CommunityAwake was founded in 2001 by Francesco Garri Garripoli, an internationally recognized Qigong and Meditation instructor, yoga practitioner, musician, brainwave researcher, author, lecturer, and wellness advocate. Chairman Emeritus and senior advisor to the National Qigong Association and current Chairman of the Qigong Institute, Francesco is featured in a series of award-winning, instructional Qigong DVDs and is the author of ‘Qigong – Essence of the Healing Dance’ and ‘Tao of the Ride’ on his experiences of leaving a full, medical school scholarship to live in China, India, Hawaii, and Thailand to study with elder healing Masters since the mid-1970’s. He founded CommunityAwake as a non-profit organization to support empowering and healing projects such as the Wuji Mountain Sanctuary, classes, and workshops around the world for teens, adults, and Certified Qigong Instructors and Qi Healers.