The Zu Qigong journey began to take shape back in 2010, a project that became the focus of Elspeth Fare’s working life for over a decade.  

Often asked “where did Zu Qigong develop from”?  Elspeth’s reply…

 “In all honesty I don’t fully understand how it all came about, the pieces of this rather intricate puzzle just seemed to float into my mind, and, over a period of several years the ideas and theories have gradually slotted together into the technique that I am sharing with you now”. 

Zu Qigong, as it stands today, is a technique that has woven together many different strands, reaching back into Elspeth’s science career origins, blending the knowledge shared by the many teachers she has encountered along the therapy path; reflexology, Taiji, Qigong, Daoist philosophy, TCM theories. Additionally, in recent years this therapy has been further enhanced by the contributions and experiences shared by fellow therapists using Zu Qigong.

The initial trigger for this whole process was a desire to unravel the mysteries of the reflexology foot map, however over time, Zu Qigong has evolved to become a very different approach to working on the feet, offering an alternative perspective and philosophy to that routinely used in reflexology.
Elspeth first encountered reflexology during her clinical nurse training.  Intrigued by the subject, and several years later, Elspeth went on to study classical reflexology with Douglas Bell at the Scottish School of Reflexology, graduating in 2001. (This was the same school that Karen’s mother, Cobi Philipsen attended in the late 1980’s.)

Coming from a scientific and nursing background, many aspects of classical reflexology theories, as taught during her training, did not make sense to Elspeth, finding them flawed and not quite logical. However, she found the whole reflexology concept fascinating, and was clearly able to see the benefits her clients achieved with regular reflexology sessions.  Keen to learn more about reflexology and unravel some of the underlying theories Elspeth embarked on numerous post-graduate reflexology training courses, as well as training in several other therapies along the way. Gradually, piece by piece, Elspeth gained a better understanding of reflexology.  

In 2006 she attended an introductory Chi-Reflexology course with Moss Arnold.  This particular course provided some of the elusive pieces to unravelling the reflexology puzzle, and perhaps most importantly, provided a window into the basic principles of the Chinese Philosophy, and working with the Traditional Chinese Medicine meridian system. Having had her interest piqued, she attended further Chi-Reflexology training the following year gaining a diploma in Chi-Reflexology in 2008. This training was effectively her springboard into the world of Traditional Chinese Medicine - a turning point in her therapy career.   This still merely scratched the surface of the vast topic that we refer to as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), an infinite area of study. 

In the rabbit hole, Elspeth was keen to continue the journey of discovery and was drawn to the exercise disciplines of Taiji and Qigong.  

2012 Elspeth completed an introductory course in Daoist Internal Alchemy gaining a better understanding of the underlying principles and theories of Qigong.
Enjoying both Taiji and Qigong, Elspeth’s interest was particularly in Qigong and the health benefits of regular practice, both for herself as a holistic therapist, and for her clients.
Very often therapists become so focused on caring for their clients that they fail to take steps to care for their own health and wellbeing.  Qigong offers a gentle, yet powerful, tool for personal holistic care.
 

While studying Qigong and reading around the subject in an attempt to better understand the theoretical principles involved, Elspeth coincidentally - if there is such a thing as coincidence - uncovered a potential link between the theories of Qigong and the possible mechanisms involved in reflexology. Further exploration of this discovery eventually led to the development of Zu Qigong.

Having now been developed to provide three levels of practice, Zu Qigong is accessible to a wide range of people.  
In its simplest form this therapeutic technique, can be used by health and nursing staff and carers to provide gentle relaxation and support for patients, family and friends. 
 
For the qualified /professionally trained therapist, the gentle art of Zu Qigong can be offered as a powerful stand-alone therapy or used in combination with other therapy techniques.

Unfortunately, due to health reasons, Elspeth made the difficult decision to retire in 2023, stepping back from both teaching and her clinical practice.  

Elspeth is delighted to have now passed the Zu Qigong legacy on to 2 of her New Zealand students who previously completed the Zu Qigong practitioner course in 2017; Annamarie Huckin and Karen Philipsen Brown, both of whom have seen so many benefits of this stand-alone practice for their own clients.
Annamarie is already a Qigong Instructor and Karen is currently in training, both understanding the concepts of melding Qigong and the underlying principles of reflexology into this unique practice.

Both are honoured to continue Elspeth’s work far into the next decade.

A New Era Begins …….

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