5 Day Qigong Intensive – Restoring Natural Harmony
After the many challenges of 2020, it feels timely to begin the new year with a focus on restoring natural harmony. This workshop offers some practical ways to bring ourselves into healthy balance – one breath, one conscious movement, one moment of stillness, at a time.
Qigong is an ancient system of holistic self-healing that includes mindful movement, self-massage, breathing exercises, healing sounds and meditation. It originated in rural China, where practitioners lived in harmony with nature, closely observing its seasonal changes and flows.
This 5-day workshop will focus on a series of six movement forms known as Guigen Qigong, developed by Dr Xu Hongtao in China and brought to Australia by qigong master Simon Blow. “Guigen” means to return to the root or source.
Just as the waters of a river which start off pure and flowing may become clogged with pollution, stagnant or dry up altogether, our vital energies can similarly become muddied, blocked or depleted by the effects of stress.
Guigen qigong is designed to address this problem by “returning to the source” – connecting with an experience of energy moving smoothly and easily, like water bubbling up from a spring high in the mountains, clearing away blockages and stagnation as it flows downstream, enhancing health and well-being.
This workshop is suitable for both beginners and more advanced practitioners, of any age. The movements involved are gentle and can be adapted to suit any level of fitness.
The teacher, Justine McGill, is a practicing psychologist as well as a qigong teacher who has trained with Nicole Lee and Simon Blow.