Our Story
Walking the Qigong Path
Our story begins in 1994 when my husband, who had stage 4 brain cancer, traveled to Beijing China to explore treatment through traditional Chinese medicine.
As I would walk down the dirt path through the bamboo to the lake, I would hear melodious Chinese music in the distance. Looking out across the water I saw a pavilion filled with couples doing ballroom dancing! Everyone moved harmoniously as if they were “floating” across the lake in a dream.
In 1994, my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. We traveled to Beijing and then to Beidaihe, to the National Medical Qigong Hospital, because we had heard that traditional Chinese medicine and Qigong could help when Western medicine had done what it could.
We went back many times over the years that followed. I trained with the hospital’s master teachers — Liu Yafei, Feng Yijian, and others who were, and are, carrying forward a lineage that goes back to Dr. Liu Gui Zhen. What I found there wasn’t just technique. It was a whole way of attending to the body and the breath, a tradition of healing through movement, and a community of practitioners who became dear friends.
The International Qigong Foundation is my way of carrying that forward — of making what I was given available here, in Montana and wherever else the practice travels.
The International Qigong Foundation's mission is to provide high-quality educational programs in Qigong and Tai Chi for all ages and abilities. Whether you're brand-new or returning to practice, you'll learn skills you can use every day to support mobility, resilience, and emotional well-being.
A healthy body, a happy mind
Program Facilitator & Instructor
Karen Nesbitt, MA
Karen has been studying, practicing, and teaching Qigong and Tai Chi for over three decades. Her journey began in 1994 at the National Medical Qigong Hospital in Beidaihe, China, where her husband received cancer treatment through traditional Chinese medicine. She returned many times over the following years to train with Liu Yafei, Feng Yijian, and other senior teachers — and has since built a quiet, steady practice of sharing what she learned, in Montana and beyond.
Her teaching is grounded in the classical forms she was given, and oriented toward helping students — whether brand new or returning to practice — develop real skill, inner quiet, and sustainable health through gentle, consistent work.
Learning & Lineage
Dr. Liu Gui Zhen & Liu Yafei
Dr. Liu Gui Zhen
Liu Yafei
Dr. Liu Gui Zhen is widely regarded as the “father” of modern Medical Qigong. He helped introduce the term qigong into modern Chinese medicine and was a key founder of the National Medical Qigong Hospital and Training Base in Beidaihe, where he developed Nei Yang Gong Qigong for clinical application.
After Dr. Liu Gui Zhen’s death, his daughter Liu Yafei continued the lineage as the 7th successor of Nei Yang Gong and became director of the Beidaihe Qigong Hospital and Training Center. Under her leadership, the curriculum expanded to include Taijiquan, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and elements of Western medicine, and she remains an active healer and teacher in China and internationally, including in Germany and France.
Li Jing Wu & Li Tian Ji
Li Jing Wu
Li Tian Ji
Mr. Li Jingwu was a renowned master of modern Chinese martial arts and a highly respected teacher of Taijiquan. Alongside Mr. Li Tianji, he played an important role in the development and popularization of Simplified Yang Style 24-Step Taijiquan. In 1959, with support from China’s National Sports Committee, Mr. Li Jingwu performed and helped complete China’s first martial arts educational film featuring the 24-Step form.
Known for his unwavering discipline, Mr. Li Jingwu practiced Taijiquan daily through the harshest winters and hottest summers. A specialist in Taijiquan theory and highly skilled in Tui Shou (Push Hands), he contributed significantly to the field through his writings, including the 1960 book Neigong (Internal Power) of Taijiquan.
In 1959, Mr. Li Jingwu worked as the taijiquan teacher of National Medical Qigong Hospital and Training Base in Beidaihe, China where Dr. Liu Guizhen had his clinic in Nei Yang Gong Qigong. He developed and administered treatment programs in qigong massage, infusing his qi into patients during treatment.
Mr. Li Tianji was a prominent Taijiquan master from Beijing. Alongside Mr. Li Jingwu, he played an important role in the development and popularization of Simplified Yang Style 24-Step Taijiquan. In 1959 he authored the first instructional book, Simplified Taijiquan.
Feng Yijian
Mr. Feng Yijian is a longtime Taijiquan teacher and Qigong specialist, and a direct disciple of Master Li Jingwu. He began studying with Li Jingwu at age 16, training in both Taijiquan and Qigong massage. Through this mentorship, Feng Yijian inherited a rich and diverse tradition, including 19th-generation Chen Style practice, 5th-generation Wu Style practice, and advanced skills in Qigong massage.
Professionally, Mr. Feng Yijian served as the former head of the Taijiquan Programs and the former director of the Qigong Department at what is now known as the National Qigong Training Base in Beidaihe. Now retired, he remains an active practitioner and continues teaching Tai Chi in China and internationally.
Zhang Mingwu & Dr. Sun Xingyuan
Zhang Mingwu
Dr. Sun Xingyuan
Zhang Mingwu was a leading figure in self-controlled Qigong therapy and the author of Methods of Self-Healing Through Qigong. Known for demystifying Qigong through a clear, scientific approach, he developed targeted exercises for specific health concerns that were adopted in hospital Qigong departments and taught in universities within Chinese medicine programs. One of his notable students, Mrs. Guo Lin, drew on methods she learned from Zhang, including distinctive walking patterns, to create Guo Lin’s New Qigong, which she taught in public parks to thousands of people diagnosed with cancer.
Dr. Sun Xingyuan, a respected medical Qigong author and clinician-educator, further advanced the modern clinical approach. In 1988 he co-authored Chinese Qigong Therapy with Zhang Mingwu (translated into English and French), presenting the theory of self-controlled practice, foundational patterns, and specialized methods developed for cancer support. He later authored Yuan Shi Xin Qigong (“New Qigong for Cultivating Original Vital Energy”), a system designed to support health, longevity, and mental clarity while maintaining traditional principles for modern practitioners.
Master Li Jian Wei & Gao Laoshur
Master Li Jian Wei
Gao Laoshur
Master Li Jian Wei is a respected Tai Chi instructor who specializes in Traditional Yang Style 88 and trained as a student of Master Li Tian Ji in Beijing, China. He is known for his depth of practice, clear instruction, and commitment to preserving traditional teaching methods within the Yang Style lineage. Together with Gao Laoshur, they are highly regarded for their teaching and hospitality, regularly instructing visiting students who travel to China with Deyin Tai Chi Institute groups from the UK and across Europe.
Gao Laoshur is a revered Qigong teacher who specializes in Ba Duan Jin (Eight Pieces of Brocade), guiding students through foundational breath-and-movement practices that support vitality, balance, and overall well-being. Together with Master Li Jian Wei, they are highly regarded for their teaching and hospitality, regularly instructing visiting students who travel to China with Deyin Tai Chi Institute groups from the UK and across Europe.