My story:

My path to the art of Qi Gong is similar to the path of many others who pursue various healing arts: a quest in search for relief from physical pain and emotional distress.​

​

By my late 20s, after years of working as an organic farmer and carpenter, I developed chronic pain, including a relentless shoulder injury. At the same time, I was grappling with debilitating mental health symptoms—severe anxiety, chronic panic attacks, hypervigilance, and depersonalization. Despite seeking treatment from various Western and Eastern practitioners, my shoulder pain was only ever temporarily relieved, without any specific diagnosis, and I continued silently struggling with my mental health for several years. A turning point came when a somatic therapist gently suggested that I might be living with unresolved PTSD—rooted in the unexpected death of my mother when I was 25. Further uncovered through working with this therapist was that her passing also exacerbated unresolved trauma from my childhood, largely influenced by my mother's own lifelong battle with mental illness and addiction as a result of her own childhood trauma. That moment marked the beginning of a deeper healing journey.

​

During this time of striving to heal both my shoulder and mental health, I had remembered an experience I had when I was 20 years old in my hometown practicing the Chinese internal martial art Bagua Zhang. What I was remembering was specifically how it made me feel; stronger, confident, and most importantly- a more regulated nervous system. I realized that getting back into Chinese internal arts would be an important practice to support my mental and physical health journey. I then explored various martial arts styles where I lived and happened to find a teacher who taught Bagua Zhang. Upon reuniting with martial arts, it was quickly evident that Chinese internal arts were fundamental in supporting my mental and physical health. Through practicing Bagua Zhang I discovered Qi Gong; the grandmother of Chinese internal arts.

​

Qi Gong became a cornerstone in my healing.

​

How did the arts help me personally? Physically the arts cultivated proper posture, joint mobility, stretching, strength building, and dynamic movements; all while being actively relaxed. Mentally, the somatic foundation of the practice cultivated greater nervous system regulation through gentle breathing, slow fluid movements, focused mind, meditation/visualizations, Eastern philosophy, and greater connection to nature. While I believe many Western and Eastern practitioners and their modalities have their time and place, what I appreciated about learning and practicing Qi Gong was that it was a practice that allowed me to take a more empowered and active role in my own healing. 

​

The path to healing both my shoulder and mental health was neither linear nor fast. Healing took time. But I kept returning to practice, and with that persistence, things began to shift. It taught me how to show up for myself consistently—not just when things felt easy, but especially during seasons of apathy, grief, or frustration.

 

Along the way, I pursued complementary paths:

• I studied shamanism with a local mentor and Sandra Ingerman

• Completed a B.A. in Psychology, now completing a M.S. in Health Promotion and Behavioral Wellness

• Studied somatic trauma education through the work of Irene Lyon, and currently training with Lynn Fraser and other experts in the field

• Serving as a teaching assistant in an international Qi Gong teacher training course

• And eventually, after a transformative experience during a meditation retreat, I felt called to deepen my study and begin teaching Qi Gong professionally​

​​

Today, I lead Qi Gong classes for the Cornell University Wellness Program, teach community members through my own practice, Black Wolf Internal Arts, and support students on their own healing journeys

 

I believe these ancient arts are both relevant and needed now more than ever, and have a lot to offer to the modern physical and mental health spaces. I believe Qi Gong has the potential to do for others what it has done for myself- that’s why I teach.

My Teachers:

•Nick Loffree (Certified Qi Gong instructor)
•Bryan Isacks of Yoga Farm Ithaca/IAI

(Certified Qi Gong instructor, Liang Style Bagua Zhang, and Qi Gong teaching assistant)

•Jessie Myrick & Connor Youngerman of North American Tang Shou Tao Association

(Qi Gong and Liang Style Bagua Zhang)
•Tom Bisio & Valerie Ghent of Internal Arts International (IAI)

(Qi Gong and Liang Style Bagua Zhang)
 

Other Qi Gong teachers include: Lee Holden, Anthony Korahais, & Robert Peng.

 

​

Other Education:

• M.S. Health Promotion & Behavioral Wellness - Oswego State University (In Progress)

•B.A. Psychology- Empire State College
•A.A.S Natural Resource Conservation – Finger Lakes Community College

 

When not studying or practicing Qi Gong, I spend most of my time with my partner Holly and our 2 cats and dog, hiking in the FLX and ADK regions of upstate NY, practicing martial arts, hunting, DIY carpentry projects, and too many podcasts.