Born in Rome, David Verdesi, or David Shen as he is widely known, has dedicated his life to the study of human potential, mainly through the Chinese tradition; ranging from Shamanism to the mainstream schools of Daoism. From an early age he became fascinated with Chinese culture and spiritual practice. Disenchanted with the limited potential of formal education, he began traveling throughout Asia in his early teens and quickly gained access to the inner most circles of the Daoist community.

Over fifteen years of personal research as an anthropologist in China and Asia, including involvment in collaborative research with major universities and hospitals in China and the United States, have culminated in unprecedented access to some of the most sought after teachers and Daoist schools in China.

Among his many teachers, he is a Tu Di or closed-door disciple of Wang Liping Shifu, the Daoist master who's early life is portrayed in the acclaimed biographical novel Opening the Dragon Gate: The Making of a Modern Taoist Wizard. 

He is also a student of John Chang Shifu, a master of the Lei Shan Dao and the main subject in another well known book entitled The Magus of Java: Teachings of an Authentic Taoist Immortal.  Both books are very much recommended to those interested in learning more about David's work.

David teaches traditional Chinese Qigong, Neigong and Daoist practices and has accomplished and realized the methods he teaches to a high degree.  He has received permission from Wang Liping Shifu to teach closed door Long Men Pai teachings to the public and is one of only two people to have ever received such permission.  In addition to his other notable accomplishments, David has been formally accepted into one of the few remaining functional lineages of the Lei Shan Dao (Thunder and Lightning Path) and has recently attained the so called "Yin Yang Gong" or Tai Ji (the equivalent of "Level Four" in the system of practice written about in The Magus of Java). The significance of this accomplishment has many important implications for the student and their spiritual development, but, in simple terms, the practitioner posseses the ability to emit a special kind of Qi which feels like a continuous electrical current into anyone through physical contact by will alone.  This is quite a rare achievement for a Daoist practitioner and unheard of for a western practitioner.  The greater implications for those who achieve this level is immortal life; the practitioner becomes what Daoists call a Xian or immortal being, liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth.

For his own students, he has opened a door to a hidden world were magic and legend come to life through the practice he teaches in a practical and accessible way.  Passed down from teacher to student for thousands of years, the practices David teaches comprise the very foundational methods and principles used by the some of the most successful, highly realized and enlightened sages in Daoist history, and indeed in human history; taught to him by living immortals, the master lineage-holders, embodiments of their respective traditions.

David lives and teaches with his wife Anna in China where he is currently writing a series of books on Daoist cultivation with Wang Liping Shifu in a collaborative effort to preserve Daoist teachings and history.