Barry Thompson has learned the importance of a disciplined health practise over his approximately 40 years of experience with Chinese health and well being studies. His exposure began in 1971 on the other side of the world- in Borneo where he was posted as a Canadian volunteer (CUSO) for 2 1/2 years. His teacher was Grand Master Huang Sheng Shyan whose martial art abilities were legendary, even into his seventies. What Barry found puzzling, however, was that Master Huang's main interests were the health and spiritual aspects that come with advanced practise. Compassion was his guiding principle and T'ai Chi was his discipline and path. In 1975, Barry discovered another well respected T'ai Chi teacher in Montreal.

 

Life brings changes and challenges to everyone and Barry was no exception. He got off the path and changed direction for a period of about 5 years. A hiatus in the early 1990's brought about a serious deterioration in health, so much so that he was told that the only way to stop 2 years of debilitating pain was to have an operation to fuse his lower back. An appointment was made for the operation 1 month after he returned to his T'ai chi class. A new teacher was there teaching something no one had heard of at that point --Qi Gong. 

 

Barry never had that operation on his back and is back on track and practising what his three main teachers taught him. He has been teaching others since 1998 both privately and in small groups to a diverse clientele with a variety of serious health issues, including AIDS and cancer.

 

The school to which Barry belongs is “Zhi Neng Qi Gong” or Wisdom Qi Gong. A nineteen year study by the Chinese government recommended it as top among the approximately 2,500 authorized qi gong schools in the country. It was ranked so far ahead of #2 that one would rightfully ask why study any other style. There was a hospital attached to the main teaching center that was dedicated to helping people with chronic and life threatening diseases- between 3,000 and 4,000 at a time- only doing qi gong.

 

Everyone who practises diligently feels and experiences improvement in their health- often it’s spectacular. The operative principle is that: « You are the doctor and the medicine. » 

 

As well, he has taught many students with desires of improving their general health and state of relaxation. They tend to use ZNCK as a preventative measure and discover much to their surprise that their lives improve on many levels.