Flurina Niggli | Qigong Asst Instructor - YMAA International

Congratulations to Flurina Niggli on passing her Qigong Assistant Instructor exam!

Flurina is a long-time seminar participant who started learning from Dr. Yang at the YMAA Retreat Center. She continues to attend the summer seminars at Yang Family Heights.

With deep appreciation, YMAA welcomes Flurina to its community of Qigong instructors and offers heartfelt congratulations on this accomplishment.

Interview by Sue Del Buono
August 2026

Flurina Niggli lives in California’s Redwood forest area, about 20 minutes from the former YMAA Retreat Center in Miranda, CA.

She began studying Qigong 30 years ago in Europe as part of her naturopath and bodywork training in Switzerland and Poland.

Flurina found her way to Dr. Yang through sheer luck. A friend had described him as “the guy on the hill who was really scary and inapproachable and expensive,” but when she finally made the trip up to meet him, her first reaction was that her friend couldn’t have been more wrong — Dr. Yang was welcoming, kind, and warm. The Retreat Center itself matched the impression he made on her.

She also felt like she’d instantly joined a family, surrounded by wonderful new friends. In that environment, she was encouraged to understand her feelings and to explore the depth, philosophy, and physics behind Dr. Yang’s teaching. There was no “woo woo” to it, which is what kept bringing her back — real science paired with a genuinely good time. Getting to learn so much while enjoying herself was priceless, she says. Asked about the highlights of her training, she answered — as any fellow Retreat Center student would recognize with a smile — “the watermelon.”

Flurina added that the people who came to the Retreat Center went deeper within themselves and within the art, which made the experience unique. The depth of theory, well beyond the basics, was a refreshing change from other seminars she’d attended, some taught by instructors who didn’t fully understand what Qigong meant.

While preparing for her exam, Flurina became acutely aware of just how much material was covered — Dr. Yang could ask a question from any of it, which was the real challenge of the test. She didn’t pursue certification for the credential itself, but to deepen her own knowledge. Whatever the reason someone starts, she says, they can’t help but become “brainwashed” along the way.

One of her favorite aspects of the practice is understanding one’s feelings and sensations. All of these different layers of understanding feed into each other, changing how you feel and perceive, and creating a desire to keep exploring. Together, they build an incredible foundation to grow and move from. Flurina says she has never met a teacher who could go into the depth Dr. Yang does, while still being willing to say “I don’t know” at times.

Her favorite Qigong practice is the Four Seasons, which has helped both her and her students — including one student with a double lung transplant who recovered in part through the practice, and others managing lung disease who’ve seen their lung capacity improve. Living in rhythm with the seasons, and with life itself, makes deep sense to her. Looking ahead, she simply wants to keep living — and perhaps take the next steps toward further testing. She’s been teaching Qigong for about 10 years and recently began teaching a Taijiquan class. Flurina continues to deepen her understanding and working to build an effective daily practice for herself.

Flurina hopes the YMAA community continues to foster connection, education, and inspiration, and offers her gratitude to Dr. Yang for all he gave by living what he taught.