Long White Cloud Qigong Instructor Certification Program
200 hour Elemental Alchemy Qigong – Online
2nd June – 15th September 2024

Become certified as a qigong instructor!

Study and practice from home in your own time and your own space
 Share the experience with classmates in a private online community
Be guided step-by-step as you go deep into Elemental Alchemy Qigong Practices

What is Elemental Alchemy Qigong?

Within nature all energy moves in cycles, constantly transforming and transitioning from one state to another to create dynamic harmony and balance. The practices within Elemental Alchemy Qigong help us to understand these phases of energy and work with them to find balance within our own lives, harmony with the environment around us and flow gracefully through the cycles of life.

The Sage's Path

The Elemental Alchemy Qigong practices are also known as the Sage’s path because of the rich insight they give us into every aspect of our lives – far beyond just our qigong practice sessions. Through the qigong practices we gain an experiential understanding and skill with principles that permeate all of our activities, relationships, and experiences. As we work to harmonize the elements or phases of energy within our bodies through our qigong practice, the effect of this naturally flows out into other areas of our lives, helping us to gain the wisdom of the sage with a better understanding of the constant change we see around us, and greater ability to find harmony and peace within it.  

The Practices

Within the Elemental Alchemy Qigong program we will work with practices that bring balance and harmony to each of the primary states of energy recognized within Chinese Philosophy. We will begin with Wuji (無極) or primordial practices, progress to Taiji(太極) or yin yang practices, before continuing on the work with Wuxing (五行) – the five elements or five phases which give rise to the 10,000 things (a figurative way to describe all the many things we experience in life). Understanding and working with each of these three stages of our energy gives us powerful tools for bringing harmony to our lives.

Wuji Qigong

Taiji Qigong

Wuxing Qigong

Wuji qigong

The Wuji state is the primordial state – without form, but full of vitality and potential. Entering this state allows us to release any patterns we may have accumulated within our energy which may not be beneficial for us. As a simple analogy you can think of it like wiping a chalk board clean – clearing away any mess or half finished scribblings so that we have fresh space to create what we want. Another more modern analogy could be turning a computer off and then back on again. This can break a dysfunctional pattern that has occurred in a program that was running, and allow us to restart things fresh to allow them to run smoothly. The Wuji practices are deeply therapeutic and can be a tool for releasing and changing many deeply held patterns within us. They leave our energy fresh and vibrant, and free to flow into the stages of Taiji and Wuxing without obstruction.

Taiji qigong

Taiji Qigong works with the polarity of yin and yang that naturally emerges from the Wuji state (we will explore the philosophical underpinnings of these transitions from one state to another more within the course). The practices work to develop the strength of this polarity and use it to create dynamic movement within our energy which brings vitality to the flow of our energy and then acts at the basis for healthy energy to support the transitions of the five elements. It is important to note that the Taiji Qigong practices within the Elemental Alchemy Qigong program are purely focused on this dynamic circulation of energy from the polarity of yin and yang. They are not to be confused with Taiji Quan – which is a martial art that draws on principles of qigong within its practice.


wuxing qigong

As our energy begins to flow more dynamically, it naturally begins to take on richer, more nuanced characteristics as it transitions through different phases. The elements from nature of water, wood, fire, earth and metal are archetypes of the characteristics the energy takes on as it moves through these phases. Qigong practices based on the characteristics of each of these elements brings them into balance within us, allowing our energy to move smoothly with the natural flow of life. We find harmony within ourselves and also deepen our connection to the cycle of life and energy around us. This includes greater harmony within our natural environment, our relationships, and the seasons.



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Benefits of this program

Reset your energy and release stuck patterns with powerful Wuji qigong practices.

Strengthen the polarity of your energy – your personal magnetism, and use it more skillfully.

Activate the dynamic flow of your energy with Taiji Qigong practices.

Gain a greater understanding of the Five Elements and balance them within your body and energy.

Find greater harmony with the natural environment, and within your relationships.

Learn not just the exercises, but also the theory behind them so you can really understand what you are doing and get the most out of your practice.

Gain practical advice and support as you begin your journey as a qigong instructor in your community.

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Included in the program:

Comprehensive study materials to guide you in learning and practicing Wuji, Taiji and Wuxing Qigong practices.

Comprehensive testing to ensure your knowledge and practice is sound at the end of the program

15 weekly Q&A sessions with Long White Cloud Qigong Founder during the course

Guidance in planning qigong classes and workshops

2 private sessions with senior Long White Cloud Qigong Instructors

Lifetime access to all program learning materials

Gain practical advice and support as you begin your journey as a qigong instructor in your community.Free access to private practitioner only online community for one year on completion of your course to support you in your ongoing practice and teaching

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Your commitment – developing ‘gong’:

Qigong means skill with energy, and this skill, or ‘gong’ comes from practice over time. When you practice consistently over a period of time – with good guidance, you can develop personal experience and understanding of your vital energy. This will enrich your life, and make your teaching more authentic and valuable when you embark on your new role as a qigong instructor on completion of your training. To develop this gong, you should be prepared to practice qigong for approximately 1.5 hours per day over the 15 weeks duration of this course, in addition to around 3 hours of reading, reviewing videos, and otherwise working on your theoretical understanding of the practices. You can choose to divide this up in different ways. You could do a single 1.5 hour practice session each day, or you could divide it into two or more shorter practice sessions. The time you spend on theory can also be spread throughout the week, or done in a more concentrated block.
  • What if I can’t attend the Q&A sessions?

Different time zones and schedules can make it hard to attend live online sessions regularly for people in different parts of the world. We will do our best to schedule the Q&A sessions so that it is possible most people to attend them at least some of the time, but recognize that this may not be possible for all program participants for all sessions. For this reason, attendance at the Q&A sessions is highly recommended – but not compulsory. We will also record the Q&A sessions so that any discussion and demonstrations that occur there can be reviewed again later by all students as needed.

  • What if I can’t complete the program in 15 weeks?

Sometimes life can get in the way of our best made plans, and you may need to pause your study and practice for one reason or another. This does not need to stand in the way of your completing this 200 hour qigong instructor certification program. While the program and the related Q&A’s will run over 15 weeks, you will have lifetime access to all of the course materials, including recordings of the Q&A’s. If during the program your training needs to be interrupted for any reason, you can pick it up again from where you left off using the recorded course materials – and you have up to one year to complete your certification tests.

  • Receiving your certification

At the end of the program, we do have a comprehensive testing process. The thought of doing a test can be daunting for some people, but this is done in a supportive way to ensure that your understanding and practice are sound, so you can share your new knowledge and skills with confidence as a qigong instructor.

  • Holiday break

We will have a two week break for the Christmas holidays. This will be a great opportunity to consolidate what you have learned by that time and continue with your study after Christmas and New Years.

Your Instructor

John Munro is the founder of Long White Cloud Qigong, which currently has a network of over 350 instructors around the world. He brings more than 20 years experience of Qigong, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Kung Fu to his teachings. His passion is to bring traditional practices to life so that they are understandable and relevant when applied to modern living. He has previously served in a number of key roles as Vice President, Secretary, and Registrar of the New Zealand Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, and as Chair of Natural Health Practitioners of New Zealand.

John has written four popular books on qigong, and is active in teaching workshops and running retreats around the world. Recently he received an award from the World Academic Society of Medical Qigong for his work in promoting qigong.

Feedback from previous course participants

Taking part in the Elemental Alchemy Course was a great, enriching experience. The course included profound theoretical knowledge but also, we also learnt many effective and beautiful practices to experience and harmonize the different stages in your body and life. There were many interesting discussions on philosophical questions, underlying principles like yin & yang and therapeutical use and benefits of different practices. For me personally the most outstanding part was to deepen the understanding of the primordial, undefined state Wuji and the respective practices. There were plenty of further fascinating practices like Moon bathing or working with sounds in context with five elements which added to broaden and deepen my understanding.




Alexandra Schultheiss
The course has reframed my understanding of qigong and its fundamental principles.  It has helped me to understand the ‘why’ behind my qigong practice and made me a better Practitioner.  For those that are new to qigong, it will aid your understanding of the different states of your energy and improve the quality of that energy as you develop your ‘gong’.  For the seasoned teacher, the course gives an extensive repertoire of new material to incorporate into your teaching practice.  Many of the moves are short and simple but require some skill to execute them well.  As with all LWC qigong courses, the structure is well planned and develops in an organic way as the course unfolds.  The course has been challenging but also great fun, in equal measure.





Tania Coombs
The Elemental Alchemy Course is a truly wonderful and inspiring course. The practices are simple and very accessible but also very effective. The online lessons are excellent and it’s great you can watch and use them over and over again. Johns knowledge is fantastic and his way of explaining things and his teachings are inspiring. I’ve done many courses and trainings over the year online and in person and Johns course are by far the best I’ve ever participated in. My personal experience with Qigong has been growing stronger during the whole course due to more knowledge and practice. The Wuji, Taiji and Wuxing practices are not only great to practice the also have me more strength, peace of mind and balance. The Wuji practices make me feel like truly ‘coming home’ in my own body. Simply loved it. The only downside is that I felt so lost when the course ended and missed the weekly Q&A’s and practices so much!
Christie Arends

You can find more videos and written comments from course participants about their experience with the program here.

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Course Curriculum

You can see an overview of the course curriculum and what you will be studying and practicing in each week of the program below:

John Munro

John Munro is the founder of Long White Cloud Qigong, which currently has a network of over 350 instructors around the world. He brings more than 20 years experience of Qigong, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Kung Fu to his teachings. His passion is to bring traditional practices to life so that they are understandable and relevant when applied to modern living. He has previously served in a number of key roles as Vice President, Secretary, and Registrar of the New Zealand Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, and as Chair of Natural Health Practitioners of New Zealand. 

As well as offering qigong training online, John often travels to deliver retreats and workshops around the world. 

Course Pricing

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