural alignment, fascia integration, and the mental framework for sustained practice.
Breathwork and energetic flow. Integrating breath with form so movement and energy become indistinguishable.
Spiritual depth and the science of flow states. Visualization, internal alchemy, and embodied wisdom.
Therapeutic application drawn from Traditional Chinese Medicine, fascia science, and clinical observation.
Pedagogy, class design, and the formal certification examination — written theory plus video form analysis.
The Breathwork Mastery system follows a compressed four-level version: Levels 1–2 cover Body and Breath together, Level 3 covers Prescription, and Level 4 is Teacher Training and Certification.
Built with Harvard, Stanford, Cirque du Soleil, and European Ballet
Most Qigong certifications focus on one knowledge stream — usually Traditional Chinese Medicine theory and lineage transmission. That foundation is essential, but it is not sufficient for the modern teaching environment, and it is not what produces a graduate who can teach Qigong credibly in a hospital, a corporate wellness program, or to an athletic clientele.
White Tiger Qigong was built differently. Tevia Feng partnered with leading professional education experts to design a university-style curriculum grounded in adult learning theory, performance science, and movement pedagogy:
Collaborated on the educational architecture of the curriculum, translating Tevia's decades of practice into a structured, sequential learning system aligned with how adults actually retain complex embodied skills.
Collaborated on curriculum design, instructional sequencing, and learning-outcome measurement. The Three Treasures Five Levels architecture used across every system reflects this educational design work.
rought world-class movement expertise and performance-arts pedagogy into the testing standards. His contribution shapes the rigor of how WTQ instructors are assessed on form quality, body alignment, and embodied transmission.
Co-developed the sports-science integration that runs through every level of the curriculum, ensuring that fascia, kinetic chain, biomechanics, and movement science are not bolted on to the lineage tradition but built into the practice itself.
Neuroscience. Sports Science. Chinese Medicine.
Beyond the curriculum design, three knowledge streams run through every form, every level, and every teaching.
Neuroscience
Our breathwork curriculum was developed in collaboration with neuroscientist Dr. Michael Mannino and incorporates current research on the polyvagal system, heart-rate variability, and the brain-body connection. You learn not only the traditional energetic theory of breath, but the mechanisms by which specific breathing patterns measurably shift nervous-system state. When you teach a class of stressed corporate employees, you can explain — accurately and in their language — why a six-second extended exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
Sports Science
Fascia anatomy, biomechanics, and movement science inform every form taught in the system. Our Five Element curriculum was co-developed with fascia specialist Chris Kummer. You learn to teach Qigong as a system that delivers measurable mobility, strength, and pain-relief outcomes. Students who arrive with chronic lower-back pain, frozen shoulders, hip restrictions, or postural collapse leave classes feeling tangibly different. As an instructor, you can explain what is happening in their fascia, their breathing diaphragm, their psoas — not in vague energetic language alone, but in terms a physical therapist or orthopedist would recognize.
Chinese Medicine
The lineage foundation. Theory of Qi, the Five Elements, meridian systems, organ-emotion correspondences, and diagnostic frameworks drawn directly from classical Daoist and Traditional Chinese Medicine sources. Our curriculum builds on the Universal Healing Tao tradition of Grandmaster Mantak Chia, with whom Tevia Feng has co-taught for many years.
This triple-stack means our graduates can teach Qigong across radically different settings: clinical rehabilitation, athletic performance, corporate wellness, spiritual community, and traditional health practice. Most programs prepare you for one of these contexts. We prepare you for all of them.
Six Core Systems, Plus 5 Force Fit for Fitness Professionals
White Tiger Qigong's certification path is built around six core teacher training systems. Each runs through the full five-level Three Treasures architecture (Breathwork follows the compressed four-level version). The Teacher Training Bundle also includes 5 Force Fit — a specialty certification adapting Qigong principles for fitness, yoga, and Pilates studio environments.
Breathwork Mastery
Pranayama, Daoist breathing methods, and neuroscience-informed breath protocols. Includes Dr. Michael Mannino's Neuroscience of Breath module and Chris Kummer's Fascia of the Respiratory System module. Level 1 covers the 8 foundational breathing exercises. Level 2 adds 13 advanced techniques. Level 3 includes a dedicated fascia sub-course. Level 4 is full facilitator certification. Live masterclass cohorts run approximately 9 weeks, with lifetime access for continued practice and refinement.
Dragon Meridian Qigong
Meridian-based moving Qigong rooted in classical Chinese medicine theory. Master all 14 Dragon Meridian exercises across five progressive levels. Activates and balances the twelve principal meridians and the Governing and Conception vessels. Strongest system for fascia release, joint mobility, and energetic flow. The Dragon Meridian forms — Dragon Whips, Dragon Spirals, Dragon Coils — are some of the most photographically and energetically distinctive movements in the entire White Tiger system. Live cohorts run approximately 12 weeks with lifetime access for ongoing practice.
Five Element Qigong
The Wuxing system. Five animal-element correspondences — Wood/Liver/Tiger, Fire/Heart/Crane, Earth/Spleen/Bear, Metal/Lung/Monkey, Water/Kidney/Deer — each addressing specific organ systems and emotional patterns. Level 1 introduces the 5 Core Qigong Exercises. Full Levels 1–5 path includes 15+ live masterclasses with expert feedback and case-study sessions. The most clinically applicable system for working with chronic conditions.
Eight Trigram Qigong
Bagua-based circular and spiraling movements that develop functional rotational mobility, vestibular integration, and the eight extraordinary vessels. Master the 8 Core Qigong Exercises foundational to the system. Weekly live masterclasses run across an approximately 15-week cohort, with lifetime access for continued practice. The system most prized by martial artists and athletic practitioners. Eight Trigram trains a quality of rotational power and structural integration that is rare in modern movement systems.
Five Animal Qigong: Summer Roads
The first half of the Five Animal system. Taught only in residential teacher training retreats due to the depth of partner work and live correction required. The Five Animal system represents the most complete classical animal-form Qigong tradition still actively transmitted. Summer Roads covers ten of the twenty animal forms; the partner work and embodied correction cannot be effectively delivered through video alone.
5 Force Fit
Functional Qigong for fitness professionals. 5 Force Fit adapts core Qigong principles for modern studio environments — gyms, yoga studios, Pilates studios — using more vigorous routines that integrate strength, flexibility, mental resilience, and holistic well-being into a format that works alongside conventional fitness programming. The system includes 45 pre-scripted Yin and Yang flows with neuro-acoustic soundtracks, designed so certified instructors can lead classes immediately after assessment. Unlike the six core Qigong systems, 5 Force Fit is positioned as a specialty certification — available to graduates of any core teacher training, and to certified yoga, fitness, or Pilates instructors as a standalone path. It is included in the Teacher Training Bundle.
The two Five Animal teacher trainings, plus other in-person retreats including Eleven Pieces of Brocade and 5 Element Qigong, are listed on our Events Page — the upcoming schedule of in-person teacher trainings is updated there throughout the year.
Tevia Feng
Master Instructor and founder of White Tiger Qigong.
Tevia turned to Qigong as a child to address chronic illness. That early necessity became a lifelong vocation. He spent decades training under multiple lineages across China, Thailand, Bali, and Southeast Asia, studying with masters in classical Daoist Qigong, internal martial arts, and traditional Chinese medical practice.
The White Tiger Qigong Academy was hosted at Tao Garden — Grandmaster Mantak Chia's Universal Healing Tao retreat center in Northern Thailand — for many years, where Tevia co-taught courses with Grandmaster Chia both online and offline. He is also a published author with YMAA Publication Center, and his Five Elements Qigong Collection is part of YMAA's premium training library.
Tevia has trained over 70,000 students globally and is an invited speaker at the Beyond Activ industry summit. He is known publicly for his signature Vietnamese conical hat and for declining to film conventional headshot media — a choice rooted in his preference for the practice to be the foreground, not the teacher.
Unlike most online Qigong programs, certification students train directly with Tevia through live online instruction and direct video feedback on form. When you submit your Level 5 form for analysis, Tevia or a senior certified instructor reviews it personally.
The First Qigong Program Authorized in Bhutan
In 2025, Tevia Feng was the first person authorized by the central monastic body of Bhutan, through His Eminence Leytsog Lopon Sangay Dorji of the Zhung Dratshang, to create a Qigong program for Bhutanese monks — delivered with the Shangrila Foundation.
His Eminence Leytsog Lopon Sangay Dorji is a senior figure in Bhutanese Buddhism, profiled in depth by Buddhistdoor Global and a leading voice in shaping Bhutan's contemporary Buddhadharma. The Bhutan authorization represents the first time the Qigong teaching tradition has been formally introduced into Bhutanese monastic training — a relationship that continues to develop.
The Teacher Training Bundle
Three flexible enrollment options, designed to make the year-long path accessible whether you prefer a single payment or monthly installments.
per month, 12 months
3 quarterly payments
single payment, best value
Bundle savings exceed $1,000 versus purchasing each teacher training individually. Includes private consultations with Tevia Feng and access to the Inner Circle Transmissions and Mastermind of Teachers — a private community of over 200 advanced students, senior practitioners, and certified instructors worldwide.
All enrollments include our 30-day money-back guarantee. Enrollment, full bundle details, and the complete inclusions list are on the bundle page.
Questions, answered.
How long does it take to become certified?
It depends on your starting point, your weekly practice rhythm, and how much depth you want before sitting for the certification examination. The live masterclass cohorts for each system run approximately 9 to 15 weeks depending on the system, but mastery — and certification readiness — often takes longer. Many students complete the live cohort portion of all four systems over approximately twelve months, then continue refining their practice before submitting for certification. The path is self-paced after the live cohort window closes, and there is no time limit on access or certification.
How long do I have access to the program?
You have lifetime access. Once you enroll, you retain access to all course materials, future updates, and the active student community for as long as you want them. There is no expiration. Many of our graduates return to specific levels years after first completing them — the material rewards revisiting as your practice deepens.
Can I upgrade between levels or systems after I've purchased?
Yes. If you purchase a single level or single system and decide to advance, you can upgrade at any time and only pay the difference between the level you've already purchased and the next. If you've purchased one teacher training and later decide to do the full bundle, your prior purchase credits toward the bundle price. The upgrade ladder is designed so you never lose money for committing one step at a time.
Do I need prior Qigong experience to enroll?
No prior Qigong experience is required for the foundational levels. Each system builds from beginner accessibility through to advanced material. The curriculum is designed so that complete newcomers can progress to certification readiness through consistent practice. That said, certification itself requires demonstrable mastery — there is no shortcut.
What is the difference between completing the course and being certified?
Completing all five levels of a system earns you a Certificate of Completion. Becoming a Certified Instructor requires passing the Level 5 certification examination, which includes a written theory test and a video form analysis. Only Certified Instructors are authorized to teach the system commercially under the White Tiger Qigong name.
Are White Tiger Qigong certifications recognized by the National Qigong Association (NQA)?
The National Qigong Association is a U.S.-based credentialing body that recognizes training hours from any qualified Qigong teacher, school, or program regardless of style or lineage. Our certifications meet the NQA's documented-training-hour standards. Graduates who wish to also hold NQA credentials may apply to the NQA directly with their White Tiger Qigong training records. NQA membership and certification are administered separately by that organization.
Will I be qualified to teach in studios, hospitals, or corporate wellness programs?
Certified White Tiger Qigong instructors teach across all of these settings worldwide. The breadth of the curriculum — integrating neuroscience, sports science, and Chinese medicine, and designed with experts from Harvard, Stanford, Cirque du Soleil, and European ballet — was specifically built to prepare graduates for clinical, athletic, corporate, and traditional teaching contexts. We do not, however, certify you as a medical practitioner. Teaching Qigong as a wellness practice and practicing medicine are distinct, and our certification scope is the former.
How is the certification examination administered?
The Level 5 examination has two components. The written theory test covers the curriculum's foundational concepts in Chinese medicine, neuroscience, sports science, and pedagogy. The video analysis requires you to submit recordings of yourself performing the system's core forms; these are reviewed for accuracy, alignment, and teaching readiness by senior instructors. Both components must be passed to receive certification. The testing standards were developed in collaboration with Matthew Jester, a former Cirque du Soleil performer and former European ballet director, who brought elite-performance assessment rigor into our instructor evaluation process.
What happens if I don't pass the certification examination?
You may retake the examination. Most students who do not pass on the first attempt benefit from additional video feedback and targeted practice. We do not rubber-stamp certifications — passing the examination is a meaningful credential, and we'd rather support you through a second attempt than give you a credential you haven't earned.
Can I teach Qigong using a different name or method after I'm certified?
You can teach any Qigong you have personally trained in. White Tiger Qigong certification authorizes you to teach using the White Tiger Qigong name, branding, and methods specifically. Many of our graduates teach a blend of our system and other traditions they have studied. We ask that you represent your training accurately — only refer to yourself as a White Tiger Qigong Certified Instructor in the systems you have actually certified in.
Is there ongoing support after I'm certified?
Yes. Certified instructors retain lifetime access to course materials, ongoing curriculum updates, and the Inner Circle Transmissions and Mastermind of Teachers — our private community of over 200 advanced students and instructors. We also host live masterclasses, in-person retreats listed on ourEvents Page, and continuing education events. Our goal is to support your teaching career long after you complete the certification.
Does the program accommodate students outside the United States?
Yes. The four online teacher trainings are delivered globally. Live online sessions are scheduled to allow attendance from multiple time zones, and recordings are available for any session missed. Our graduates teach in more than 80 countries.
What is the refund policy?
We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on all enrollments. If you decide within 30 days that the program isn't the right fit, contact us for a full refund.
Is the program suitable for older students, students with physical limitations, or students returning to movement after injury?
Yes. Qigong is one of the most accessible movement practices in existence. Each form has seated, standing, and modified variations. Students in their seventies and eighties complete teacher trainings successfully. Students returning from chronic injury frequently find Qigong is the first practice their body can sustain. The certification standard does require demonstrable competency in the forms, but competency is calibrated to the form's intent — not to any external athletic standard.
Can I attend an in-person teacher training as well as the online program?
Yes — and many students do. The online Teacher Training Bundle is the year-long structured path. In-person retreats add depth that cannot be transmitted online: live correction, partner work, immersive practice. The Five Animal teacher trainings are in-person only, and other systems (5 Element, Dragon Meridian, Eight Trigram, Eleven Pieces of Brocade) periodically run as in-person Vietnam retreats. The full schedule of upcoming in-person trainings is on ourEvents Page. Online graduates often qualify for a discounted Lineage Voucher toward their first in-person retreat.
How is this program different from Holden QiGong, Yoga Farm Ithaca, or the Universal Healing Tao?
Each of these programs has its own value and lineage. Holden QiGong and Yoga Farm Ithaca are excellent introductory programs at the 100–200 hour level, focused on accessibility and foundational practice. The Universal Healing Tao under Grandmaster Mantak Chia teaches the classical Daoist inner alchemy tradition at depth — and White Tiger Qigong's Academy was hosted at Tao Garden with Grandmaster Chia for many years, so our lineage runs directly through that tradition. White Tiger Qigong is differentiated by its integration of three knowledge streams (neuroscience, sports science, Chinese medicine), its five-level Three Treasures curriculum architecture, its university-style design with Harvard, Stanford, Cirque du Soleil, and European ballet collaborators, the 2025 Bhutan authorization, and its preparation of graduates for clinical, athletic, and corporate teaching settings simultaneously.
The path from interested student to certified instructor.
It is structured, demanding, and supported. You are not learning alone, and you are not earning a credential that does not require real work. If you are ready to begin, the Teacher Training Bundle is the most direct path through all four online systems.
Prefer to start with a single system? The four individual teacher trainings —Breathwork Mastery, Dragon Meridian, Five Element, and Eight Trigram— can be purchased separately. The bundle reflects a $1,000+ discount for students committing to the full certification path. If you have questions before enrolling, contact our team directly.