Pahka David Cowan, RN, CNMT, CLT, LMT, NCTMB - was a Registered Nurse, Certified Neuromuscular Therapist, Certified Lymphedema Therapist, Licensed Massage Therapist, National Board Certified in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork.  In addition, he was Certified Chi-lel Medical Qigong Instructor in 1998.  Pahka Dave worked in Nursing, Healing & Teaching for over 25 years.  He offered Qigong Instructions at Local, National, and Regional Holistic Healthcare Conferences and is the creator of: "Caring for the Caregiver" a Holistic Self-Care Program for Corporate Institutions... In 1997 Pahka Dave created the first Hospital-based Neuromuscular Therapy Treatment Center in the State of Indiana - where over the next decade he logged over thirty thousands hours of professional bodywork, providing clinical neuromuscular therapy treatments for all types of chronic pain conditions.  He specialized in treating Cancer-related Complications, Fibromyalgia, Auto-Immune Disorders, Traumatic Injury, Chronic Pain, Failed Surgery Syndrome, Sports Injuries, and many other debilitating conditions. In 2008 - at age 50 - Pahka Dave retired from Hospital-Based Nursing, and began treating clients Hawaiian-Style under the business name: Qigong Therapy & Lomi Lomi Healing.  Pahka traveled and taught and treated patients from his home along the Southern Shore of Lake Michigan in Miller Beach Indiana.  .

David was a Writer, Poet, Singer-Songwriter, Multi-Instrumentalist Musician, Percussionist, Artist, Juggler, Story-Teller, Zen Disputant & Humorist.  He and his wife - Rev. Patti Shaffner - pursued the Noetic Sciences together for 27 years. They continually challenged and inspired one another towards deeper degrees of Transformation through their Music, through Jazz Improvisation as well as through various Arts, Shamanic Ritual, Cross-Cultural Religious Studies, Tantra & Spiritual Mind-Body Exploration. David & Patti often performed music together as Circle Singers, in Jazz Combos, and also at Folk and Singer-Songwriter venues in the Chicagoland Area. They frequently traveled together to The Big Island of Hawaii to study traditional Lomi Lomi Healing there - where David is known as: "Pahka." 

Pahka Dave produced two Home-Study Qigong DVDs: "Lift Qi Up & Pour Qi Down in Paradise" - filmed on the Island of Kauai in 2005, and:  "Lift Qi Up & Pour Qi Down Volume II: Advanced Practice" - filmed on The Big Island in 2012.  Pahka lead Workshops, Seminars and Retreats in Qigong, Lomi Lomi & Alternative Healing.  He lectured widely on Alternative Healing and Meditation for Support Groups, Nursing Students, School Teachers and at Holistic Health Fairs.  David also provided traveling Gong Ceremonies, Vibrational Healing, Drum Circles, and is a roaming Kirtan Musician, which continue now through Patti and fellow seeker, teacher Jason Kniola.

Each Year, Pahka Dave taught and groomed a small number of core-students to accompany him for an annual: "Qigong Therapy & Lomi Lomi Healing: 5 -Day Intensive Retreat" to The Big Island of Hawaii - where he had the pleasure of teaching along side his Lomi Lomi Mentors: Rev. M. Kalani Souza & Kumu Julie Kai Stowell.  This is a Life-Changing Initiation, an amazing immersion into Hawaiian Culture!  ONE NOT TO BE MISSED! 

PAHKA DAVE'S MANY HEALING LINEAGES

In Qigong & Zen societies and in other Oral Traditions, the student never takes credit for what they have inherited.  That would be disrespectful!  All healing knowledge has been transmitted through long lines of generations of Master Healers.  We count our lineage back through our teacher's teacher to our teacher's teacher's teacher.  Hands-on healing is after all the oldest form of healing known to mankind.  Though it is widely over-looked by Western physicians, the Greek father of Western Medicine - Hippocrates: The originator of the Hippocratic Oath: "Do No Harm." - recognized the many many health benefits of Massage & The-Laying-on-of-Hands:

"The physician must be experienced in many things, but most assuredly also in rubbing. For things that have the same name have not always the same effects. For rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid...  Rubbing can bind and loosen; can remake flesh and cause parts to waste... Hard rubbing binds; soft rubbing loosens; much rubbing causes parts to waste; moderate rubbing makes them grow."                                                               

                          - Hippocrates (460 to 380 BCE)

Pahka was a recipient and synthesizer of many healing lineages through many Master Healers from many disciplines.  It was his firm belief that as a holistic healer one must acknowledge that they are "Standing on the shoulders of Giants."  Whether the information was gained through one-on-one teaching or through their published writings - those listed below are the lines of succession he was indebted to.  All are Masters in their fields and these are those who have influenced Pahka Dave the most. 

• Qigong Lineage is through Master Hou-Hee "Frank" Chan & Master Luke Chan, to Grandmasters: Dr. He-Ming Pang, and Master Guo Lin.

• Holistic Nursing Lineage is through Prof. Jean Watson, Prof. Karen Lee Fontaine, Prof. Lynn Keegan, Prof. Karen Guzzetta, Prof. Jean Achterberg, Prof. Leslie Kolkmeier, to Prof. Barbara Montgomery Dossey.

• Therapeutic Touch Lineage is through Barbara Stark, Dr. Dolores Krieger, Dora Van Gelder Kunz, to Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.

• Healing Touch Lineage is through Barbara Stark RN, Myra Tovey RN, Sharon Scandrett-Hibdon RN, Lem & Barbara Joyner, Janet Mentgen RN, Richard Moss MD, to Brugh Joy MD.

• Neuromuscular Therapy Lineage is through Paul St John LMT, Doug Nelson LMT, David Kent LMT, Ray Nimmo DC, Janet Travell MD, Leon Chaitow DO, to Boris Chaitow DC, and Stanely Lief DC.

• Trager™ Lineage is through Beverly Cox LMT, Deane Juhan LMT to Milton Trager, MD.

• Bio-Energetics Lineage is through Barbara Stark RN, Janet Mentgen RN, Barbara Brennen, John Pierrakos MD, Alexander Lowen, MD, to Wilhelm Reich.

• Somatic Emotional Release Lineage is through Patti Shaffner CHT, John Upledger DO, Roberta DeLong Miller LMT, Dr. Illana Rubenfeld, Emily Dicke to Ida Rolf and also: Frederick Matthias Alexander.

• Lymphedema Therapy Lineage is through Linda Roherty PT and Gunter Klose CLT, Michael & Ethel Foldi MDs to Emil & Estrid Vodder.

• Tibetan Buddhist Lineage is through Lama Lobsang Palden, Ani Pema Chodron, Chogyam Trungpa, to HH the 14th Dalai Lama.

• Shamanic Lineage is through Patti Shaffner CHT, Patty O'Malley CHT, Starhawk, Dr. Bradford Keeney, Sandra Ingerman, to Dr. Michael Harner.

• Meditation Lineage is through Thich Nhat Hahn, Adyashanti, OSHO, Steven Harrison, Stephen & Ondrea Levine, Peter Mattheissen, Wong Kiew Kit, Chungliang "Al" Huang, Allan Watts, Dr. "Uncle" James Finely, Thomas Merton, D. T. Suzuki, to Kosen Imagita, and through Richard "Ram Das" Alpert, to Sri Neem Karoli Baba.

• Hawaiian Lomi Lomi Lineage is through Rev. M. Kalani Souza, Kumu Julie Kai Stowell, to Aunty Margaret Kalehuamakanoelulu'uonapali Machado.

Pahka was forever indebted and grateful to these wonderful teachers.  Aloha Mai!  Aloha pono!  Aloha no!