Learn About Red Thread International Qigong Institute® And Our Master Instructor
Who is Red Thread?
Red Thread Institute is a 501(c)(3) Public Benefit Organization offering educational programs and trainings that enrich the human experience.
Utilizing the perspective of Traditional Medicine, we advance a holistic approach to wellness and vitality by means of self-reliance.
Through exceptional training programs and integrity of practice, we support individual healing, personal accountability, and promote the aid of others.
The Meaning Behind The Moniker
The Red Thread is a concept found in mythologies from around the world.
Culturally, it may point to lineage, family, tradition, history, or relationships—overwhelmingly, a sense of connection.
Whether viewed as a filament or a web of interconnections, it is a universal and iconic representation of the notion that “we are all in this together.”
The Vision
The Mission Is Simple:
Cultivate the knowledge and wisdom imparted by those before us, and apply it in a practical and meaningful way.
We are real people helping real people, focusing on supporting those interested in actualizing positive health of body, mind, and spirit.
Our goal is to help all people live full and healthful lives. Inspired and oriented from innate virtue, we support each individual in the course of their own journey.
The Methodology
We are clear in all our courses: what we offer is a path, not THE path.
Our curriculum is complete enough that you could spend a lifetime with it—and nothing else.
We offer a structure and depth of training that is altogether a rarity. Our pedagogy embraces the esoteric and arcane nature of the material—and makes it both practical and immediately applicable.
Our programs were born out of a desire to share training with integrity.
Grounded in reality, we draw upon arcane scholarship and earnest discipline to challenge perceived limitations and become the best versions of ourselves possible—with the intent of passing that knowledge on to future generations.
Students positively remark on both the amount that is given and that which is expected of them in return.
This approach is cultivating new leaders within the field of Holistic Medicine.
If you spend time researching (which we encourage), you will find a number of programs that appear similar. Rest assured, they are not the same. Integrity of practice and quality of instruction cannot be plagiarized.
If you haven’t already, visit our Professional Certification and Personal Cultivation curriculum pages, the Insight Qigong® program page, or contact us for more information about the how and why of what we do.
Diversity Makes Us All Better
Red Thread Institute is committed to providing a learning and professional environment that is respectful, inclusive, and free from discrimination.
Red Thread Institute does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, or disability.
Participation in our educational programs, trainings, events, and community offerings is open to all individuals who meet the stated program requirements. We value integrity, professionalism, and mutual respect, and we expect all participants, instructors, staff, and affiliates to uphold these standards.
This commitment reflects our belief that serious study, personal cultivation, and clinical training are strengthened by diverse lived experience—and by environments in which people are treated with dignity and fairness.
Your Instructor
Dr. Michael Sweeney
DTCM, DMQ, LAc. (China, USA)
Shifu 师父 | Master Instructor
Dàozhǎng Lǐ Zhèng 道长理正
Dr. Michael Sweeney is a Medical Qigong Master Instructor with decades of experience teaching Medical Qigong and East Asian medicine-informed practices. His approach is shaped by rigorous classical training, private clinical practice, and a thorough understanding of human anatomy and physiology.
Teaching Philosophy
Dr. Sweeney brings over 25 years of direct clinical and instructional experience to the classroom. He integrates depth of knowledge and insight with approachability, levity, and playfulness.
His teaching is principle-based, emphasizing understanding the underlying theory, structure, and deep internal energetic (Neigong 内功) mechanisms that inform effective practice.
Dr. Sweeney promotes clarity, safety and embodiment—fostering student discernment and agency. His students learn how and why things work, how to recognize when they do not, and how to confidently adapt to different presenting conditions and clinical contexts.
The goal is functional understanding—through a process by which his students are uniquely supported and empowered in their Medical Qigong training.
Professional Roles
A Practicing Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Medical Qigong Doctor (PRC), licensed acupuncturist, and Chinese Medicine consultant, Dr. Sweeney is also a Daoshi 道士 (ordained Daoist) in two ancestral Daoist lineages of China.
He is currently serves as:
Director of Academics and Master Instructor, Red Thread International Qigong Institute® (USA)
Director of Communications, for the United States Daoist Association
Former Board of Directors Member and Administrative Leader, National Qigong Association (NQA, USA)
Medical Qigong & Chinese Medicine Expertise
An International teacher of Medical Qigong, Chinese Medicine Theory, and Daoism, Dr. Sweeney’s background bridges formal Chinese medical education, private clinical practice, and classical Qigong training—a rare and unusually comprehensive combination in contemporary Qigong instruction.
This depth allows Medical Qigong to be taught as a clinically informed discipline with clear principles, boundaries, and applications.
East Asian Medicine licensure, formal degrees, and certifications:
Doctor of Medical Qigong (DMQ) 医生氣功, Peoples Republic of China
Doctor of Medical Qigong (DMQ) Certification, International Institute of Medical Qigong, USA
Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (DTCM) 中醫医生, Peoples Republic of China
Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (DTCM) Degree, Five Branches University, USA
Masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine (MTCM) Degree, Five Branches University, USA
Diplomate of Oriental Medicine (Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine, & Biomedicine), National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (NCBAHM), USA
Licensed Acupuncturist (LAc) California, USA, (LAc.) Colorado, USA
Certified Asian Bodywork Practitioner Five Branches University, USA
Clinical & Western Medicine Background
Alongside his classical Chinese medical training, Dr. Sweeney, applies a practical, rational approach grounded in modern biomedical science. His Western medical clinical education includes extensive formal study of:
Organic chemistry & biochemistry
Microbiology
Orthopedics
Pharmacology
Western medical examination & assessment
Nutrition & dietetics
Daoist Lineage Credentials
Dr. Sweeney practices within the Quanzhen 全真 Daoist lineage, Longmen pai 龙门派 (Dragon Gate Sect), and serves as head abbot of the Temple of the Luminous Heart (明心宫).
This Daoist foundation informs his teaching acumen, emphasizing deep internal cultivation (Neidan 内丹) practices with integrity, embodiment, and disciplined inquiry.
His Daoist lineage credentials:
Dàozhǎng (Abbot) 道长 | 明心宫 Temple of the Luminous Heart (China / USA)
22nd Generation | Dàoshì (Ordained Priest) 道士 Lóngmén Pài, 龍門派, Qīngchéng Shān 青城山; Sichuan, China
67th generation | Dàoshì (Ordained Priest) 道士 Tiān Shī Pài 天师派 (Celestial Masters Sect), Lónghǔ Shān 龙虎山; Jiangxi, China
Teaching & Speaking
Dr. Sweeney teaches internationally, working with medical professionals and inspired individuals seeking insight into personal wellbeing and an informed approach to Medical Qigong as a Chinese Medicine-based therapeutic practice.
For inquiries regarding select guest teaching or speaking engagements, please contact the Red Thread Institute administrative office.
Red Thread Institute® Location & Contact
Location:
Red Thread International Qigong Institute® heart of operations is centrally located within the United States, on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
Unless otherwise specifically stated within a program, course, or event description, all essential hands-on, in person training is conducted in Carbondale Colorado, USA.
Worldwide access to select curriculum is available through online courses and workshops.
Contact:
Please begin all inquiries via our website contact page.
Our responsive team will get back to you as soon as possible—usually within one business day (excluding weekends and holiday closures).