Alpha Qi Fraternity
Brotherhood based in health, wellness and personal development.
Who We Are...
Alph Qi is a NYC based fraternity that explores men's physical, mental, emotional, sexual and energetic mastery through group dynamics and individualized professional coaching.
Alpha Qi programs examine different areas of holistic health and mindbody practices from both modern day and ancient techniques/sciences to find what works best for each individual.
Or maybe you'll resonate better with this description...Alpha Qi is a free-balling free-thinking fraternity dedicated to becoming better, stronger and more vital men! Let’s get some awesome dudes together, do some ancient healing practices, set and achieve goals, support each other, learn, grow and work towards being our best selves!
Become a Member...
Membership is by referral from current members only. Then there is an approval process that involves current head members. Ideal members are men who have either already begun their personal development journey or those who have a true desire to learn. Ideal members are also physically fit, open minded, good communicators and are looking to connect with other health conscious men. The physical fitness component of the programming is not to be underestimated so we don't take the physically fit requirement lightly. The programs are more about upping your game than starting your journey.
After you have been referred and approved, you must complete the 6 Week Pledging Program (see below for more info) After that, you can then complete any future programs with members of your choosing.
Clothing Optional Options!
Part of Alpha Qi is being comfortable in your own skin (or learning to be). There are many mental and physical benefits to nudist experiences and a naturalist lifestyle. If you are not comfortable with being naked with other men, there is a clothed pledging program option as well.
- Nudist Option
For experienced nudists or those who are adventurous and ready to dive in. For the newbies this doesn’t mean you don’t have any hang ups or concerns but just that you are happy to give it a whirl.
- Clothed Option
For those who might need a little more time to grow and shed some layers. In this clothed option (along with the typical Alpha Qi pledge programming) we will tackle what reasons might be holding you back from being naked in front of other men including shame, insecurities, body dysmorphia, fears of natural penis function (like boners or shrinkage), societal norms and peer/community/family judgment. We'll also take a look at the negative mental and physical health effects of strapping our junk down, not getting the sun exposure we need to function optimally and then of course the positive effects (such as much higher testosterone levels) when we finally free ourselves!
This clothed option will start as clothed as you need to be and will work to strip down barriers and clothes a little more week by week. We'll create a safe space to explore the freeing effects of nudism and hopefully by the end of this 6 week journey you'll be an unshackled and less fear based man living your best nudist life!
How we will spend our time together...
1st Half Of Each Weekly Meeting: Alpha Qi Athletics (Move/Breath/Align)
Each meeting starts with our signature 45 min class called Alpha Qi Athletics. Our athletics class was created specifically with the male body and spirit in mind. The goal is to elevate your athleticism, mindset and vitality to the next level. There are no restraints on what types of movements or systems we will explore. Expect a wide blend of physical and energetic modalities from the worlds of fitness, yoga, tantra/sexual kung fu, mobility, dance, qigong, tai qi, breath-work, moving meditation, self massage, primal/animal movement and more. Expect to be challenged physically and mentally. Expect to learn, move and breathe differently than you have before.
2nd Half Of Each Weekly Meeting: Alpha Qi Scholastics (Learn/Connect/Plan)
Throughout our time together you will work on your "2.0 You" mission statement which will continuously evolve during the 6 weeks as you learn and grow. Each week will have a new deep dive topic along with a bit of guided coaching (from your dedicated pledge master!) and a lot of individual discoveries through group discussions and dynamics. These topics will help to guide you as you create your rituals (aka...habits/goals). Creating your own daily/weekly rituals is a large part of this pledging program and you will learn how best to explore and approach this process for yourself. Rituals can be as simple or involved as you would like them to be. Each week you will also have a new accountability buddy (your big bro!) that will help keep you on track between meetings.
6 WEEK PLEDGING PROGRAM
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Week I: Pillars to designing your best life & your 2.0 mission statement
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Week II: Behavior change, rituals, habits and goal setting
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Week III: Community, tribe and brotherhood
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Week IV: Men's health and wellness in the modern era
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Week V: Men's primal sexuality, nudism, kink & sexual health
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Week VI: Reflection, Integration & Moving Forward
Weekly deep dive discussion overview...
Brothers will not touch each other intimately inside the context of this pledging program. During the physical warm up the coach/pledge master may do some hands on adjustments and massage moments with member's permission. You should however be ok with being within close proximity to your naked brothers, open to eye contact, exploring each other visually/energetically and possible non-sensual touch. Future courses (once becoming a member) might have more sexually involved and touch friendly programming. Each course will have a detailed description on levels of touch and intimacy.
Invest in yourself, Invest in your community
Is there intimate/sensual touch component to the pledging program?
FAQ's about pledging...
Who will the other members of my pledge class be?
You will have prior knowledge and say in who your pledge brothers are! This is one unique component that sets Alpha Qi aside from other health and wellness programs. Before agreeing to do any program you have the ability to see and approve who the other potential members are. This will help ensure that you are not coming in blind to the group so you can relax and focus on completing this exciting journey with your new brothers. You may even have the opportunity to create your own pledge class of just your close friends.
Total Pricing for 6 Week Journey
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3 to 5 person pledge class - $775 per person
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Inquire for larger pledge class pricing will TBD as it would involve space rentals
What if I have a conflict for one or more of the meetings?
The goal would be that everyone attends the 6 meetings so that we gel and grow together. However, if you need to miss one, that is totally fine. If you think you might have to miss two, not ideal but still come on board. If you need to miss more than two or think something might come up last minute, let’s wait til next time.
We have had brothers zoom/video chat in when they were out of town. Not ideal but workable for maybe one of the meetings if unavoidable and this way you still feel connected and like you didn’t miss much. Also, please prioritize making the very first 2 sessions as we lay the groundwork for our brotherhood and set expectations.
Is this group therapy?
In order to become an Alpha Qi Member you must start by completing the 6 Week Pledging Program. We meet one night a week for 6 weeks. Each meeting is two and a half hours and is lead by an experienced Alpha Qi Pledge Master (Head Coach).
The short answer is no. This is not therapy. Our experienced coaches are there to keep the discussions on topic and to keep us out of the therapy world. This is not the time or place to talk through your trauma. Of course emotions may come up when talking about some pertinent areas of your life and we will absolutely support you and leave some space for that but we will also do our best to bring us back to topic and action steps that will keep you moving forward.
Though there are Alpha Qi Scholastic principles presented through the pro coaching aspect (and hopefully you will learn a lot), the core of Alpha Qi is based in self autonomy. Through self exploration, coaching and group discussions with your brothers you ultimately decide what your self betterment journey will entail. Your program, goals and approach will be unique to you as it is created by you. As you go through the program you will decide which areas of your life you would like to put your energy to whether that's your career, health, relationships or anything else you feel needs some work, care and attention.
Everyone is encouraged to think for themselves and to encourage their brothers to do the same. Members are also encouraged to be tolerant, open minded and kind to someone from a different ideological background. Let's embrace our differences and learn and grow from each other. This is not a cult and nobody should be thinking the same! :)
Your Journey, Your Program
What members are saying about the 6 Week Pledging Program...
My biggest takeaways (from the Alpha Qi Pledging Program) are that I really think I was more lost than I thought - so having specific goals and rituals set is really helpful for me and also brought to light the person I actually want to work on becoming. My other biggest takeaway would be that I met some amazing dudes! And that community is super important to me and it felt good to build a new kind of community that I don't currently have.
~ Drew
I've always been comfortable being a largely solo animal, and didn't really consider the need for community in this capacity. I have always held a large group of acquaintances, superficial at best, with 1-2 individuals at most being ones with whom I have "real" conversations with. In other words, a lot of bullshit "oh i'm great" responses when, in reality, having a very turbulent time. Very uncomfortable expressing any honest, uncomfortable emotions. After a few weeks in Alpha Qi, with oscillating accountability buddies, I found myself expressing honestly what I was dealing with. Disarming at first but the effect of a safe space, camaraderie, and community was exceedingly magical.
~ Rob
Alpha Qi is a great way to turn off the day and get your body and mind moving while connecting with other gay men. Meeting up once a week holds you accountable to the group and contact between meetings deepens that.
~ Joe
The Alpha Qi pledging program helped me in a few ways. I expected to learn about myself, which I did but also learned how to harness the usage of habits and goal setting. It was awesome to leave with a close bond with great guys that will hopefully continue in the future. One takeaway I didn't expect that I still find great value out of was the power of the breathing exercises.
~ Michael
2023 Alpha Qi Pledge Class
One year later and still enjoying the bonds of brotherhood we built!
The Team...
Mike Kirsch
- Founder | Head Coach/Pledge Master
Mike has been a personal trainer, yoga teacher, massage/bodywork practitioner and holistic men’s coach in NYC for many years. He has always had a creative and entrepreneurial spirit. His career started as a professional actor/singer/dancer which eventually led him to producing/directing/choreographing. Along the way he earned his personal training certification from the American Council on Exercise (ACE), Level II Thai Yoga Massage and Bodywork certification from Lotus Palm (Institute of Thai Massage and Traditional Bodywork), his Yoga Alliance Teacher Certification from Sonic Yoga and his Behavioral Change Specialist Certification from ACE as well (currently finishing this one :)
He has started multiple companies over the years including Unique New York Productions (an entertainment company featured on the Today Show/New York Times/Huffington Post), Broadway Donation (a nonprofit company which provides affordable donation based classes geared towards the professional musical theatre performer) and he was a founding member of the very successful Transcendence Theatre Company…a nonprofit that takes a holistic approach to theatre and the arts by working with artists and communities through self development practices (many of the same holistic practices we use with Alpha Qi).
He currently utilizes his energies and talents as a men’s holistic personal development coach. He works with groups and individuals helping them to become the men they have always wanted to be. His wide ranging life experience, careers, certifications and his own personal wellness journey have made him well suited to help others along their journey. He has a light hearted, empathetic and open minded spirit and approach while still being able to challenge and rally his clients to be their best selves.
What excites Mike these days is a genuine pursuit of optimum health and wellness for himself and other men through physical practices, meditation, nutrition, breathwork, sexual/energetic work, community, and everything in between.