What You’ll Explore

• The transition from external movement towards internal cultivation

• Nei Gong and the internal qualities that support Qi Gong and Tai Chi

• The Three Internal Harmonies — harmonizing Xin (heart-mind) with Yi (intention), Yi with Qi, and Qi with Li (power)

• Developing whole-body connection rather than moving the body as separate parts

• Cultivating Song — releasing unnecessary tension while maintaining structure, awareness and connection

• The relationship between relaxation, rooting, structure and internal power

• Dan Tian awareness and cultivation as a foundation for integrated movement

• How breath, intention and awareness can support internal practice

• Refining sensitivity through stillness, movement and partner practice

• Exploring the relationship between physical structure, connective tissue and whole-body movement

• Returning to familiar Tai Chi movements to experience them through a deeper internal lens

Developing Nei Gong

Nei Gong can be translated simply as “internal skill” or “internal work.” Rather than being a single sequence or technique, it describes qualities that are gradually developed through consistent practice.

Level 4 introduces you to some of these internal qualities through standing, breathing, movement and awareness. You’ll explore how relaxation, alignment, intention, breath and whole-body connection can begin to work together.

The movements may look simple from the outside. The practice is increasingly happening on the inside. Instead of asking:

• “Am I doing the movement correctly?”

• we begin asking: “What can I feel?”

• “Where am I holding unnecessary tension?”

• “Am I connected from the ground through the whole body?”

• “Can I move with less effort?”

This shift from doing to sensing is at the heart of the internal arts.

Song — Relaxed, but Not Collapsed

One of the central explorations of Level 4 is Song. Often translated as relaxation, Song is more nuanced than simply becoming loose or passive. It is the ability to release unnecessary muscular tension while maintaining structure, connection and awareness.

You’ll explore how greater relaxation can allow the body to become more responsive and integrated. The paradox is important:

• Less unnecessary effort can create greater connection.

• Softness does not mean weakness.

• Structure does not require rigidity.

As Song develops, movement can become quieter, more efficient and more connected.

Dan Tian Cultivation

Level 4 deepens awareness of the lower Dan Tian as an important centre within traditional internal arts practice. Through standing, breathing and movement practices, you’ll explore how attention to the Dan Tian can support grounding, centring and whole-body coordination. Rather than treating the Dan Tian as an abstract concept, we approach it experientially.

• Can you feel your centre?

• Can movement begin from the centre rather than the limbs?

• Can the upper body remain soft while the lower body stays rooted?

These questions become part of an ongoing practice rather than something to master in a weekend.

Tai Chi — Returning with Fresh Eyes

In Level 3, you learned the 24-Form Beijing Yang Tai Chi sequence. In Level 4, we return to the form. But this time, the emphasis changes. Instead of primarily remembering choreography, we use familiar movements as a laboratory for exploring internal principles. You’ll revisit the 24-Form with greater attention to:

• Rooting and grounding

• Song and release

• Dan Tian awareness

• Whole-body connection

• Weight transfer

• Intention and direction

• Continuous movement

• Yin - Yang within transitions

• Moving from the centre

The form may be the same. Your experience of it is not.

Push Hands — Listening Through the Body

Push Hands continues the partner work introduced in Levels 2 and 3.

At Level 4, the practice becomes a deeper exploration of sensitivity, connection and response.

Rather than trying to overpower another person, Push Hands teaches us to listen through touch.

You’ll continue exploring:

• Rooting while interacting with another person

• Maintaining Song under gentle pressure

• Listening through physical contact

• Following rather than resisting

• Neutralizing incoming force

• Recognizing tension in yourself

• Maintaining your centre while adapting to change

• Using structure and connection rather than unnecessary muscular effort

Push Hands gives immediate feedback. When we become rigid, we feel it. When we lose our root, we notice. When we stop listening, our partner lets us know. In this way, partner practice becomes another teacher.

The Path of the Teacher

By Level 4, you have accumulated many practices, teaching tools and experiences. The question now becomes less about what else you can teach and more about how you teach. You’ll explore:

• Teaching from embodied experience

• Knowing the difference between what you have learned and what you have genuinely integrated

• Staying within the scope of your knowledge and experience

• Continuing to practice what you teach

• Creating space for students to discover rather than providing every answer

• Teaching internal concepts in clear, accessible language

• Remaining curious as your understanding evolves

• Recognizing that different students may experience Qi Gong differently

• Cultivating humility, patience and beginner’s mind

• Continuing your own education after certification

A good teacher does not need to demonstrate how much they know.

The practice is often revealed in how they listen, how they respond and how they hold space for others to learn.

Practices

Your Level 4 practice toolkit includes:

• Internal Qi Gong — Nei Gong Fundamentals

• Advanced Zhan Zhuang

• Dan Tian cultivation

• Internal breathing practices

• Bone and fascia strengthening exercises

• 24-Form Beijing Yang Tai Chi — revisiting the form through internal principles

• Push Hands — deeper listening, following, neutralizing and connection

• Traditional Weapons — Introduction

Traditional Weapons — Introduction

Traditional weapons practice offers another way to explore extension, coordination, intention and whole-body connection. Rather than approaching the weapon simply as an object held in the hand, we begin exploring how it can become an extension of the body.

This introductory practice offers a glimpse into another dimension of the traditional internal arts while reinforcing principles already explored throughout the training: rooting, centre, intention, connection and fluid movement.