SKIP TO IN-PERSON REGISTRATION

 

The heart of the Daoist Water Method Qi tradition is Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body Qigong—a foundational qigong practice that cultivates the water element within you and develops the descending current of energy that flows down through your body.

This specific practice is the best way to develop a firm foundation to experience the deepest benefits of qigong and set the stage for safe, continual progress in more advanced forms (including Spiraling Energy Body Qigong).

Where Opening the Energy Gates works with the water element, Spiraling Energy Body Qigong draws on the fire element and moves qi upward, inward and outward. Energy Gates works in the downward direction: relaxing, releasing, and letting your energy flow toward the earth.

The practice unfolds through six exercises—Standing and Sinking/Dissolving Qi; Cloud Hands; the Three Swings; and the Spine Stretch. Together, they teach you to:

• Relax and let your energy flow downward, like water, toward the earth
• Dissolve tension and pain held in your body
• Maintain healthy, effortless posture
• Connect your arms, legs, head, torso, and spine into relaxed, powerful whole-body movement

If you’re planning to study Spiraling Energy Body Qigong with Master Bruce Frantzis later this summer, a solid foundation in Energy Gates is essential—and that’s exactly what this week is designed to give you. 

On its own, what you’ll learn will give you a wonderful qigong practice that can be enjoyed over a lifetime, and with diligent practice, will continue to unfold hidden depths over time.

Whether you’re looking to build an excellent foundation to experience the full benefits of qigong, deepen your understanding and practice of Energy Gates Qigong, or have the best possible preparation for Bruce’s Spiraling Energy Body event, you’re warmly welcome to join us for this course.

 

What You Will Learn

This course is taught by Senior Instructors Craig Barnes, Paul Cavel, and Bill Ryan, with support from other Senior and experienced instructors. Teaching runs at two levels—beginner and intermediate—so you can step in wherever you are.

Beginners will learn how to:

• Stand comfortably in “neutral posture” with arms relaxed at your sides
• Feel inside your body and sustain that awareness for extended periods to help your internal world come alive
• Relax, release, and sink qi down through your body to the ground below your feet
• Learn the movements of Cloud Hands and the First Swing smoothly and coherently
• Practice foundational versions of the Second Swing and the Spine Stretch
• Use your mind to dissolve and release energy blockages outward and downward
• Dissolve and open the major energy gates of your body

Intermediate practitioners—those who can already do all of the above—will go further:

• Work through the Second and Third Swings and Spine Stretch with full release of strength and tension
• Extend your dissolving practice into the energy field surrounding your body
• Refine your understanding through hands-on corrections to take your practice to the next level and maximize its benefits  

Both groups will learn to stand in five key Spiraling Energy Body postures with arms raised, while releasing the interior of the body.

Meditations with Master Bruce Frantzis

In addition to the Opening the Energy Gates curriculum, students will have the opportunity to experience the Water Method Meditation Tradition with Master Bruce Frantzis. Master Frantzis will guide students in three sessions of Daoist meditation on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evening at 5:30pm.

These sessions are intended to help students learn and deeply absorb the quality of letting go at more subtle and profound layers of their being. The sessions are spontaneous and tailored in the moment to what Master Frantzis feels will be the most helpful for the progress of those present. 

 

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Senior Instructor Bill Ryan

Bill Ryan has spent over 40 years practicing the internal arts and also founded and directed one of the largest tai chi and qigong schools in the country. Bill currently is the director of Toward Harmony Tai Chi and Qigong in Northampton, MA, USA. He is one of only a few instructors who have been authorized by Master Frantzis to certify instructors in his system. He is particularly adept at teaching people how to feel and use energy for healing.

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Senior Instructor Craig Barnes

Craig Barnes is a Senior Instructor in the Energy Arts system and has been practicing and teaching tai chi, qigong, meditation, and the internal arts for over 35 years. He has studied actively with Master Frantzis since 1987 and has taught his own courses all over the world. He is one of only a few instructors who have been authorized by Master Frantzis to certify instructors in his system. Craig is known for his gentle yet thorough approach, and his ability to present complex material in a direct way that makes it come to life and take root.

 

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Senior Instructor Paul Cavel

Paul Cavel is an Energy Arts Senior Instructor with 30 years of teaching experience in the Water Method. He is the author of The Tai Chi Space,  and co-author with Master Frantzis of Heaven and Earth Qigong: Heal Your Body and Awaken Your Qi.  He’s also the principal of The Tai Chi Space, a California and London-based school established to teach Taoist energy arts.

Paul is known for breaking down complex material into easily digestible pieces, allowing students to truly advance in their practice. He is one of only a few instructors who have been authorized by Master Frantzis to certify instructors in his system.

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Master Bruce Frantzis

Bruce Frantzis is a recognized Daoist Lineage Master and the Founder of Energy Arts. He trained for over a decade and a half in China, India, and Japan and worked extensively as a qigong tuina doctor. For more than 50 years he has studied and taught the martial, healing, and spiritual practices of ancient China. He teaches qigong, meditation, and tai chi (and the related arts of baguazhang and xingyi) and has authored more than a dozen books on these subjects. The heart of his tradition is the cultivation of Qi (chi), the internal energy that connects the mind, body, and spirit to the underlying consciousness of the universe (Dao).

 

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• In-person attendance is always recommended.

  • Hands-on adjustments from experienced Senior Instructors..
  • Priority during Q and A sessions.

   

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Course Schedule: July 18-23

In-person only | Energy Arts Training Center, Longmont, CO

Registration/Check-in: Saturday, July 18, 2026 | 9:00–9:30 am

Class Schedule: Saturday–Thursday, July 18–23, 2026

• Morning Session: 9:30 am–12:00 pm
• Lunch: 12:00pm-2:00pm
• Afternoon Session: 2:00–4:30 pm

Each session opens with roughly ninety minutes of deep-dive fundamentals—giving beginners a firm grounding while helping experienced practitioners fill gaps and strengthen their practice. In the final hour, the group splits: beginners work one-on-one and in small groups with Senior Instructors for hands-on refinement, while intermediate students go deeper into the Second and Third Swings with personalized feedback.

This is the schedule for the Daoist Water Method Foundations: Opening the Energy Gates Qigong.  If you are attending the other summer events, you can get their information on their own event pages. 

 

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Course Fees

 

DAOIST WATER METHOD FOUNDATIONS: OPENING THE ENERGY GATES QIGONG: EARLY BIRD PRICING BEFORE JUNE 18 $798 $897 (Payment Plan Available)

Daoist Water Method Foundations: Opening the Energy Gates Qigong with Senior Instructors Bill Ryan, Craig Barnes, and Paul Cavel, July 18-23

BUY COURSE

Summer 3 Week Retreat Bundle: EARLY BIRD PRICING BEFORE JUNE 18 $2,497 $2,286 (Payment Plan Available)

Three Week Summer Retreat, July 18 to August 5 (Daoist Water Method Foundations: Opening the Energy Gates Qigong and Spiraling Energy Body Qigong with Master Frantzis)

Buy 3 Week Bundle

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