Team

I have been practicing taiji, xingyi, bagua and eskrima for over 30 years, and have practiced Chinese medicine and acupuncture professionally for over 25 years. I was inspired on the path that led me to practice gongfu and Chinese medicine after suffering a life-threatening spontaneous pneumothorax at the age of 14. I underwent a surgical intervention that most likely saved my life but left me debilitated. Searching for methods to regain full health led me first to Chinese gongfu and then to my teacher, Vince Black, who taught me not only xingyi and bagua, but also tuina, acupuncture and herbal medicine. I am currently heavily focused on Yang-style Taiji taught by Liang Dehua.

I began training martial arts under Ethan Murchie in February of 2009 and immediately fell in love with the styles and traditions taught at the Montreal Gongfu Research Center. I’ve since dedicated my time to studying these arts diligently through research here in Montreal and through many study trips with Professor Vince Black, with our Chinese advisors, Liu Shuhang, Li Runxi and Li Cang, and with many of NATSTA’s instructors. I became a NATSTA-certified instructor in 2015.

I have trained and studied with Ethan Murchie since 2007. I first read about xingyiquan in a book that described xingyi as a martial art you could practice until the day you die and still continue learning from and improving in. I remember thinking, that's what I want to do. So far, that’s still true.<br /> I became a NATSTA-certified instructor in 2015 and have apprenticed with both Vince Black and Ethan Murchie in tuina and craniosacral therapy.

I first discovered Chinese medicine as a powerful tool for addressing chronic health issues. This encounter led me to Chinese physical cultivation practices, and more specifically to Shen Long Xingyiquan, as transmitted by Vince Black. After several years of practice, my interest lies in the richness of this system, which encompasses a wide range of approaches and expressions of movement. I see it as an inexhaustible resource for exploring strength, combat, as well as health, resilience, and longevity. Driven by deep gratitude for what Chinese medicine and internal martial arts have brought into my life, I am now committed to transmitting these practices and contributing to their integration into the lives of others. I am also a certified acupuncturist and trained in Jin Shou Tuina.

I met Ethan Murchie in 2009 to get information about a tuina program he was offering to acupuncturists. Upon entering the Center, my attention instantly gravitated to the training hall. Pictures of bagua and xingyi lineage holders, swords, staffs, spears and sticks. I was no longer paying attention to our discussion about tuina and instead asked, ”What really is going on here?” The next day I began training with Ethan. I started with Wang Jiwu Neigong and San Miguel Eskrima. Over the years, I’ve trained in Gao Baguazhang, Shen Long Xingyiquan and Rou Shen Xingyiquan and Yang Taijquan. For the past five years, my focus has been on Yang Shouhou style Taijiquan and Neigong as transmitted to us by Liang Dehua. My main motivation is inner cultivation.

My own health challenges led me to discover the power of Chinese medicine, along with the joy and therapeutic benefits of internal martial arts. Since 2020, I have been a student of Ethan Murchie in the Yang Shaohou-style Gu Lisheng lineage of taijiquan, as transmitted by Liang Dehua, and I travel regularly to deepen my studies. Chinese medicine and martial arts have infused my life with profound joy and fulfillment, which I am grateful to share with others. I am also a licensed acupuncturist and certified in Jin Shou Tuina.