An evening of dynamic Qigong, Chinese medicine, art expression, and candlelit meditation.

This three hour mini-retreat is designed to encourage rest and reflection for the winter months. Led by Lisa Shaw, you will learn how to support your body’s full system, to regulate your nervous system, and to feel a deeper internal connection to yourself.

Focusing on the three major foundations of the Shaolin temple training, Chan, Wu, and Yi, this warm, cosy space eliminates external distraction, allowing you to instead find internal connection as the seasons change.

Wu
The first hour explores Wu through therapeutic movement that strengthens and loosens the body to free up the mind. Lisa will take you through a dynamic Qigong practice centred around metal, the Chinese element for winter that is linked to the lungs and large intestine.

Metal encourages us to let go. To be in a place where we can settle into the darker days and the slower pace of life. This technique helps to cleanse these organs in preparation for the winter, allowing our energy, our qi (chi), to flow more freely.

Yi
Yi relates to the internal healing and wellness system. When this is imbalanced, it can often present as feeling stiff and blocked in the body with an unsettled mind, also known as creative block.

You will move into guided art expression, exploring the flow of energy through art, shifting it from the internal to the external by taking it from the body to the page using long bamboo dowels. You are encouraged to be free flowing in your art expression, exploring where you are called to go both energetically and creatively.

Chan
The final hour of the workshop focuses on Chan, known as zen in modern terms. This is the mind foundation that helps us sustain presence, focus, and calm.

For this portion, you will return back to the earth, remaining seated and then lying down to ground you in your body. Led by the mechanics of the breath, you will learn how to breathe efficiently to cleanse the lungs, before lying down for a gentle, candlelit meditation.

This mini-retreat finishes off with additional movement to release any lingering tension, encouraging you to fully connect with that sense of deep rest and reset.

Across cultures and species winter is a critical season for rest and reflection. It can be difficult to embody this wisdom when the systems that surround us demand otherwise. Yet, can we nurture the vitality that comes from intention-simply and bodily?

To maintain life, there must be a period where enough energy is cultivated and stored so it can be utilised for growth later in time. Returning to the natural rhythms between dormancy and flow gives honour to the biology within and around us.

All materials and props provided.

Price: €65