Brendan’s Articles


    By Brendan Thorson 4/15/2012,












    1. Article #1
    2. Article #2
    3. Article #3


  • Transforming Negative Attitudes & Emotions with Yi Ren Qigong & Taichi

    Overcoming negative emotions and bad attitudes with Yi Ren Qigong

    By Brendan Thorson 4/3/2012,

    Many people struggle with negative attitudes and emotions that dramatically affect the quality of their life and the people they attract to their life.  Most people who are very negative may not even realize they are such a downer for others to be around and how their attitude and negative emotional pattern is depleting and polluting their life and energy system.  Men and women do not just wake up one day with a bad attitude and or emotionally full of negative emotions like Fear, Anger, Panic, Frustration, Grief, Sadness, Closed-Heart….  From my understanding this is something that originates from the following:

    1. Negative experiences one personally experiences that hurt us and begin to take us away from our natural self–resulting in low self confidence, lack of integrity, dignity, self pity, closed heart….
    2. The environment one lives in (family, religion, school, friends…) can alter a persons reality and cause one to have many limiting unhealthy views about them-self and the world
    3. Family issues like fears and depression passed from one generation to the next that could have originated from a grandparent many generations back

    In most cases this is something that gradually happens to people over a period of time from negative experiences or programs installed into us–like a virus gradually wreaking havoc on a computer.  However, there are times that a major experience can cause a person to change really fast–like how some computer viruses can quickly destroy or mess up a computer system (I have seen these types of issues arise from a parent and the loss of their child).

    The list of things that hurt and alter people are far and wide including being hurt be a parent, significant other or loved one, a stressful job or loss of job, comparing your financial situation, job, significant other and family to another persons life…..

    Today in our society there is so much fear from parents that their child will be abused or abducted that some children are fearful to talk with strangers, even if their parent/s are a few feet away, and these excess fears could haunt the children throughout their lifetime.  Children are very sensitive and are easily influenced or programmed from what they emotionally feel from their parents and hear their parents talk about–like a divorced mother’s negative comments about a child’s father, could lead to unwarranted bad feelings from a child toward his father affecting a lifetime bond.

    Everyone deals with negative experiences in different ways and how we process the negative experiences we experience has a dramatic impact on how something will affect us in the future.  Some people are better at accepting things and letting them come and go while others are unable to accept and detach from things that it affects them for the rest of their life.

    Regardless how one ends up stuck with a bad attitude or full of negative emotions they can use Yi Ren Qigong to transform their negative emotions and attitudes to dramatically enhance their life.

    1. With Yi Ren Qigong we can begin to improve our energy levels that will naturally help one to feel better.
    2. Continued practice leads to the release of many old negative feelings stuck in our system.
    3. At one point our awareness levels grow and we can begin to better see how our thoughts and ways of dealing with situations affect us positively or negatively.
    4. Our increased awareness levels guide us to better internal management allowing one to adjust and modify (upgrade) the way we deal with situations to minimize how something can negatively affect us.
    5. With further deepening of our awareness levels our consciousness integrates with our subconscious and then we are able to hear/see more depth and details of our insides including the origin of our negativity leading to even greater internal awareness and then we use the internal martial arts to fight and kill the our deep negativity at the source.
    6. Bringing us greater peace, joy as we detoxify ourselves from our internal poisons.


  • Taoist Secrets to PMS

    Transforming PMS w/ Yi Ren® Qigong & Taichi

    By Brendan Thorson 3/27/2012,

    Throughout my years of practicing and teaching Yi Ren Qigong and Taichi I have seen many students transform Mild to Severe PMS with this Ancient Energy Medicine.  “Scientists don’t know exactly why women get PMS or why some women experience it more severely than others.”1  Many people believe PMS can not be improved and many women have been programmed to think they have to accept it as a women.  The Ancient Taoist Masters who created Chinese Medicine unlike today’s Modern Medicine knew PMS was the result of blood and qi imbalances and stagnation in specific organs and organs systems.

    As noted earlier Chinese Medicine created by the Ancient Taoist Masters use herbs and acupuncture to help women improve their PMS by improving the internal balance of their Blood and Qi.  In fact, they see the Liver as the primary organ responsible for PMS because of its role in the distribution of blood, energy and evenness of emotions.  As a result, in most cases the physical discomfort and excessive emotional feelings women get who suffer from PMS is connected to the liver and it’s associated organs.2

    Yi Ren Qigong can transform PMS.  With Yi Ren Qigong one can greatly improve their internal energies and their internal energy flow which can quickly bring better internal harmony and strongly reduce ones PMS.  To be more specific Yi Ren Qigong practitioners begin to not only improve their internal energies, but also bring harmony to all the internal energies like their Yin/ Yang, 5-elements (organs), and the endocrine glands (hormones).  Also, one with PMS (or anyone else with any kind of energy imbalance or weakness) will be able to create their own personalized exercise program to focus on bringing greater harmony to any internal energy system that is out of balance like the Liver and or Reproductive glands if that is the bodies highest priority.

    All of the organs and organ systems are intertwined and dependent on the health of the other organ systems.  Therefore, ultimately the health of the Liver is dependent on the health of all the other organs in the 5-element system and appropriate levels of qi, yin, yang, and blood.  The 5-elements consist of the Wood (Liver/ Gall Bladder), Fire (Heart/ Small Intestines), Earth (Pancreas/ Stomach), Metal (Lungs/ Large Intestines), and Water (Kidneys/ Urinary Bladder).  In addition, there is the Reproductive system and Spleen/ Lymphatic System which are special organs related to maintaining the vitality, safety and protection of all the 5-elements (organs systems).

    As a result, if one were to have an imbalanced Liver then the other organs health and balance will also be negatively affected.  While at the same time if the health of an organ other than the Liver becomes imbalanced it will begin to cause imbalances to the other organs too.

    For instance, based on my understanding, during the time of the month a women’s body is preparing for the new moon cycle the Liver’s work load is increased.   Then, as soon as the Liver work load is pushed past its work capacity then PMS symptoms begin to show up.  Thus, the PMS signals are an indicator the Liver is being pushed past its capacity.  As noted above the Liver is responsible for uneven emotions and a few of the emotions related to the Liver are Anger, Frustration and Disappointment.

    The Liver being pushed past its capacity is similar to a big cities and automobile traffic:

    1. A city where traffic congestion is not overwhelmed during Rush-Hour.  Like the Liver of a women who does not have PMS
    2. During Rush-hour/s the traffic on the major roads are overwhelmed with traffic and the commute is very slow.  Like the Liver of a women with Mild-PMS
    3. Add road construction and accidents to the mix of example #2 and traffic is a nightmare!   Like the Liver of a women with Severe-PMS

    I had one student that suffered from severe PMS her whole adult life that would more or less cripple her from regular life for about 10-days each month.  Prior to her studying Yi Ren Qigong she used Chinese Herbal Therapy to help her with her PMS and it minimized her pain, but it did not come close to helping her achieve a normal life.  Then, once she began the qigong she made significant progress with her health and greatly reduced her PMS so she could live a normal life each month.  She learned to increase the time she spent with her qigong practice every month when she began to feel the PMS rising up and then it would keep it from getting bad. Unfortunately she only completed the level-1 course before she moved out of Washington state.  I believe if she would have continued with the training to level-2 (where we focus on cultivating and developing the internal organs and organ pathways) she would have completely overcome her PMS.  Before learning Yi Ren Qigong she had extreme energy blockages in her uterus and guts that were revealed to her and opened up from the qigong that initiated the major health shift she experienced.

    I had another female student who shared with me that she had been seeing an acupuncturist regularly for a couple of years prior to learning Yi Ren Qigong and the acupuncturist always told her that her Liver Qi was stagnant.  Then, after begining Yi Ren and her learning the Liver/ Gall Bladder exercise her Acupuncturist reported that her Liver Qi was no longer stagnant.  Stagnant Liver Qi can cause a host of emotional and health imbalances including PMS symptoms.

    From my experience I have seen many friends and students use both Chinese Medicine, food therapy and Yi Ren Qigong to help them with PMS.  The feedback I have gotten from these ladies has been very consistent.  Most have found Yi Ren Qigong to be the most effective at reducing PMS.  While a combination of Yi Ren Qigong, Chinese herbs and food therapy combined to be the best overall cure to completely overcome their internal energy imbalances and stagnation.

    In conclusion, Yi Ren Qigong can be the key to help you overcome PMS and improve your internal energy imbalances to help you achieve a higher quality life.  PMS symptoms like all other pain in the body is a signal telling the individual there are internal energy imbalances that need to be addressed so they can obtain higher levels of internal peace, harmony, health and vitality.  If someone re-balances their internal energies and dramatically reduces or eliminates PMS then they will have transformed their life and be able to obtain greater joy and internal freedom.  Ideally ladies should not need to take pain medicine related to their menstrual cycle.



    2. Harriet Beinfeld, L.Ac. and Efrem Korngold, L.Ac. Between Heaven and Earth. Ballatine Books. New York:1991



  • Secrets to Thyroid and Adrenal Fatigue

    Transforming Thyroid and Adrenal Fatigue with Yi Ren® Qigong

    By Brendan Thorson 3/25/2012,

    Thyroid and Adrenal Fatigue is a serious health problem significantly compromising the life quality of millions of Americans and people throughout the world.  It is estimated that 59 million Americans suffer from Thyroid issues and many of them are not aware of it.1   Adrenal Fatigue is a stress syndrome caused in large part by the modern man’s faced paced stressful lifestyle.2  As a result, It is estimated that Adrenal Fatigue will affect 80% of Americans at one point in their life.2

    Scientists’ have found a clear connection between excess Stress compromising both the Adrenal and Thyroid Glands and compromised Adrenal glands further compromising the Thyroid function.3  The Ancient Taoist Masters who created Chinese Medicine understood the true internal medicine (natural internal energy flows/ patterns), the root of these diseases and the appropriate steps necessary to regain health and vitality.  Yi Ren Qigong can connect one to the Ancient Taoists Masters Energy Medicine for true internal healing and upgrades of the vital energies, organs and glands to assist one to regain a higher quality of life.

    Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms

    1. Energy crashes at different points of day

      CRH = corticotrophin-releasing hormone; TRH = thyrotropin-releasing hormone; ACTH = adrenocorticotropic hormone; TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone; T4 = thyroxine; T3 = triiodothyronine.

    2. Anxiety
    3. Sugar/salt cravings
    4. Poor appetite in the mornings
    5. Sensitivity to loud noises
    6. Trembling
    7. Disturbed sleep
    8. Hypoglycemic episodes
    9. Frequent colds/infections
    10. Palpitations/chest pains
    11. Thin, brittle nails

    Hypothyroidism Symptoms

    1. Hair loss
    2. Dry skin
    3. Eyebrow hair thinning
    4. Persistent fatigue
    5. Depression
    6. Under-reactive to stimuli
    7. Intolerant of heat


    1. Low energy
    2. Cold hands
    3. Low body temperature
    4. Weight gain
    5. Sluggish digestion.4


    Adrenal Glands:

    The Adrenal glands are famous for their role in helping us deal with stress.  “The main hormones of the stress response are adrenalin (epinephrine) and cortisol.  When a person responds to any long-term stressful situation, they first ramp up production of epinephrine, then cortisol to deal with that life challenge, whether illness, family issues, job stress, or physical or emotional trauma.  If the stress continues these hormonal changes are hard to undo”.5  “Elevated cortisol levels have been linked to all major chronic illnesses of our society: heart disease, cancer, autoimmune disease, and premature aging.”5

    In acute cases of stress, like an accident or when the body believes it is a life or death situation the body will release adrenalin to ensure survival.  “If stress continues, the adrenal glands produce cortisol within ten minutes to raise blood sugar and insulin levels, move blood to muscles and away from digestion, lower levels of sex hormones and break down protein stores for energy.”  Continued stress eventually leads to the Maladapted stage, in which the body starts to break down from the effects of elevated cortisol.”  “Cortisol imbalance can lead to fatigue, weight gain, immune suppression, and susceptibility to colds and flu, joint pains, mood swings, anxiety, depression, insomnia and digestive symptoms”.  Prior to learning Yi Ren Qigong I suffered for years from fatigue, joint pains, anxieties, mild depressions, terrible sleep and I would catch a cold or a flu almost every week, as soon as I would get over one cold flu or sinus issue I would catch another one.  It was a very frustrating part of my life; however, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise since it led me to find Yi Ren Qigong, the greatest blessing of my life.5

    In today’s faced-paced world, many people deal with stress on a daily basis. This fast-paced lifestyle can include stress from driving, work, family and relationships.  This type of hectic lifestyle has the potential to trigger the Adrenals, which release the hormones of Adrenalin and Cortisol to deal with the stress. However, although these hormones may be beneficial in dealing with a stressful situation, after a person reaches a certain point based on his or her body’s capacity, the body is unable to reset itself to an unstressed state, even after the stressful situation has long since passed.5

    Life Gate point between Kidney’s (

    In the Yi Ren Qigong training we begin by Resetting the Adrenal Glands by activating the Kidneys/ Life Gate Center.  This resetting relaxes the Adrenals and the stress response of the Adrenals so one can feel more relaxed.  While simultaneously empowering the Life Gate/ Kidney Center to improve internal energy levels and stress capacity.  With continued practice we build up the Kidney energies to higher and higher levels—allowing one to enhance their internal energies and become more grounded—further strengthening one’s stress capacity.

    Yesterday, Sunday 3/25/2012 I had an introductory class at East West Bookshop in Seattle, WA.  The title of the class was Thyroid and Adrenal Fatigue.  There were 7 new students at the class that all said they had Thyroid and or Adrenal issues.  I was delighted to hear from all the students that after we activated the Life-Gate/Kidney center they all felt a big energy transformation occur in themselves–the common words I heard from them were I feel great, more relaxed, peaceful feeling and energized at the same time.  Also, 6 of the 7 students felt a very clear and significant energy feelings between their hands and arms (palpable–magnetic or taffy like feelings) during the Energy Field Construction Exercise and the 1-student who did not clearly feel the energy between her hands said she felt a tingling sensation on her hands and throughout her whole body–a clear indication her energy system was getting energized.  I was very happy the participants had a good experience and now personally know that Yi Ren Qigong can transform their life and health if they choose to pursue the training.  I also shared with them that in some situations (if someone’s energy levels are really low) they could truly benefit from one or more Qigong healing sessions, in addition to the classes, which from my experience significantly helps one to more quickly upgrade their internal energies (stabilize their Internal Battery).

    Thyroid Gland:

    “The thyroid hormones control your metabolism, which is the body’s ability to break down food and store it as energy and the ability to break down food into waste products with a release of energy in the process.”6  Fatigue is the highest complaint of people suffering from Thyroid issues including depression, anxiety, poor sleep, weight issues, and joint and muscle issues too.7

    The Adrenals and Thyroid:

    “There is an intrinsic relationship between thyroid function and adrenal function. The adrenal glands are largely under control of the sympathetic nervous system. The thyroid is strongly influenced by the parasympathetic nervous system. Often it is the case that someone with hypothyroidism is in a parasympathetic-dominant state, which means the sympathetic nervous system is weaker.”3

    “A deeper look at adrenal, hypothalamus and thyroid relationships shows how weakened or burned out adrenal glands will cause a cascade of problems for thyroid functioning.”3

    As one continues with the Yi Ren Qigong training going through all of the core classes levels 1-3 we activate and energize the complete internal enrgy network (all of the major energy centers, chakras, organs, glands, Brain, Nervous system and internal energy pathways.  Thus, we are able to upgrade all of our vital internal energies, organs—organ systems, and glands—endocrine systems.  Then with further development and practice one will gradually improve all of their internal energies including their Adrenals and Thyroid glands and all their supporting and complimentary energies.  In addition, someone with Thyroid and or Adrenal Fatigue will be able to create their own personalized exercise program to bring them to greater internal energy, balance and health.

    Lifestyle, Personal Awareness and Health:

    In addition, usually one ends up with problems like Thyroid or Adrenal issues because their lifestyle, foods, thoughts–emotional health, were not in harmony with their body.  Internal conflicts and many lifestyle choices people make can cause one to drain their internal energies.  Yi Ren Qigong practitioners begin to develop a greater connection between their mind and body.  Thus, with time one increases their internal awareness which allows one to be able to see how the choices they make with their lifestyle, foods, thoughts… truly effect them positively or negatively.  As a result, with time one is able to make changes to their life that can be a major factor in helping one to achieve better energy levels and harmony in their life.

    In conclusion, Yi Ren Qigong can help one overcome Adrenals and Thyroid fatigue by allowing and supporting one to improve all of their internal energies to give them an opportunity to dramatically improve their quality of life.  I know from my own personal experience that this training can help one to transform their health and life potentially back to the internal balance one normally has as a child.  If you want to overcome your Adrenal and Thyroid issues this may be the best choice to help you truly regain balanced health.

    For more information on hormones and Yi Ren Qigong please visit Balancing Hormones for Improved Energy





    5.  Charles A. Moss MD Power of the Five Elements. North Atlantic Books. Berkley, CA: 2010

    6. ”The Endocrine System: Endocrine Glands & Types of Hormones.”  2012.  23 Jan. 2012

    7. “Top 10 Signs That You May Have a Thyroid Problem:

    Millions of People Have Undiagnosed Thyroid Conditions.”  2009. Mary Shomon 23 Jan. 2012



  • Transcending Fears and Stress with Yi Ren® Qigong

    By Brendan Thorson, 3/4/2012

    Would you like to transform your Fears to Self-Empowerment and Transcend your Stress to Self-Confidence?  Fears can lock us into imaginary prison cells that steal our freedom, make us small, weak and prevent us from living our life to the fullest.  While long term excess stress robs our mind and body of essential internal energies causing exhaustion, lack of internal peace and a strain on the relationships with the one’s we love most.  Yi Ren Qigong can assist you to transform your fears and stress to help you become self-empowered and confident—leading to greater internal happiness and a higher quality of life.

    Some fears are real and valid like knowing that jumping off a big rocky mountain cliff could result in a tragedy to your life.  But most fears that people have are not life threatening at all, in fact they are old unhealthy programs that need to be deleted out of their system.  Not much different than a computer’s antivirus system finding and deleting a threat to your computer, but if the threat is not found it could lead to an infected and damaged computer/ or person.

    Fears are negative emotions related to the Kidneys and when one has fears, they leak energy from the Kidneys like air leaking out of a tire with a hole in it.  With Yi Ren Qigong we energize and empower the Kidneys so one will begin to have greater Internal-Power and determination.  This will allow one to improve their internal strength and naturally overcome many things that once caused them fear and support them to achieve their goals and dreams.  In addition, as one gets more advanced with their internal martial arts they can begin to find old internal viruses (fears) and delete them out of their system just like computers antivirus system.

    Similar to fears, Stress can also be good or bad.  Good or the appropriate amount of stress for an individual can help them to get stronger and build up their stress capacity just like how the appropriate stress of weight training can help one to build up their muscular stronger.  However, if someone has to regularly experience a significant amount of stress beyond their bodies capacity then they will eventually get stuck in the “fight or flight” response.  “If stress continues, the adrenal glands produce cortisol within ten minutes to raise blood sugar and insulin levels, move blood to muscles and away from digestion, lower levels of sex hormones and break down protein stores for energy.”  “Continued stress eventually leads to the Maladapted stage, in which the body starts to break down from the effects of elevated cortisol.”  “Cortisol imbalance can lead to fatigue, weight gain, immune suppression, and susceptibility to colds and flu, joint pains, mood swings, anxiety, depression, insomnia and digestive symptoms”.1

    Yi Ren Qigong can quickly help someone to get out of being stuck in the fight or flight stage where the Adrenals are stuck-on-go.  We begin to correct this imbalance in the level-1 course and in my introductory classes by activating the Kidneys and Life-Gate Center which resets the Adrenals so one can begin to feel energized but very calm at the same time.  Then with continued practice of Yi Ren one will be able to transform their system and learn how to manage their body like people know how to take care of their cars if they want it to have longevity with vitality—so you know when to hit the breaks, step on the gas, fill up the tank of gas, and change the oil…

    When you are ready to transform your life, find your internal freedom and overcome obstacles in the road like fears and stress then jump on the Yi Ren Qigong bus and learn how to drive yourself to a brighter future for your health, happiness and life.




  • Taoist Secrets to Menopause & Low Testosterone

    By Brendan Thorson, LMP
    & edited by Brian Kidd, 3/1/2012

    This article is published in the 2012 Autumn issue of the Qi-Journal Magazine

    Would you like to maintain youthful vitality into your elder years and skip the dramatic mid-life health decline that naturally occurs when both men and women have a significant reduction in their reproductive hormone levels?  Modern Medicine offers hormone replacement therapy to help some people ease into old age, but evidence has shown there are many side effects and risks that may outweigh the gains for those who do not want to gamble with their health.

    Fortunately for those who truly cherish their health and life, the Ancient Taoists Masters Secrets to potentially reverse, prevent or delay the onset of Menopause and Low Testosterone (or Andropause) are available to you from Yi Ren Qigong Training.  Yi Ren Qigong can help you to naturally maintain and transform your health, energy levels and reproductive hormones. This can make it possible to prolong your youthful vitality and to help you obtain longevity with robust internal energies, strength and peace throughout.

    Symptoms of female hormone imbalance

    • Acne or oily skin
    • Bloating
    • Bone loss
    • Decreased fertility
    • Depression
    • Excess facial and body hair
    • Hot flashes
    • Heavy or painful periods
    • Irregular periods
    • Irritability
    • Loss of muscle mass
    • Loss of scalp hair

    Menopause and Low Testosterone is usually caused by a gradual decline of internal energies and energy systems of the body. This results in a weakened reproductive system and lower production of reproductive energies and hormones.  This is similar to the premature deterioration of a car that is not well maintained and regularly serviced.  Chinese Medicine believes women reach their peak strength at the age of 28 and men at the age of 32.  Then both sexes energies gradually weaken as the years pass, because they are leaking vital energy. By the time they are in their late 40s or mid 50s both sexes internal energies will commonly degrade to the point that their reproductive energies are significantly compromised. This will result in the body and mind getting weaker and initiate the process of growing old.1

    Symptoms of male hormone imbalance

    • Bone loss
    • Decreased mental clarity
    • Decreased muscle strength
    • Decreased stamina
    • Decreased urine flow
    • Depression
    • Erectile dysfunction
    • Hot flashes

    There are many health complications related to the process of mid-life change. These include the glands not working at an optimal level resulting, in lower hormone production and the depletion of vital internal energies.  For instance, women commonly experience hot flashes, irritability, anxiety, loss of scalp hair, excess facial hair, and weak muscles and joints.  While men commonly experience decreased muscular strength, stamina, erectile dysfunction, increased body fat and poor sleep.2 (see attached chart for more details)  All the above symptoms are a clear sign that the body has lost its original power and natural internal energy balance.  If we were to see a young person with all of the above noted health problems, we would feel sorry for that individual and hope he had a way to regain his health and youthful vitality. If you had the choice between living with the aforementioned symptoms and health complications or enjoying your mid-life and beyond, which would you choose?

    Yi Ren Qigong can reset the internal energy programs by reorganizing the internal energy systems so a person can gain energy, as opposed to losing energy as he or she ages.  Using our car analogy, this would be like getting your vehicle regularly serviced and well maintained. For some people this would be like getting a major overhaul, including rebuilding the car’s entire engine to transform it from a jalopy to a gem. The energy systems that would be reprogrammed include the reproductive energies and hormones to maintain health and avoid the natural aging process most people experience in their mid life.  Yi Ren Qigong training begins to improve and harmonize our internal energy levels including the functioning of the organs and glands.   There are many key centers and areas of the body that need to be developed to upgrade the whole energy system in a balanced way.

    The 3-steps directly related to the development and maintenance of the reproductive system that take place in development of the energy body from levels 1-3 in the Yi Ren Qigong Training:

    1. The activation of the “Power Center” Sacrum related to boosting the energy levels of the reproductive system.

      The Sacrum (

    2. The development of the Reproductive Energy Pathways and reproductive glands which include the Testes/Prostate or Ovaries/Uterus.
    3. Reversing the energy flow of the reproductive energies from outward to inward. This will allow the body to digest more of its reproductive energies for upgrading our energy levels that can be used for healing, personal growth and spiritual development, just like our energy system was when we were children.

    You may be asking yourself is it really possible to reset and enhance my internal energies and postpone or prevent Menopause or Low Testosterone?  I believe the answer is yes.   When I first began this training at the age of 30 my body was prematurely worn down, weak and exhausted—I felt like an exhausted broken down old-man stuck in a young-man’s body.  Yi Ren Qigong has allowed me to rebuild my once broken down mind and body.  A major key to the strengthening and healing of my body has been the empowering of my reproductive system and increased levels of reproductive hormones as a result of my Qigong training.  A process that could be described as second puberty or adult puberty lead to a slight deepening of my voice, increased facial hair, a boosting of my reproductive system and reproductive system aliveness like I had as a teenager.  The above noted changes were important to help me become more masculine, but the real long term benefits from my upgraded reproductive system is the increased regeneration power my body now has for greater healing, vitality, longevity, and development for my life.

    I also notice sometimes during my qigong practice that I can feel the reproductive glands are very alive, active and can sense the energy flow backward into my body and then circulate to other areas of my body like my organs, bones, fascia, and muscles for healing and tonification.  This is described as the reverse energy flow in Taoism—so one can be like a child again.  Like the energy flow of babies and kids before reaching puberty.  That gives children the amazing power to physically and mentally grow and develop.

    To date I have had numerous male and female students with ages ranging from Teens to 70s that have significantly increased their internal strength, vitality and energies.  I have visually watched students reverse their biological age and heard umpteen testimonials related to their healing and health benefits related to reproductive hormone imbalance symptoms.

    Female Yi Ren Qigong Health Benefits Related to Hormone Symptom Imbalances (Ages 40s-70s):

    • Increased Stamina
    • Significant reduction in depression
    • Overcome Hot Flashes
    • Feel Calmer & Balance of Excess Emotions
    • Sleep Improvements
    • Improvements to Memory & Concentration Levels
    • Reversed Aging Process of Reproductive Organs
    • Improved Muscle Tone and Body Shape
    • Softer, Firmer & more Elastic Face and Body Skin
    • Yi Ren Qigong Facelifts—A) Droopy Faces Tighten Up.  B) Withered & Wrinkly Faces become softer more Elastic & Less Wrinkly.  C) Face Color Improvements


    Male Yi Ren Qigong Health Benefits Related to Hormone Symptom Imbalances (Ages 40s – 70s):

    • Significant reduction in depression
    • Significant Sleep Improvements
    • Increased Strength and Stamina
    • Enhanced Sexual Power
    • Improved Concentration
    • Decreased Abdominal Fat
    • Softer, Firmer & more Elastic Face and Body Skin

    To Summarize, Yi Ren Qigong can help you overcome health imbalances related to Menopause and Low Testosterone.  If you are willing to make this practice a priority in your life then you may also be able to experience what I described as a “second Puberty” to help you gain extra internal power of your regeneration energies to help you have youthful vitality and longevity.





  • Sleep Like a Child: Transcending your Sleep with Yi Ren® Qigong

    By Brendan Thorson, LMP  2/16/2012,

    This article is published in the 2013 Spring issue of the Qi-Journal Magazine

    Tips for Getting Better Sleep

    Would you like to be able to fall asleep shortly after you go to bed, sleep deeply throughout the night, and wake up feeling rejuvenated and refreshed every morning?  If you have ever personally struggled with insomnia or your sleep quality then you know how important good and deep sleep is to your health and well being.  It is estimated that “70 million Americans suffer from a Sleep Disorder”.1  Deep sleep is essential to activate the Endocrine System, which is responsible for creating our Internal Medicine—the release of essential hormones–for recharging our body/ mind and releasing  waste products like stress that have built up during the day.  Once our sleep becomes light and problematic, it triggers a domino affect, gradually degrading our vital energies supporting our body, mind and nervous system while simultaneously allowing toxic waste products like stress and anxiety to infest and contaminate our homeostasis and internal peace.  If you would like to sleep like a child again, feel refreshed and energetic, then Yi Ren Qigong can allow you to accomplish your goals.

    The effects of sleep deprivation and chronic lack of sleep

    • Fatigue, lethargy, and lack of motivation
    • Moodiness and irritability
    • Reduced creativity and problem-solving skills
    • Inability to cope with stress
    • Reduced immunity; frequent colds and infections
    • Concentration and memory problems
    • Weight gain
    • Impaired motor skills and increased risk of accidents
    • Difficulty making decisions

    I recall as a teenager and early adult how my sleep quality gradually began to deteriorate as I aged.  By the time I was in my early twenties, it was difficult for me to fall asleep, and sleep soundly throughout the night.  I would commonly wake up from my alarm clock in the morning—because of work or school obligations— before getting adequate sleep, which made me frustrated and not properly refreshed for my day ahead.  I regularly struggled to fall asleep, especially if I went to bed after midnight.  During the hours of 9 and 10pm, I was commonly tired and sleepy, but I usually put off going to bed until after 11pm. Unfortunately, by that time, my mind would begin to get very active—which included racing thoughts–and I was no longer sleepy. I would usually lie down in bed and become aggravated for one or more hours before I would fall asleep.  Once I fell asleep, I was easily awakened by noise—which was a clear indication that even though I was sleeping, I was not reaching the levels of deep sleep necessary to refresh the body and mind.


    I knew my sleep problems were a major factor in my failing health and strength.  I was struggling with many sleep disorder symptoms including: exhaustion, compromised immune system, low stress capacity, and concentration and memory problems.

    Sleeping Medications and Sleep Aids:

    In order to try and correct my sleep issues, I tried Western medicine, a Chinese herbal sleep formula, Melatonin, and Ear-Plugs.  Western medicine allowed me to sleep, but after awakening I did not feel rested and actually felt tired—a clear sign the sleep drug was not the right choice for me.  I had much better results from both the Chinese sleep formula and Melatonin than I did from Western Medicine.  They both helped me to sleep, but they never fixed the origin of my problem—so I needed one of them every night.  Or allowed me to reach deep levels of sleep like I needed to truly help me heal from my years of exhaustion and feel ready to go every morning.  Therefore, since my sleep was superficial I had to use ear-plugs every night to minimize waking from noises during the evening—another sign the Chinese sleep formula and Melatonin were unable to help me reach deep levels of sleep necessary to feel mentally and physically fresh.   Ear-plugs never helped me to improve my sleep quality, but they were effective at minimizing being awoken by external noises.  I can honestly say that I did benefit from some sleep aides I used; however, they were more or less like using a band-aid on a cut for me because they helped cover up the sleep issue I had but never truly addressed or corrected the origin of my sleep issues.

    Transcending My Sleep w/ Yi Ren Qigong:

    After 8-10 yrs of seriously struggling with my sleep and my deteriorating health I began studying Yi Ren Qigong (an authentic qi/energy centered cultivation practice[3]) with Yi Ren Qigong Developer Dr. Guan-Cheng Sun.  During my first class with Dr. Sun I could clearly feel the positive impact his Qigong was having on my health.  I felt rejuvenated, refreshed and energized from my first class.  I could clearly feel this training had the potential to bring me back my lost health and strength and I was committed to learn Yi Ren Qigong and resurrect my lost life and vitality.  Thus, I made it a very high priority in my life and I began to practice as often as I could on my own; in addition, to attending the weekly classes.  Within a couple of weeks of training my sleep made a 180-degree turn—from superficial and inadequate sleep to deep and refreshing sleep.  I was surprised how fast my sleep transformed.  The deep sleep I was now getting, in addition to the energy improvements and healing I was getting from the Qigong practice, was creating an opportunity for my body and mind to recover from my years of exhaustion and energy depletion— a major factor in my health decline.

    Balancing Internal Energies leads to Sleep Transformation:

    During the early days of my practice I made many discoveries that were keys in helping me improve my sleep and begin to understand the health imbalances that (energetically) caused me to deeply struggle with my sleep.  Also, learn how to operate, manage and regenerate my broken down body/mind.  One revelation I had was to practice every night before going to bed.  This had many benefits including helping me to become very calm and relaxed before going to bed—allowing me to fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly through the night.  Sometimes my late night practice would cut into my normal sleep schedule, but I found that since my sleep quality was significantly deeper than before that I never felt tired upon awakening even if my sleep time was reduced by an hour or more.  Then, I no longer needed any sleep aides and my sleep quality quickly improved to the point that I was awakening every morning feeling deeply refreshed.

    In addition, from my practice I found a few key energy centers and organs that were vital in the restoration of my sleep.  For example, from working with the Third-Eye I felt a reprogramming and resetting occur deep inside the center of my brain, which I felt was related to my Pineal Gland and its role on the sleep/wake cycle.   Then, I could feel the work I was doing on the lower abdomen “dantian” and lower back “kidney center” was strengthening and balancing my internal energies and foundation.  I began to specifically feel the development of the Dantian was bringing new fresh energy into my body to support my daily activities and nourish my nervous system allowing me to feel calm, centered and relaxed.  While the work done to develop the Kidney center was helping me to feel energized and grounded.  In addition, the work done to develop both the Dantian and Kidneys was also keeping my energies much more grounded which prevented the energy from rising up and stimulating racing thoughts at night around 11pm to midnight (like it used to) that once triggered my insomnia and years of frustration.

    You may be asking yourself how was he able to feel and understand what was occurring from his qigong practice and in particular what he described from the work he did on his Third-Eye, Dantian and Kidney-Center?  With the Yi Ren Qigong training we activate our energy system and the energy becomes a bridge between the mind and the body and also amplifies the feelings of the body so the mind can better hear the bodies messages.  Thus we begin to get more sensitive and heighten our awareness similar to how a blind person can develop their sensitivity to read by brail, enhance their hearing skills and awareness’s to their physical environment so they can walk around their home without walking into the walls and tables etc.  Or if that analogy does not work for you then think about trying to listen to music with the stereo turned on but the volume turned as low as possible so you will not be able to hear the music.  But, then if you were to turn the volume up to an appropriate level you would be able to hear the music.  So the activation of the energy system from Yi Ren Qigong more