TTCS Water Method Training

By Paul Cavel

This article covers:

• How to start a personal practice
• My five-year curriculum

How to Learn Taoist Energy Arts

Many people are surprised to learn that beginners learn almost exactly the same material as experienced practitioners. This may sound counterintuitive, but consider that internal arts training is more about what is being emphasised and at what depth rather than a given exercise per se (e.g. a qigong set, tai chi style, bagua palm change or breathing technique).

Most courses start out with everyone together in one group — whether you are learning or reviewing the theory and fundamental principles that underlie the more in-depth material to come.

The primary difference is that, whereas:

•  Beginners learn body mechanics that develop qi (life-force energy),
•  Experienced practitioners learn energetic techniques that develop the body.

It’s two different angles of the same game.

Beginning-level students learn the choreography of any given energy art with an emphasis on the:

•  Correct body alignments
•  Structure of the form
•  Movement method
•  Quality of motion.

Experienced practitioners will also revisit these fundamentals since, quite often, refinements can be made, gaps can be filled in or feedback can help to integrate various threads that they have been developing independently.

Feel Your Qi

As you develop your body, mind and qi from progressive and systematic training, the focus becomes on feeling your qi, that which enables more refined internal motion and body-mind awareness. Internal arts like qigong, tai chi and bagua have little more effect than external forms of exercise without imbuing them with internal (neigong) content and qi.

Some of the basic internal mechanics and more popular topics that positively affect overall health and vitality so profoundly include:

•  Where and how to stretch in order to release the muscles, fascia, joints and organs.
•  Where and how to twist the soft tissues and in which direction.
•  When and how to open/expand versus close/gather.
•  When and how to release the nerves for deep relaxation and meditative movement.
•  How to contact your qi to give you a real and tangible experience of qi flow.

Learning Online Versus in Person

In-person training with a certified qigong, tai chi or bagua teacher is always ideal. Often we subconsciously work around our tensions and blockages. An experienced teacher can help you identify these spaces and show you how to adjust practices until your body is able to open up and release whatever causes any given distortion.

Online Courses

That said, may people cannot attend in-person courses on a regular basis with a skilled teacher for one reason or another. In this case, online courses allow students to get on the road and develop their foundation in neigong — that which powers up qigong, tai chi and bagua forms. Online courses also prepare you for and reinforce live training, offering a linear pathway through a circular learning progression.

Below I detail the online programmes that I offer and where my curriculum is headed in the years to come.

TTCS Online Curriculum

Taoist Neigong

Part 1 (Modules 1-6): Strengthen, Heal, Root — This course covers the essential component exercises that form the core of all Water Method training. I recommend all students, from new and beginning to teachers and the most advanced visit and revisit this material. The quality of your foundation sets the tone for all more in-depth training, either building in a glass ceiling or unlocking the potential for more complex neigong weaves to be embodied.

You can continue on to Part 2 after completing Part 1, or move on to Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong to focus on developing the etheric field and wei qi.

Part 2 (Modules 7-12): The Six Snakes of the Body — Here students develop the fundamental energetic connections necessary for weaving neigong and practising more complex qigong forms, tai chi and bagua.

Part 3 (Modules 13-18): The Spine and the Meridian-line System — Two key aspects of qi-based practice are engaging the spine and the meridian-line system. This level of practice deepens and advances all previous neigong techniques.

Part 4: Intermediate Practice — This stand-alone course is available for dedicated practitioners who complete Parts 1-3 to transition from a physical practice that generates qi to a qi-based practice that drives and refines physical movements.

Learn more about Taoist Neigong...

Dragon & Tiger Medical Qigong

Like Taoist Neigong, Dragon and Tiger Qigong is a suitable qigong form with which to start your Water Method practice. Many students, even after years of training, do not really feel their qi. Dragon and Tiger is renowned for having the ability to help practitioners tune into their qi, and eventually gain control over it to build abundant qi.

• Part 1 (Modules 1-3) — Learn the seven-exercise medical qigong set and how to activate your etheric field.
• Part 2 (Modules 4-6) — Learn refinements to increase blood and qi flow.
• Part 3 (Modules 7-12) — Breathing and tracing the meridian lines.
• Part 4 (modules 13-18) — Moving the wei qi and activating the feet.

I recommend completing Parts 1-2 at a minimum before moving on to other online neigong programmes.

Learn more about Medical Qigong...

Deeper Neigong Forms

Heaven & Earth Qigong

Whether you start with Taoist Neigong or Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong, in April 2026, new students and those currently in my qigong membership are invited to continue on to Heaven and Earth Qigong with Dragon and Tiger Qigong Energetics.

Heaven and Earth is often referred to as “healing qigong” because its simple two-part exercise can contain the first 12 of the 16 neigong, bridging the beginning to the more advanced Water Method teachings.

Gods Playing in the Cloud Qigong

In 2027, following on from Heaven and Earth Qigong, we’ll transition to Gods Playing in the Clouds Neigong. As the Tao Te Ching advises, “All is in the Earth.” We’ll start with a focus on physical mechanics, but then quickly move into deeper neigong lessons.

Although beginners are welcome to learn Gods Qigong, Gods is where you use and apply what you know and have embodied — as opposed to the ideal form for learning very nuanced neigong weaves that the other Five Element neigong sets are better designed to teach in their own right. Your skill and understanding of what is covered in Taoist Neigong, Dragon and Tiger Qigong and Heaven and Earth Qigong will be the springboard from which you enter into a systematic build of Gods Qigong, whether at a beginning or more advanced level.

Yang Style Tai Chi

I recommend all students begin their tai chi journey with the Yang style. All of the best tai chi practitioners I know from four decades of tai chi training, including my teacher, Bruce Frantzis, started with this large-frame movement style. This prerequisite training opens up the body and initiates the process of embodying ever-more complex neigong.

• Yang Mini Form (Modules 1-3) — Learn the first seven moves, which contain the essence of tai chi. Some masters in China only taught Mini Forms for this reason.
• Yang Short Form (Modules 4-10) — Derived from the First Section of the Yang Long Form, this Short Form adds more complex vertical and horizontal motions, and includes coverage of the four primary energies of tai chi, which give shape to all tai chi forms.
• Yang Medium Form (Modules 11-20) — Takes neigong yet deeper into the body and provides a more robust workout. Here we review the four primary energies and add much more depth.
• Medium Form Part 2 (Modules 21-24) — This stand-alone course adds the opposition openings and closings to release deeply bound tension and soften off your tai chi form.
• Yin-Yang Tissue Flows — This stand-alone course can be joined by students who’ve completed either the Yang Short Form or Medium Form courses to drill down into the core of the four primary energies by combining the yin-yang tissue flows with opening-and-closing techniques. Available Winter 2025.

Learn more about Yang Style Tai Chi...

Wu Style Tai Chi

In spring 2026, I’ll begin a multi-year exploration into the Wu Style Tai Chi Long Form, which will be taught in sections, starting with the First Section. More details coming soon.

Bagua

Bagua is the original art to realise the teachings of the I Ching, adding the dimensions of strength training and aerobic exercise to the internal arts. Currently I offer three tracks of online study to enable students of all levels and states of health to join and gain benefit from this incredibly powerful movement method.

Circle Walking & Energy Postures

This course is designed for those who do not wish or who are not ready to learn complex and demanding palm changes with subsidiary warm-up and unifications exercises, which require a base level of health and fitness to train online. Students will learn two Circle Walking practices: The first includes heel-toe stepping with the first five energy postures and the second includes the first nine energy postures for a more robust practice that can add the element of fitness — something qigong and tai chi do not offer — if/when you are able to walk at a faster pace.

Learn more about Circle Walking & Energy Postures...

Bagua Palms

Bagua Single Palm Change — Mud Stepping and the Single (Heaven) Palm are the core techniques of both the monastic bagua and bagua zhang (martial arts) traditions. Students will also learn bagua warm-up and unifications exercises and the first five energy postures to practise in the Circle.

Learn more about Single Palm...

Bagua Double Palm Change — In this course students will learn the Bagua Zhang Double Palm Change as well as Monastic Bagua’s Single Palm Change (Earth Version). While bagua zhang focuses on the Eight Mother Palms, the much older monastic tradition focusses on 64 primary ways of training the Single Palm Change for health and meditation. Whereas in year one the focus is on three-part and two-part stepping, in year two students will also learn Four-part Mud Stepping.

Learn more about Double Palm...

Bagua Third & Fourth Palm Changes — In April 2026, I’ll move on to the Bagua Zhang Third and Fourth Palms, as well as the Single Palm Change (Wind and Thunder versions).

Bagua Fifth Palm Change & the Swimming Dragon Body — In 2027, I’ll move on to the Bagua Zhang Fifth Palm, as well as the Single Palm Change (Fire Version). We’ll also introduce the Swimming Dragon Body within this module.

Bagua Sixth Palm Change — In 2028, I’ll move on to the Bagua Zhang Sixth Palm, as well as the Single Palm Change (Water Version).

Bagua Seventh Palm Change — In 2029, I’ll move on to the Bagua Zhang Seventh Palm, as well as the Single Palm Change (Mountain Version).

Bagua Eighth Palm Change — In 2030, I’ll move on to the Bagua Zhang Eighth Palm, as well as the Single Palm Change (Lake Version).

A Fully Integrated Curriculum

My in-person curriculum in London and California supports, underpins and advances all aspects of my online programmes with the aim of giving those in attendance a profound experience of training qi-based practices. I also highly recommend training with skilled TTCS Instructors to prepare for and reinforce my teachings. Together, we offer a fully integrated curriculum to help students let go of that which holds them back in order to realise their full human potential.

Looking forward to connecting with you along The Way.