The National Qigong Association defines Qigong as a mind-body-spirit practice that improves one’s mental and physical health by integrating posture, movement, breathing techniques, self-massage, sound, and focused intent. The NQA represents all forms of Qigong, including personal and group practices and clinical practice, rooted in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The NQA Certification process is specifically for Qigong Instructors and Qigong Clinicians. Please carefully check the appropriate areas of the application for where to log your Related Qigong Training, Health-Focused Tai Chi, and other types of training hours.
With the exception of Qigong Instructor Level I, 75% of Qigong Training Hours must be Formal Qigong Training (FQT).
The other 25% of Training Hours can be divided into the following 5 Categories:
Application Review Committee (ARC): An NQA subcommittee of the Certification Committee that reviews an applicant’s credentials for certification and, based on defined metrics and requirements, makes a recommendation on whether the applicant meets these requirements for the level that the applicant applied for. The ARC has the right to request an interview with any applicant before issuing a certificate. Should an applicant be denied a certificate, the applicant can re-apply after a year’s time. The training credits received the past year will be readjusted to reflect the new totals.
Adverse Reaction: a physiological or emotional response during a Qigong practice or session.
Applicant: A professional member of The NQA desiring certification and who has applied for any of the three Certification Tracks under the NQA certification guidelines. (Qigong Instructor Levels 1-4, Qigong Clinical Practitioner, Qigong Integrative Professional).
Asynchronous Learning (AL): A form of learning in which the study and practice of Qigong is accessed when and wherever a student wants and personally engages in the principles and practice put forth. There is no live student & teacher interaction. Categories include: Books, Blogs, DVDs and Self-study Audio/Video On Demand (pre-recorded classes/course and training modules). Up to 1% of these hours will be applied to total hour requirements.
Certification: The process by which a current Professional Member of the NQA receives a formal certificate documenting completion of the credentials for one of the three Certification Tracks. The certificate informs the public of the depth and scope of Qigong principles and practices the certificate holder has achieved in their training and is supported by the full faith of the NQA membership.
Clinical Contact and Non-contact of Qi Emission: ways in which a Qigong Clinician will emit and transfer Qi to another with the intention to balance Qi flow and for healing purposes.
CPR Certification: applicant has taken a Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation course and has in their possession a current Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation certification card.
Current Liability Insurance: a current policy with an insurance carrier that will legally protect the practitioner from a Qigong accident or an accusation of gross negligence or misconduct from a client /patient.
Documented Hours of Instruction: study in the principles and practices of Qigong given by a Qigong instructor/teacher. These hours may be obtained through the following: Formal Qigong Training, Formal Qigong Clinical Training, Virtual (Real-Time) Qigong Training, Related Qigong Training, and Asynchronous Learning. (Please refer to each definition for clarification of how qualifying hours are calculated.) Documentation of your participation and breakout of live, in-person hours in the form of a certificate or letter from the teacher is required.
Formal Qigong Clinical Training (FQCT): Documented hours of study where direct instruction is received in an in-person class setting from an instructor. These hours include energetic anatomy & physiology, Qi transmission through non-touch and/or light touch methods, and recommendation of Qigong exercises and meditations. This training teaches the development of skills, derived through formal instruction and self-cultivation, in the assessment, clearing, and direct treatment of one’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual (consciousness) alignment rooted in Taoist, Buddhist, and Traditional Chinese medical principles. The clinical application of Qigong integrates Formal Qigong
Training into Clinical Training and includes Chinese medical theory and Qigong history, theory, and philosophy. Other techniques and practices such as acupressure, cupping, and adjunct therapies may also be taught. Curriculums vary between schools.
Formal Qigong Training (FQT): Documented method of in-person training where studentsphysically attend and receive group and/or private instruction. In this method, students interact in-person with a teacher/instructor. Formal Qigong Training includes the cultivation and perception ofQi, the experience of Qi and the Qigong state, Centering, Grounding, Rooting, knowledge of Qigong theories of what Qi is and how it works, an understanding of the three Dan Tians, Jing, Qi, and Shen, Yin/Yang, Five Phases, and Meridian/Acupoint system. It includes utilization of Qi in practice, teaching, and Qi emissions.
Interview with Application Review Committee: A conversation with members of the Application Review Committee, either online or in person, to discuss one’s sense of Qigong and one’s personal practice.
Membership in Good Standing: A professional member of the NQA who has remained current with their NQA membership, has fulfilled the requirements of the NQA in accordance with their level of certification, possesses credentials that can be verified in some way, and has not been censured, expelled, or suspended from the NQA for a breach of the NQA bylaws.
Personal Cultivation Practice: the details of one’s personal Qigong practice, and the frequency and duration of practice. This is one’s personal journey of self-discovery of Qigong through the use of focus, breath, and intention.
Primary Qigong Teacher: One’s main or principal teacher, from whom you received the majority of your training hours.
Professional Member Certification: Evaluation of the hours/years of study of Qigong. Certification provides an opportunity to inform the public of the depth and scope of Qigong study and practice. Though certification is internal to the NQA as there is presently no national standard, it is supported by the full faith of the NQA membership organization and may act to enhance and highlight one’s professional standing.
Qigong Clinical Practitioner (QCP): is an individual who, in addition to Formal Qigong Training, has been trained in clinical Qigong theory and the assessment and treatment of the body, mind, emotions, and consciousness through a variety of methods. This includes illness-specific exercises, meditation, energy exchange protocols, and contraindication training. These individuals have developed the ability to discern and describe health patterns in terms of the energy balance of a client. Clinical Qigong utilizes Qigong methods and a strong internal focus to treat the patient as an energy being to help restore health and wellness. They might use modalities such as acupressure, clinical massage, and other related treatment protocols (cupping, gua-sha, etc.) consistent with clinical Qigong theory and their particular training.
Qigong Integrative Professional (QIP): Professionals who are service providers in their respective health-related, wellness, or medical field and who are practicing legally in the State or Province in which they work and are incorporating Qigong into their practice. The professional applying for this level of Certification should exemplify Qigong principles in an integrated way with their core healthcare clinical or educational offering.
A QIP integrates Qigong-specific healing techniques and/or personal practices into any variety of modalities that they offer clients/patients who come to them for health and well-being-related sessions. They do not explicitly offer Qigong services in their listed menu of offerings (on their website and in their promotional materials) as a “stand-alone” treatment or personal practice modality. Their business’s curriculum vitae identifies Qigong as a secondary or additional modality offered to their clients.
Qigong: The ability to generate, activate, circulate, and balance Qi utilizing posture, breath, and intention developed through personal practice and/or clinical treatment.
Qigong Senior Teacher: Is the highest level of certification and recognition by the organization and is acknowledged as such by their peers and the Application Review Committee of the NQA. This level exemplifies a mutual empowering and reciprocating attitude of respect. This level of certification denotes wisdom, insight, Qi transmission, and the embodiment of the Qi State in the teacher’s field.
A Qigong teacher at this senior level has taught those who are existing Instructors of Qigong, Qigong Clinical Practitioners, or both, including teaching structured Qigong Instructor/Clinical training programs, for 10 years or more as the primary teacher.
As a teacher of teachers, a Qigong Senior Teacher is also a mentor to teachers in the field (through training and refinement of their students’ practice), is recognized to teach all levels of Formal Qigonginstruction, and/or offers advanced practice programs, courses, and/or training programs to participants who are already teachers and/or clinical practitioners seeking to refine their offerings.
A Qigong Senior Teacher is one who provides a certification/certificate as recognition of their
students’ completed training.
Qigong Instructor/Teacher: A human, non-AI teacher is the only teacher recognized by the NQA/ARC. A human Qigong Teacher can establish emotional connections with their students, provide real-time feedback, adapt their teaching methods to meet the individual needs of their students, create a nurturing learning environment, observe Qi flow, and the energetic connection essential to authentic learning.
Related Qigong Training (RQT): Documented in person and/or virtual training hours related to but not defined as Qigong and/or Qigong Clinical training hours (as defined in the NQA Definitions of Terms for Certification). This category includes: Tai Chi, Martial Arts, and/or Qigong Religious training, as well as training in healing art forms. All documented Related Qigong Training hours must incorporate some of the basic principles of Qigong such as Yin/Yang, the three Dan Tians, Jing, Qi, Shen, meridian point knowledge, and the Five Phases. Up to 10% of these hours will be applied to total hour requirements.
Teaching Experience: Documentation of one’s experience teaching Qigong and/or Clinical Qigong and meets the minimum requirement for teaching experience. Documented teaching experience does not apply to Level 1 applicants. Level 2 requires a minimum two years of experience teaching Qigong; Level 3 requires a minimum of five years of experience teaching Qigong; Level 4 has a minimum requirement of ten years of Qigong experience teaching existing teachers, clinical practitioners, or both.
Virtual (Real-Time) Qigong Training (VrtQT): Documented method of online, real-time training where students interact in person with their teacher/instructor and can see and speak to each other in a group or private instruction setting. (i.e. FaceTime, Zoom). In this method, Qigong Training includes the cultivation and perception of Qi, the experience of Qi and the Qigong state, Centering, Grounding, Rooting, knowledge of Qigong theories of what Qi is and how it works, an understanding of the three Dan Tians, Jing, Qi, and Shen, Yin/Yang, Five Phases, and Meridian/Acupoint system. It includes utilization of Qi in practice, teaching, and Qi emissions. Up to 100% of these hours will be applied to total hour requirements for Level 1 certification. For all other levels of certification, up to 25% of these hours will be applied to total hour requirements.
Qigong Instructor Level 1, 2, 3 & 4: For NQA Professional Members who wish to teach Qigong in public or private settings and be recognized through a validated national certificate, for their specific level of training and personal practice. An instructor is someone who teaches Qigong principles and specific practical skill sets, and is well-versed in a variety of topics related to Qigong.
Qigong Clinical Practitioner: For NQA Professional Members who offer clinical Qigong therapies and health support services and wish to be recognized for their expertise with a validated, national certification. This is for those who present themselves to the public as Qigong Clinicians and engage primarily in clinical Qigong healing modalities, treatment, and health support services.
Qigong Integrative Professional: For NQA Professional Members who primarily offer health and healing modalities other than Qigong at a professional level, and utilize
Qigong principles and practices in their work to enhance their treatments or practices. This is for those who wish to show clients that their training in Qigong is sufficient to
enhance their service offering and warrants national certification.
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