Yoga & Qigong Retreat |

5 Day/6 Nights New Year Retreat
31 Dec 2023 – 04 Jan 2024

This 5-day immersion into Qigong, Yoga, and Meditation is the culmination of three ancient practices from Eastern wisdom. Students will be guided through a daily meditation, yoga class, Qigong theory and practice, to cultivate mindfulness, mental and physical stability, and inner peace. We hope that this 5-day practice will be a foundation for you to continue at home.

Qigong (pronounced as Chi-gong)

Qigong is often described as meditation in motion, an ancient Chinese practice which can be related to Pranayama, a yogic practice which facilitates movement of our vital energy. Dynamic Qigong consists of mindful and gentle (or sometimes strong) stretches, combined with deep long breathing, synchronizing movement, breath, and mind in one. Regular practice builds muscle strength, increases joint flexibility, improves balance, provides clarity in the mind, enhancing both physical and mental health. The practice of yoga and meditation further enhances the physical and mental benefits, nurturing a deeper connection between the body and mind.

Who Can Come?

This retreat is suitable for anyone who wants to explore the connections between yoga and Qigong. Whether you are a beginner to Qigong, yoga, meditation, intermediate practitioner, or yoga teacher, this program will enhance your understanding of the subtle practices born from the East aiming nurture health and well-being.

What’s Included

This 5-day residential retreat includes daily 30-minute guided meditation, one 2-hour yoga class, and two 2-hour Qigong sessions. Each Qigong session will include theory and physical practice of Taichi and Qigong routines.

Qigong theory includes the idea of Qi as a vital life energy in a living organism, and its unhindered flow in the body as manifestation of good health, as well as the Daoist concept of Yin and Yang and the constant changes in the dynamic balance. Key concepts of life and health based on the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine will be explored, as well as the historical development of Daoyin, Qigong and Taichi from ancient China to contemporary therapeutic application in body-mind practice. The latest development of Daoyin and Qigong as exercise prescription for misalignment of the spine, Parkinson’s, and hypertension will also be discussed.

The practice of Qigong will include 5 different routines which students can master by the end of the course, namely Emei Shenzhangong, Baduanjin, Yijinjing, Wuqinxi and Mawangdui. Details of the movements, acupoints to focus on, the meridians of the Qi flow, and the desired health benefits will be explained.

Qigong Master: Feixia Yu

The retreat is led by Feixia Yu, principal lecturer and director of the Confucius Institute in the University of Central Lancashire. Feixia completed 500 hours Yoga Teacher Training with AyurYoga Eco-Ashram and has continued to come back to the ashram in her exploration of the connections between Yoga and Qigong. Her Taichi Qigong classes fuse together aspects of different disciplines of Daoyin and Yoga. Some of the sitting routines in Qigong are also known as Chinese Yoga, so there are lot of fusions in these two Eastern disciplines of Body-Mind practice.

Feixia is also a senior instructor at British Health Qigong Association, and an In-door disciple of Chen Xiaowang, Grandmaster in Chen Style Taichi. She is also qualified as an Exercise and Recuperation Instructor at Beijing Sport University.

Feixia is keen for more people to benefit from Taichi and Qigong, the beautiful art of health preservation from China. She moved her face-to-face classes online since the first Covid lock-down in 2020, and has since then offered more than 400 Taichi and Qigong classes on Zoom for free. These twice weekly free classes are continuing. To mark the health benefits of her free classes and the appreciation of the participants in Preston for her commitment to share and spread the best of the Chinese Health Enhancement tradition, Feixia was presented the Preston Mayor’s Covid Hero Award in November 2021.

Feixia recently joined the Social Prescribing Research Unit at University of Central Lancashire and is looking forward to embedding Taichi and Qigong in the NHS Social Prescription Movement.

Daily Schedule

6:00 – 6:30 am Meditation
6:30 – 7:00 am Hot Drink
7:00 – 9:00 am Yoga
9:00 – 10:00 am Breakfast
10:30 – 12:30 pm Qigong Theory + Practice
1:00 – 2:00 pm Lunch
2:00 – 4:00 pm Break
4:00 – 6:00 pm Qigong Theory + Practice
7:00 – 8:00 pm Dinner

*Twice per week a video show or bhajans are offered after dinner

We are also planning to have cultural evenings with Sound Bath, Classical Music and other social activities including campfire with Bhajans on New Year’s Eve. However, this depends on the number of participants.

Dates & Price

The retreat begins with a meditation at 6 am on 31 Dec 2023.
Check-in after 2 pm, on 30^th Dec 2023.
The retreat ends with a farewell and dinner at 7 pm on 04 Jan 2024.
Guests are welcome to stay on 04 Jan and check-out by 10 am on 05 Jan 2024.

Pricing for Best Yoga Retreat for Beginners:

Duration

Twin-Share Room

Private Room

5 days/6 nights

$400

$500

Book Now

For Twin-Share Accommodation:
Female students can book the twin-share accommodation online and we will find another female student to share the room.

For male students, please book twin-share room online only if you have a partner to share the room. If not, please email to [email protected] to place you on the wait-list. Whenever we hear from another male student wanting to share a room, we will email you back with a link to register.

Pricing includes :

5 days of Retreat activities as per schedule above.

Airport Transfers can be organized at extra cost.

Arrival & Departure

For more information please email us: [email protected]

Yoga & Qigong Retreat

5 Day/6 Nights New Year Retreat 31 Dec 2023 – 04 Jan 2024