Shifu Jonathan Snowiss was first introduced to the world of martial arts at the age of 9 or 10.  He actually started learning karate from Shihan Ty Aponte! Such a wonderful introduction and beginning to his life’s passion.  But there was another path that was in his future. He started learning Chinese martial, healing and meditation arts.  He has been practicing Wei Tuo Qi Gong, Kung Fu, Meditation and Yang Style Tai Ji Quan for almost 30 years. His master is Grandmaster Si Tu Jie, 10th heir of the Southern Shaolin Wei Tuo Lineage.

His experience with different arts in America and China lead him to believe that any practice you do is a different display of the basic philosophies of the Yin/Yang; as long as one’s practice follows the philosophy, it is hard to do it wrong. The difficulty is, do we really understand? Can we really incorporate it into are daily practice and life? There are many paths to the top of the mountain, many obstacles, views of beauty and hardships. By learning the flow and exchange of the yin/yang, one learns how to move qi (chi), also known as “life force”.

He furthered his studies in Qi Gong by creating his own major in “Mind/Body Healing: Qi Gong” and graduated in 2001 from Pitzer College. After graduation, he immediately went to Shanghai, China to continue studying Chinese language and Martial Arts with Master Si Tu, Jie, and Xing Yi Quan from Master Wang, Sen Lin. He also studied other internal arts such as Chen Tai Chi under Master Marvin Quon. 

After coming back in 2003, he started teaching.  He opened his own martial arts studio for 9 years called the Wei Tuo Academy.  It was a great place, but everything has its time, so he closed it to focus on his own training. He continues to train, study and research these arts.  There is so much to learn that it is impossible to stop learning.

Additional biographical narrative at Contently.