Investing in the Holden QiGong Teacher Training Program is a big decision, with lots of factors to think about.
So there’s one question I’d like to help answer with this review…
“Should I invest in the Holden QiGong
Online Teacher Training Program?”
It’s the question I asked myself in September 2020…
And it’s a question you’re probably asking yourself right now.
So I’ve written this review to offer my opinion on the teacher training program, in the hope that it’ll help you to make a decision either way.
At this point, you might be wondering who I am, so let me introduce myself first…
My name’s Mike Emery, and I’m a Certified Holden QiGong Teacher.
I started the teacher training in September 2020, and qualified 8 months later in April 2021.
I’ve been teaching 2-3 classes per week online since I qualified, and was interviewed on one of the Tea With Teachers calls with Lee Holden himself. Here’s the clip of me being interviewed:
How I Discovered Holden QiGong
I discovered Holden QiGong in May 2020, during one of the 5-Day QiGong Practice Jumpstart Challenges, and was hooked after my first session.
I resonated with Lee’s teaching style and how the class was structured. And I loved the simple, gentle flows and how much better I felt once I’d finished a session.
I quickly realised that Holden QiGong was a practice I wanted to stick with. And after seeing lots of stories of how it’s helped people take back control of their health, I became convinced that the world needs more QiGong.
Then in September 2020 I got an email about the Holden QiGong Online Teacher Certification Program.
I’ve learnt quite a few different things over the years, like CrossFit, Touch For Health, and Reiki… but they never felt quite ‘right’ enough for me to turn into a career.
Something was different about Holden QiGong. Something felt right, and it ticked a lot of boxes for me when I thought about what I wanted my work life to look like…
I’d be helping people to live healthier and happier lives…
I’d be getting paid for doing something I loved…
I’d be able to do classes from anywhere in the world via Zoom (I like to travel so this was important)…
It still wasn’t a straightforward decision, as I had a few doubts at first. Money was one, as it was a considerable investment for me at the time. But I talked it through with my partner, and took a few days to think through my decision. Ultimately I just knew it was right for me at the time, so I took the leap and I don’t regret it one bit.
My Experience Of The Holden QiGong Online Teacher Certification Program
Within minutes of my payment going through successfully, I received an email that told me how to access the training materials. And as I already had some Holden QiGong programs, it was super easy to log in and get started.
I went through the ‘Start Here’ section to begin with, just so I knew what to expect over the coming weeks. I like that it’s very clear what you need to do to get qualified as a teacher, and if you take time to read the material and watch the videos, most of the questions you have should be answered.
If you do happen to run into any problems or have questions that aren’t answered, the support team is usually quick to respond, or you can post inside the teacher’s Facebook group if you’ve joined that.
Once you sign up, you get an email every week for 16 weeks that tells you the current week has been unlocked. There’s no need to feel like you need to keep up with this though, as it’s all done at your own pace. I fell behind the email schedule quite quickly and was completing one week of the course roughly every two weeks for the first 4 months.
It really is up to you how quickly you complete the course, and I think it’s much better to take it relatively slowly and let the material sink in, revisiting videos where you need to.
As for the videos themselves, if you like Lee’s teaching style from classes and workshops that you’ve already done, then I think you’ll like the teacher training content.
The structure of the course works really well, as the first 8 weeks is the fundamental Five Element content, and the final 8 weeks is all about the Three Treasures and Microcosmic Orbit. The content you’ll learn throughout is more than enough to get you started as a Certified Holden QiGong Teacher, and so far I’ve mainly taught what I learned in the first 8 weeks.
After finishing the 16 weeks of content, I started my practice teaching hours. This needed me to get out of my comfort zone a little, but I found my understanding of the material deepened and my teaching skills improved quickly. I’ll be doing a separate article on what worked for me when I started practising teaching, as that’s too much to include here.
After completing around 20 hours of teaching practice, I booked in the first of my complimentary 1-1 sessions with Kele Baker, one of the Senior Holden QiGong Teachers. The session with Kele was amazing, and she gave me lots of great feedback on my movement and teaching. I decided to stick with Kele for my second 1-1 and that was also fantastic, so I’d highly recommend her when you get to that stage in the training.
Once I’d completed my practice teaching hours and personal practice hours, I submitted the final written exam and recorded my demonstration video.
Out of everything, I probably found the demo video the hardest, but what I loved is that it didn’t matter how many times I re-recorded it. It took a while to get used to recording myself teaching, and to get the timing right, but I managed to get it done within a few takes. There are a few masterclass videos in the training area that are really helpful for this too.
Once I’d submitted all the requirements, all I could do was sit back and wait.
Then on Sunday 25th April 2021 I received an email that started with the words…
“Hi Mike, Congratulations on completing your Holden QiGong Tier 1 Teaching Certification!”
Woohoo! I passed. It was such an amazing feeling to know I could now share something I love and help people to become better and healthier versions of themselves.
It was definitely up there as one of the proudest and happiest moments of my life, and I’m so glad I took the leap and decided to sign up.
How To Make A Living As A Holden QiGong Teacher
“Can I make a living teaching Holden QiGong..?”
This is one of the biggest questions people have… and it’s one I was asking myself before I invested in the teacher training.
The simple answer is yes, it’s possible.
It also depends on a lot of factors… things like how much time you want to spend teaching, what you decide to charge, whether you decide to teach online, in-person or both, and whether you teach in workplaces/gyms etc.
It’ll also depend on how much time you dedicate to promoting your classes/1-1s and building your client base.
This won’t be the case for everyone, but I was actually making money from QiGong 6 days after I qualified as a Certified Holden QiGong Teacher. I even made a little bit of cash before I was qualified, as some of my practice clients made small donations in exchange for their 1-1 sessions.
As of December 2021, I’m not at the point where I can live solely from my QiGong business yet, but that’s mainly because of some personal issues in 2021, so I know I’ll get there in the next year or two. I was realistic enough coming into the training to know that it’s not a ‘get rich’ scheme and that 100 members wouldn’t just magically appear once I qualified. It’s very much a learning process and takes time and effort, as with any business.
I will go into this stuff a lot more in a separate article, and go into detail about exactly what I did to get my first paying clients. I’ll also be sharing what’s working for me to grow my QiGong business. For now though, you might want to imagine what could be possible for you…
For example if you wanted to teach QiGong as more of a hobby and make a little income on the side, you might decide to teach one class per week in person. If you asked for $5/£5 per class and had an average of 5 people per week you’d end up with an extra $100/£100 per month. If you charged $7/£7 per class and had an average of 10 people per week, that’d be an extra $280/£280 per month.
Another option would be a membership where people pay a fixed amount for 2 or 3 classes per week. Say you charged $25/£25 per month and had 10 members, you’d be earning an extra $250/£250 per month. Then say you grew that to 50 or 100 members, you’d be earning $1,250/£1,250 or $2,500/£2,500 per month respectively, for the same amount of work.
These might seem like relatively low numbers but they’re just to give you an idea of where to start. At the end of the day, it’s what you make of it. Feel free to have a play around with some of those numbers and have a think what you might like to earn from teaching QiGong yourself. Dream big!
Is The Teacher Training Program Right For You?
In this review, I’ve told you how the Holden QiGong Online Teacher Training Program was definitely the right choice for me, and I don’t regret my investment one bit.
The question now is… is the Teacher Training Program right for you?
Ultimately, you’re the only one who can answer that question and make a decision either way. But I want to share a few final thoughts to consider…
The Money
The biggest thought on my mind when I considered signing up was the money. And there’s no denying that the Teacher Training Program is a big investment.
This might be the most money you’ve ever invested in yourself, or the most money you’ve spent online in one go, and that can be scary. For some people, making a big investment can bring up feelings of unworthiness or self-doubt. If that’s you, let me promise you that you are worthy, and that as long as you put your time and energy into the training, you can succeed and get certified as a Holden QiGong Teacher.
The other thing to remember is that payment plans are available. When I signed up, I chose the 12-month payment plan, as I knew that was an amount I could afford to commit to for a year. And once those 12 months passed, it felt great to have paid for my training in full and be earning money doing what I love.
If the thought of this much money is an issue for you, then I invite you to sit with it for a while and contemplate. Sometimes, we have beliefs around money that aren’t true, and they’re worth exploring. It might simply be a case of stepping outside your comfort zone and doing something that feels a bit scary.
On the other hand, you might genuinely not be able to afford it at this point in time and that’s perfectly okay too. If you know you’ll struggle to meet the monthly payments, or prefer to pay in a lump sum, then maybe the best plan for you is to start saving. Commit to a savings plan and create a goal for yourself to sign up at a time that suits you better. Just be aware that this can sometimes be an excuse to stay in your comfort zone, so please be honest with yourself.
You might have also come across other QiGong teacher training programs that are cheaper than the Holden QiGong Program. I like to shop around for a bargain, so I looked into different ways I could become a qualified QiGong teacher that were cheaper.
After some contemplation and comparing the courses, I settled on Holden QiGong. The style of Lee’s teaching and the way the classes are structured is very unique and accessible, and that’s what drew me into practising QiGong in the first place. So I decided I wanted to teach the form of QiGong I love to do myself.
At the end of the day you can treat the money as an investment in yourself and your future. You might want to share QiGong with the world and teach others, or simply deepen your practice. Either way, if you resonate with Lee and the Holden QiGong style, you won’t find that anywhere else.
Commitment and Action
A big part of signing up for the Holden QiGong Teacher Training Program is taking action.
If you’re the kind of person who signs up for courses and doesn’t actually do them, or just dips into the content, then I’d take time to question your reasons for wanting to sign up.
To become a Certified Holden QiGong Teacher requires 200 hours of combined study and practice. The number of hours might seem overwhelming at first but it soon adds up.
There’s no rush to complete the training as it’s all done at a pace that works for you. For example, I took 8 months to get certified, which works out at less than 1 hour per day on average.
You may feel like you have too many other commitments, and might want to wait until you have more time. Just be aware that those ‘commitments’ might always be there to use as an excuse. Sometimes you just need to carve out a little bit of time to get started, even if that means committing to 15 minutes of study/practice a day.
How Will Your Life Be Different One Year From Now?
Just before I signed up for the Holden QiGong Teacher Training, one thing that helped was to imagine how this decision could affect my future. Here are a couple of prompts to help you do the same…
If you don’t sign up… how would your life change?
Probably not that much, and in one year your life might not look that different to today. Maybe you’ll still be doing the same work in a job that isn’t very satisfying. You might not be feeling very fulfilled from day to day. And you might be regretting not taking the leap.
But if you do sign up… how would your life change?
One year later your life could look very different. You could be sharing something you love with the world and helping people to lead healthier lives. You could be building your own thriving QiGong business. You could be excited to get out of bed in the morning to teach a class.
The amazing feeling I imagined I’d have when I completed the training and qualified as a Holden QiGong Teacher came true for me, and I know it can be the same for you too.
Sharing The Magic of Holden QiGong With Others
Teaching QiGong means you get to share this magic with lots of people and see the impact it has on their lives. Here are a few stories of people I’ve taught QiGong to so far…
Kim had COVID-19 in 2020 and ended up in intensive care for 3 weeks. He was quite sceptical about QiGong at first, but after a taster session he found that he really enjoyed it. He’d been given exercises by his physio but found them much too strenuous so wasn’t actually doing them. We did some 1-1s together to go through how best to adapt the movements in QiGong and now he’s regularly attending the live classes and doing on-demand videos. QiGong has helped him to reduce his pain, improve his breathing and feel a lot better.
Julie loved QiGong so much after her first few 1-1 sessions that she started doing it herself on days we didn’t have 1-1s. She still continues to do QiGong most days and has been able to stop taking pain medication for her hips, has less aches and is sleeping better.
Vikki was a regular from the beginning and fell in love with QiGong. It’s helped her to feel a lot healthier, helped with her breathing and calmed her anxiety.
It feels so rewarding to be sharing something that is helping people stay healthy and feel better, and it’s one of the main reasons I chose to become a Holden QiGong Teacher.
Yes, I’m Ready To Become A Certified Holden QiGong Teacher
If this post has helped you to make your decision, I’d really appreciate it if you could use the button below to sign up. There’ll be no extra cost to you and the process to sign up will be exactly the same. It will just mean a small percentage of the sale will go to me as a little thank you.
You’ll also be eligible for some bonuses from me. Once I validate that you signed up using my link, you’ll get an hour of my time completely free to use how you like. You could ask questions about the course, practice your teaching, get feedback on your teaching, or whatever you fancy. You can also split the hour up into 15, 20 or 30 minute calls, it’s up to you. This is a bonus that you won’t find anywhere else and is the kind of thing I wish I’d had when I joined!
I’ll also give you free access to the method I use to plan classes quickly and easily. This is something you don’t get as part of the teacher training, and something it took me a while to develop.
When you’re ready to sign up, just click the button below and click “Enroll Now for Instant Access” on the next page:
Still not quite ready?
Contact me at mike@qigongathome.com with any questions or concerns…
or click here to message me on Instagram.