About WaQi

What is WaQi?

WaQi is a healing and martial art that combines ancient Chinese wisdom, time-tested techniques, and science-based mind and body practices.

WaQi is taught in a clear, practical and systematic way. Lessons are carefully segmented and can be divided into easily managed modules. These can be isolated, repeated and practiced almost anywhere. A total of 15 minutes on average per day will help create a strong foundation for optimal mental and physical health. 

WaQi has been found to enhance immune function. In addition, studies have demonstrated that WaQi practices can improve sleep, balance, strength and mental focus while reducing stress.

Beginner-level WaQi programs are available, as well as more advanced programs for a higher level of challenge.  Pick the one that is right for you. In addition to the online courses, there are camps, clinics, and in-person events to help expand your practice.

Please consider enrolling in our subscription plan. We think you will find it life changing!

About Wa-Qi.com

Wa-Qi.com is a subscription-based website program that provides instruction in essential elements of qigong, t’ai chi and functional meditation.

It is an evidence-based approach taught in short, easy to follow segments that can be practiced almost anywhere. We offer free trials, and full subscription plans to access exclusive content that is continually being developed and posted.

Our Mission is simple: To share scientifically validated wisdom from ancient Chinese healing and martial arts to help individuals achieve optimal health and well-being at home. 

Drawing inspiration from WaQi research results and from the overwhelmingly positive feedback of those who experience Dr. Yang's teaching, we are confident that the online program will offer similar benefits to many more people. 

As a subscriber you will receive training tips from Dr. Yang. In addition, you will receive instruction in meditation and movement, as well as popular weekly programs developed by Dr. Yang to build vibrant health and deal with specific health issues. The program is flexible and can be tailored to fit your daily need or to emphasize any specific component.

About Dr. Yang Yang

Yang Yang, PhD, is a leading qigong and t’ai chi (taiji) master, educator and researcher. By drawing on both traditional teachings and Western science, he has demystified and distilled these ancient practices into an evidence-based training program that cultivates wellness, vitality and martial art skill.

Dr. Yang began his t’ai chi training at age 12 to overcome a congenital heart condition. By training with top qigong and t’ai chi (taiji) masters in his native China, he restored his health and mastered these arts, winning a major collegiate martial arts competition three times. After moving to the United States, he founded the Center for Taiji and Qigong Studies, and he wrote an acclaimed book for practitioners and researchers, Taijiquan: The Art of Nurturing, the Science of Power. In 2006 the World Congress on Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine named him Qigong Master of the Year. 

Dr. Yang earned a PhD in kinesiology, the science of human movement, from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 2005. He has created a unique training system that combines the healing power of traditional Chinese t’ai chi and qigong training methods, science-based insights, and classical wisdom teachings from Chinese philosophy that help transform life’s challenges to strength and wisdom. He has become a sought-after collaborator for scientists at leading research institutions, and has published numerous peer-reviewed papers documenting important benefits of t’ai chi and qigong. 

Dr. Yang has trained healthcare providers at the Mayo Clinic, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and other major medical institutions, and has offered special training for cancer patients and survivors at MSKCC to help them deal with stress and fatigue, sleep better and cultivate a sense of well being. Dr. Yang now offers an accessible, evidence-based program to the public through his online WaQi (“Youthful Energy") platform.

Yang Yang’s Early Life

A healing experience helped Dr. Yang Yang find his life's work. He was born with a congenital heart defect, and doctors warned his family that without surgery he might die. Such measures were beyond the resources of his family and, as a last hope, an uncle suggested that Yang, then 12 years old, try Tai Chi and Qigong to improve his health. It worked. His health and strength improved quickly and dramatically. He developed a deep appreciation for these arts and a desire to teach others. Master Yang studied for six years with three local teachers, (Wu Xiubao, Yuan Shiming, and Zhang Xitang) before going away to Shanghai to attend the university. During the next few years, he met and studied with Gu Liuxin, Chen Zhaokui and Feng Zhiqiang, all top grandmasters of 1970-80s era Chen taiji in China. He won first place in the Shanghai University Gongfu Tournament for three straight years (1981–1983) and was voted Best Overall Martial Artist in 1983. In 1987 he became a formal disciple of Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang. 

Dr. Yang began refining his art before coming to the US in 1993. The response to Dr. Yang’s approach is broad and positive. His work has been well received among health professionals, and it has earned him a large following both among those seeking improved health and among martial artists. In 1996 he began public teaching to help individuals with specific health issues and to offer martial arts training. Wanting to bring the benefits and refinements of his system to a broader audience, he launched the online program from New York City in 2019.

To understand the power and mechanics of Taiji and Qigong beyond traditional explanatory frameworks, Master Yang completed a doctorate degree in kinesiology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2005. His research focuses directly on the mechanisms and benefits of traditional Taiji/Qigong with publications of several scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. Yang's detailed study of taiji/qigong enables him to clarify and/or demystify what are often obscure points of theory and practice, and to serve as a bridge between the Eastern/traditional and Western/academic fields. His traditional training also allowed him to distill the essence of various aspects of traditional Taiji training into an evidence-based program that he has refined over the course of several longitudinal studies. 

Other Credentials

Dr. Yang is the founder and Director of the Center for Taiji and Qigong Studies in New York City and was also a clinical specialist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in NY, where he taught patients and staff. In 2019 he launched his WaQi program combining unique elements of his training and experience to help others develop optimal mental, physical and spiritual health. Yang’s book Taijiquan: The Art of Nurturing, the Science of Power has been acclaimed as an instant classic by experts in Chinese martial and healing arts, and he is in high demand as a lecturer at academic and medical research institutions. Recent presentations included lectures at the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Harvard Medical School, Weill Cornell Medical Center, the Hospital for Special Surgery, American Public Health Association, American College of Sports Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).