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Yoga Farm Ithaca: Qigong Teacher Training

Course program

Qigong Teacher Training: Level 1 is a 200-hour live online program from Yoga Farm Ithaca, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit yoga school. Led by licensed acupuncturist Bryan Isacks, the training introduces traditional Chinese energy cultivation practices through gentle movement, breath, and awareness, and prepares students to teach beginner-level Qigong with clarity and accessibility.

No prior Qigong or yoga experience is required. The program welcomes complete beginners alongside certified yoga teachers expanding their toolkit, healers, therapists, educators, and wellness practitioners who want to bring Qigong into their professional work. It is also designed for students with limited mobility, since Qigong can be practiced standing or seated and does not require props or a mat.

The curriculum is grounded in fundamental Qigong theory: Yin and Yang, Five Element Theory, the Theory of Qi, Blood, and Fluids, Chinese Energetic Anatomy, and Channel Theory. Students study and learn to teach three foundational standing postures — Wu Ji Empty Stance, Zhan Zhuang Standing Post, and San Ti Shi Three Body Posture — alongside three breath patterns: abdominal, reverse, and embryonic breathing.

Movement training is taught through Shen Fa principles, including Song, moving from the Yao, rising and falling, drilling, and the Six Harmonies incorporating bear movement and swings. Students also work through classical Qigong sets: Wave Hands Like Clouds, the Six Qi Cultivation Exercises, Yi Yin Jing (Sinew Tendon Changing Classic), the Five Element set, and Ba Duan Jin (Eight Pieces of Brocade), and are introduced to Nian Li Taoist medical qigong. Cue rehearsals and breakout rooms are used throughout to develop practical teaching skills.

The training is led by Bryan Isacks, M.S., L.Ac., a licensed acupuncturist with over twenty years of clinical experience in Oriental medicine and Qigong in the Finger Lakes region. Yoga Farm Ithaca is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School supported by a broader team of educators who provide weekly office hours and mentorship across its programs.

The format is live online: three classes per week over twelve weeks, taught via Zoom, with weekly office hours for Q&A with the lead educator. Students complete certification within six months of the live program ending. Graduates receive indefinite access to training materials and class replays, plus unlimited access to Qigong, yoga, and meditation classes during the course and a private online classroom community.

The curriculum is grounded in fundamental Qigong theory: Yin and Yang, Five Element Theory, the Theory of Qi, Blood, and Fluids, Chinese Energetic Anatomy, and Channel Theory. Students study and learn to teach three foundational standing postures — Wu Ji Empty Stance, Zhan Zhuang Standing Post, and San Ti Shi Three Body Posture — alongside three breath patterns: abdominal, reverse, and embryonic breathing.

Movement training is taught through Shen Fa principles, including Song, moving from the Yao, rising and falling, drilling, and the Six Harmonies incorporating bear movement and swings. Students also work through classical Qigong sets: Wave Hands Like Clouds, the Six Qi Cultivation Exercises, Yi Yin Jing (Sinew Tendon Changing Classic), the Five Element set, and Ba Duan Jin (Eight Pieces of Brocade), and are introduced to Nian Li Taoist medical qigong. Cue rehearsals and breakout rooms are used throughout to develop practical teaching skills.

Meet your teacher

Bryan Isacks

Bryan Isacks, M.S., L.Ac., is a licensed acupuncturist with over twenty years of clinical experience in Oriental medicine and Qigong in the Finger Lakes region. He is the lead educator for Yoga Farm Ithaca's Qigong Teacher Training program.

Read more about Bryan
Bryan Isacks

Host reviews

  • Shula Rose

    Shula Rose

    Verified user

    I have been part of Yoga Farm Ithaca since 2019. Both as a teacher and a student I absolutely love it. The trauma informed approach and the genuine care from the YFI staff and teachers is amazing. Highly recommend

  • Rosemarie Zonetti

    Rosemarie Zonetti

    Verified user

    YFI is a gift to the Ithaca community! The studio space is not only beautiful but welcoming, accessible, and inclusive. The boutique is lovely and has lots of great local products. Classes are spacious and full of care. So excited to see this new space for our community downtown!

  • Sarah Smith

    Sarah Smith

    Verified user

    Yoga Farm Ithaca is one of those rare places that feels deeply nourishing the moment you arrive and somehow continues to work on you long after you leave. In person, the land itself feels held and intentional. There is a sense of care woven into everything from the physical space to the pacing of the days to the people who gather there. The classes and offerings are thoughtful, embodied, and accessible without ever feeling watered down. Whether you are brand new to a practice or deeply experienced, you feel welcomed exactly as you are.

  • Kimberly Pollack

    Kimberly Pollack

    Verified user

    I love Yoga Farm Ithaca! Their teacher training programs are safe, caring, welcoming online spaces where true healing and growth happens as you learn to teach others. I highly recommend YFI!!!

  • Lorena Abarr

    Lorena Abarr

    Verified user

    I'm forever grateful that I took YFI's Radiant Warrior 200 hour YTT. It changed my life in so many ways. The teachers are the real deal and are so heartfelt, kind and knowledgeable. This community is amazing.

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