In this 8-day course, new and existing students are welcome, and can choose either:

• Group 1 - Take a deep dive into Taoist Neigong (38 hours)

• Group 2 - Learn the Taoist Neigong set and delve into the realms of Yang Style Tai Chi (44 hours)

Teacher certification track available for qigong only, or both qigong and tai chi.

What You Will Learn

Intensive trainings are where Paul teaches the deepest aspects of Taoist arts and mentors those who wish to engage in truly internal practice, especially those who wish to become teachers of the rare and unique Water Method. All students will receive hands-on corrections and feedback from Paul and/or his certified instructor teaching assistants, each with 20+ years training experience: senior instructor Jackie Smith, Jason Roberts and Mir Ali.

Group 1: Taoist Neigong & the Six Snakes

New and existing students are welcome to learn, deepen and refine the form, structure and internal (neigong) content of:

• Standing Qigong — Neutral and Hug-a-Tree postures

• Cloud Hands — Beginning and intermediate levels of practice

• Two Swings

• Beginning Form

• Energy Mechanics — How to ignite, circulate and cultivate qi via the Six Snakes.

This depth of practice has been used by Taoists for millennia to generate vibrant health, keep the body young and flexible, and open up an individual’s potential. The more solid your foundation, the further and deeper you can go. Everyone will [re-]build their foundation to seek out and correct disconnects and bad habits, while honing in on what holds you back in your practice in order to genuinely advance along your path.

Group 2: Yang Style Tai Chi & The Four Primary Energies

All students will study the four-exercise Taoist Neigong set with Paul as the core of all Water Method arts training. New and existing students are also welcome to join the Yang Style Tai Chi Short Form group, which will include instruction on and practice/refinement of:

• The Choreography of the Yang Short Form — the container for all internal techniques and the vessel through which the essence of tai chi is taught. The First Section of the Yang Long Form serves as an efficient and effective Short Form.

• Bend-and-Stretch Techniques — that which is responsible for generating an internal practice by breaking habitual tension responses in the muscle groups and re-training the nerves to use smooth, circular, relaxed motion.

• Open-and-Close Techniques — which are responsible for increasing the depth of internal practice and generate a soft, relaxed body and mind. “Pulsing” techniques, as they are also known, open the doorway to the realms of qi.

• The Four Primary Energies — peng, ji, lu and an which produce the flavour, quality and effectiveness of tai chi by separating and combining yin and yang energies.

• Deep Energetics to Bring Alive the Relevant Six Snakes — which serve to generate deeper connections and energetic flows within the body during tai chi practice. (The Six Snakes are covered in-depth in Paul’s Membership programme, months 7-12. He highly recommends joining Membership and studying qigong before or in conjunction with tai chi as all the foundational lessons and essential neigong are presented through qigong.)

The main focus in this group is to learn tai chi. Paul requires all students learn/refine the Taoist Neigong set as the ideal carrier for embodying the essential internal principles which generate the deep connections in the body necessary to practise tai chi well.

Form and Internal Content

The Yang form Paul Cavel teaches is derived from that of Yang Cheng Fu, a direct descendant of the Yang family, as he considers it a superb balance between ease of learning and depth of internals, making it a practice well-suited to both new and existing students alike. The internal techniques conform to all the principles of the 16 neigong system as taught by his primary teacher, Tai Chi Master Bruce Frantzis. Paul is a senior student of Master Frantzis and has trained the Water Method with him in both private and public tuition since 1992.

“Paul is a gifted teacher who is able to embody the arts and break them down into easy-to-follow steps. I have seen him help others build extraordinary energetic foundations in their bodies”. — Taoist Lineage Holder Bruce Frantzis

Teacher Certification

All students who attend the complete 8-day intensive are welcome to test for certification. If you wish to test, which is optional — whether for certification or only for feedback (i.e. even if you do not wish to become a teacher) — the following will be required:

• An evaluation of your form in the early days of the course, when individual feedback will be offered to help you advance your practice.

• All course hours plus additional practice sessions.

• A certification test on Friday, 5 September 2024, which if you pass, opens one of two paths to you—

o   First-time instructors who do not have any other certifications: a) must complete 6 months of practice; b) teach 10 hours of Taoist Neigong in-person OR Taoist Neigong AND Yang Style Tai Chi for 10 hours each (in-person teaching, 20 hours total), as relevant; c) schedule an online or live assessment with Paul to confirm you have maintained the quality of your practice and completed all teacher requirements.

o   Instructors who have at least one other certification from Paul/The Tai Chi Space or Energy Arts – may immediately move on to teaching the material at the level to which they become certified (i.e. Level 1, 2 or 3).

A teaching certification issued by The Tai Chi Space of Redlands, California (USA) will be awarded to those who complete the Instructor Training with Paul, pass the final assessment, and complete the required practice and teaching hours. Paul is a senior instructor of the Tai Chi Union of Great Britain, and can sign off for you to join the organisation and obtain liability insurance as a qigong/tai chi teacher.

Assessment

Testing is conducted near the end of the course to allow for maximum absorption of the lessons and yet leave a little time for those requiring small corrections to make the necessary adjustments in order to achieve certification (or attain a higher level, as the case may be), and leave with good feedback.

• New students are welcome: It is possible to learn the Taoist Neigong set and Yang Short Form in the eight-day course, and pass the Level 1 certification test, but it is not guaranteed. Online preparatory courses are highly recommended for new students wishing to become certified teachers.

• In order to become certified in Taoist Neigong Levels 2-3, you must be able to demonstrate the whole set on arrival.

• In order to become certified in either the Yang Style Mini Form (up to Single Whip) or Yang Style Short Form (up to Cross Hands) Levels 2-3, you must be able to demonstrate the form by yourself on arrival.

“My aim is to offer you quality and depth of training to create skill, understanding and confidence, which can be further developed after the course.” —Paul Cavel

Preparatory Training

ONLINE CLASSES

• Online Membership Programme — Learn the four-exercise Taoist Neigong set and essential internal content that defines and underpins all Water Method arts training. In the first six months, Paul teaches all the material necessary for Taoist Neigong teacher certification (Levels 1-2); in the following six months, he presents all the material required for teacher certification (Level 3).

• Online Tai Chi Classes — Learn the form and all the internal content required for Yang Style Short Form teacher certification (Levels 1-3) from October 2023-July 2024.

  
  

“I designed these courses to prepare you for and give you the best chance of attaining the most from this intensive training and certification process.” — Paul Cavel

CLASSES IN London

See prep classes in London

BOOKING INFO

Schedule

Saturday, 31 August to Saturday, 7 September 2024

Registration
Saturday, 31 August 2024:
9:10 am Registration Tai Chi (Group 2/Tai Chi)
10:30 am Registration Qigong (Group 1/Taoist Neigong only)

Morning Classes
Saturday, 31 August to Saturday, 7 September 2024:

9:30-11:00 am Group 2 (only)
Tai chi group instruction, practice and partner exercises led by Paul and one of his certified instructor assistants

10:00-10:45 am Group 1 (only) — Sunday, 1 September to Saturday, 7 September (not on the first Saturday)
Qigong group practice led by senior instructor Jackie Smith

11:00 am-1:00 pm Groups 1-2
Qigong instruction by Paul for both groups (first class for Group 1 is on Saturday at 11:00 am)

Note: One morning will be taken off to allow participants to rest, reflect and train on their own.

Lunch
1:00-2:30 pm

Afternoon Classes
2:30-5:00 pm Groups 1-2

Paul will share his time between Groups 1-2, offering instruction and feedback; a teaching assistant will lead each group to facilitate learning, answer questions and oversee partner exercises.

• Group 1 — will drill down into deeper neigong techniques and practices to help you embody the Six Snakes.

• Group 2 — will move along in the form, go deeper into the internal content of tai chi, and explore the specific applications of neigong within the form in relation to peng, ji, lu and an.

38 hours: Taoist Neigong (Group 1)
44 hours: Taoist Neigong and Tai Chi (Group 2)

Location

The Tai Chi Space
1-2 Leeds Place
Tollington Park
Finsbury Park
London N4 3RF

Finsbury Park and Crouch Hill Stations:
Victoria and Piccadilly Lines, and London Overground
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Rideshare:
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Course FeeS

Book your place with payment via bank or card below:

£750 (880 €/$955) Neigong only
£850 (995 €/$1,085) Neigong and Tai Chi

Pay in three instalments:
£300 deposit, then divide remaining balance by 2; full balance due 31 July 2024

* Euro and US dollar fees subject to change according to currency exchange rates.

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