Retreats – Qigong Certification & Daoist Training Center
Two Retreat Offerings in 2018
Qigong & Daoist Retreat: April 11-15, 2018
Welcome to the annual Qigong and Daoist retreat of the Qigong & Daoist Training Center (QDTC), and the American Dragon Gate Lineage (ADGL).
Our 2018 intensive retreat will be held in a redwood forest about 75 miles north of San Francisco. Location is the St. Dorothy’s Rest, a camp and retreat center outside of Occidental, CA.
Retreat is an opportunity to practice more intensely, go deeper in the experience of stillness and silence through qigong and Daoist meditation. This will be a special retreat because it is the 10th anniversary of the founding of the American Dragon Gate Lineage.
Our daily practices of qigong and meditation will revolve around morning, noon and evening sessions of reciting Daoist scriptures. The qigong will consist of a variety of exercises for restoring one’s health and aiding one’s body and energetic systems. The meditation practices are in the zuowang, or sitting and forgetting serene practices of Daoist cultivation. Other practices will include qigong circle walking, and Daoist tea ceremony. Also, being located in a redwood forest we’ll have extra focus on absorbing Qi from nature. Additionally, there will be a Daoist priest ordination ceremony for members of the American Dragon Gate Lineage. Silence will be our underlying practice most of the time.
Accommodations and costs:
Most of the room options are for a single in a double room or for two in a double room. There are only two options for attending the retreat, either 4 days or 3 days. The main retreat starts on Thursday April 12 at 3 pm, and ends for everyone at 11 am on Sunday. No exceptions.
The cost for four days is double ($508), single ($548); and three days is double ($400), single ($430). A $100 deposit is required for reservations.
Full payment is required by February 1, 2018. The retreat is limited to students of Shifu Michael, either as local qigong students, certification students, or members of the American Dragon Gate Lineage.
Cancellation Policy
The QDTC retains 50% for any cancellations prior to December 31, 2017. Any cancellations between January 1, 2018 and February 1, 2018, $100 or full deposit is retained by the QDTC. From February 1, 2018 to April 5, 2018, 50% is retained. After April 5, 2018, there are no refunds, unless a medical emergency occurs for the applicant, or their immediate family. A medical proof is required, and then the 50% cancel fee would apply.
For more information, contact shifu Michael
Hawaii, Oahu Retreat: Tentative Plans for August – October 2018
I am planning a special 5-day retreat at the Kahumana Organic Farm and Community on the sunny west side of Oahu. The retreat participants will stay in one of their two retreat houses and eat at their on-site organic cafe. Most of the food comes from their organic farm. Kahumana is more than a retreat center, it is a community of nearly 50 years which offers services of housing, social work, education, wellness services, and more. It is minutes to pristine beaches plus it has its own swimming pool. Enjoy the photos below.
About the Retreat
This retreat will have a relaxed schedule but will continue to have a strong focus on our medical qigong exercises and Daoist meditation practice. See the above description of the April retreat for more details of our practices. The retreat is open to participants and family members who may elect to skip some of the practices. There will be plenty of time for leisure and playing on the beaches.
Costs
The projected costs will depend on the number of participants. Family members will pay the same amount as everyone else. Estimated cost would be around $700 which includes the lodging, meals and teacher’s fee.
Qigong Certification Discounts
A special deal will be provided for new certification students who sign up for both the qigong certification program and the retreat. For those students already enrolled in the certification course, a special deal will also be available. This will be an individual case-by-case situation.
Reservations
If you would like to participate in this magical Hawaiian qigong retreat, it is necessary to submit a deposit asap. A minimum of 10 participants is required to make this retreat a reality. Contact me for more details.
2017 Retreat Review
Our 2017 intensive retreat was held at a coastal location on the Tomales Bay, one hour north of San Francisco. The St. Columba’s Episcopal Retreat House, Inverness.
Retreats are an opportunity to practice more intensely, go deeper in your experience of stillness and silence through intensive qigong and Daoist practices. Our main meditation practices were those of the zuowang (sitting in forgetfulness or oblivion) tradition combined with the Daoist koan of asking “What is Not Two?” In 2017, the retreat had more of a varied schedule than previous years. Example, practicing medical qigong on a secluded beach, circle walking around a stone cross on top of a hill with a spectacular view, making our own meals and studying Chinese food therapy, and more. We followed our usual intensive schedule of sittings, qigong workouts, circle walking, lecture, Daoist scripture recitations, and Daoist priest ordination ceremony by members of the American Dragon Gate Lineage. And of course, we drank puerh tea. Silence was our underlying practice most of the time, although this year it was more challenging because of the extra activity that doing our own cooking created.
The Retreat 2017 Photos:
Testimonial from a retreat participant.
Fire Rooster Retreat 2017 Poem by Nicole S.
I feel tired
I feel grateful
I feel the Dao is with me
I feel the inner stillness from the depths
I remember the palpable sweetness of a community coming together sharing silence:
Sitting and moving together
Cooking and cleaning together
Sharing silence
Chewing together, food and conversation
A shared desire to explore our inner landscape: the mystery that is us
We are the mystery, born out of the mystery, returning to the mystery
May I have the mindfulness to forget-
In each moment-
To forget all that is not this mystery
So the obscurations dissolve and
The mystery and I are not separate
The paradox is the efforting to be effortless:
To become one whole without accumulation or idealization or presumption
How do we dissolve that which is not free?
How do we discard the masks, bandages and pacifiers we cling to?
How do we open ourselves until the mystery breathes us, expressing in our gestures and speech, shining forth from our original face?
Does effortlessness take effort?
Perhaps it is the effort
of tending the fire or nourishing the soil
Perhaps it is the effort of listening well
A jaw loosens its hold with a smile
And a smile arises effortlessly
after all (Nicole S.)
For more info, contact shifu Michael.
Contact shifu Michael if you want to attend a retreat or want more information about it. Click 2018 Retreat.
