Shaolin Temple Quanfa Institute (STQI) Toronto

Love the Qi Gong classes here. I am a dance / fitness instructor and I was looking for a meditative / restorative class for myself and after searching across the city at yoga studios, and being disappointed (I am very fussy), I found what I was looking for here. I've been taking classes here for a few months now. The instructor is awesome - nice energy and superb quality of instruction.

Amazing teacher with very human touch and focused teaching methods. Makes classes in person and online very effective and actually enjoyable. Impressed with high level of authenticity after researching many schools across Canada. Strongly recommend this school for all levels and ages. Great for kids and elderly also with kids and gentle classes. Will be a tudent for life.

I attended a 3-month term of tai chi and qigong classes at STQI. Each hour-long class follows a general routine, where the newer students try to keep up, while the older students look for more subtle aspects in each movement. Every week there are small variations of this routine, where in tai chi we might do sticky hands instead of push hands, or in qigong we might pay more attention to a specific sequence. The teacher makes an effort to relate the moves to self-defense applications, and is highly interested in how they benefit one’s health.Since we are paying by lesson, there is an incentive to drag things on. There was no assistant in most of my classes, despite saying on the website that there was. I never would have been able to learn the baburouquan (八步柔拳) routine without following videos on STQI’s youtube channel. The teacher won’t let us take videos either, while in various other types of lessons I am taking elsewhere, this is actively encouraged so that we can learn better.The lessons also create a sense of dependency by neglecting fundamentals. Much of tai chi consists of chaining together certain basic steps, but even some long-time students did not know what these were called. The end result is that students can do certain routines very well, but their knowledge stops there. I supplemented my lessons with some The Great Courses lectures by David-Dorian Ross, which I found far more didactic and accessible.I still have a strong desire to learn tai chi, but plan to shop around elsewhere. These classes were fine as a first exposure to tai chi, and I certainly feel more comfortable with the forms than before, but based on my experience and from observing more advanced students, I don’t think I can get where I want to be by continuing here.My main suggestion for people who want to try this out is that even though they offer a discount to buy a whole term’s worth of tokens at the beginning, it is not actually a deal if you dislike it and then feel trapped the entire time.

KungFu at STQI is THE BEST workout you can get in Toronto. I love being able to exercise at the same time as my kids while also learning to defend myself and work on mental strength as well. The community built by the amazing instructors and students is unmatched.

Great place. My daughter loves the hard work and discipline being taught there. She is becoming more confident which is one of the reason I signed her up. I am quite happy with her progress so far. I definitely will continue to send her there. Great staff as well. Welcoming place and would recommend this school to anyone who is looking to instill discipline, perseverance, leadership, and respect for themselves or their children then this is the place to go.

The best place to learn Kung Fu!

Worth driving all the way from Niagara Falls when I can, and highly recommend the Shaolin retreat!! Life changing. I've been 4 times, and it would be 7 by now if it weren't for the pandemic... Their online platform is also amazing for qigong and meditation (and kung fu) practice. Everything Dao does comes from the heart!

IMO, the kung fu class at STQI is the most complete form of workout you can get -- one that improves your strength, explosive power, speed, coordination, and flexibility. Master Dao teaches traditional Shaolin martial arts in a way that caters to a multicultural audience while preserving the authenticity of the warrior monk lineage at the Shaolin Temple. It's inspiring to see my fellow students grow in their training week after week, particularly those who are over 50 years old. This serves as an example to help me push through my personal challenges and be the best version of myself I can be.

We have been coming here for over 5 years now and have to say it’s the perfect blend of family orientation, positive inclusive community and personal striving (virtue driven). Please keep up the good work!