Guess what?! It’s time!
Time to start dreaming, feel the excitement of adventures awaiting you and jump in to come to TAIWAN!!! YAY!!!
After months of dreaming, planning, drafting, crafting, creating and feeling SO EXCITED, my friend and colleague, Szu-ting and I are thrilled to formally invite you to join us on a trip of a lifetime to Ilha Formosa, the beautiful island of Taiwan.
Yay! Our trip is open for registration!
Taiwan: Discovering the Land of Trees, Sea and Qi
A Delicious Qigong & Nature Retreat
is happening March 4 – 11, 2025!!!
Come join us for this 8-day immersion in in the magical land and Qi of Taiwan!
Taiwan may be a small island, but it is huge in the color and richness of life it emanates and offers – including beautiful lush land, cuisine brimming with delicious variety and fusion of culinary delights from China, Japan and other Southeast Asian countries, richness of ethnic diversity, history and intact indigenous culture and ways of life, friendly and generous people, stunning geography with over 200 mountain peaks over 10,000 ft, river gorges, lush valleys, sandy beaches, seaside cliffs, vibrant cities, gardens and so much more!
This country can rejuvenate your body and soul with its rainbow of aliveness and vitality and Szu-ting and I are so excited to be your guides in a land we love so much.
What will you experience?
Our trip website has all the luscious details, including our itinerary, FAQs, gorgeous images, tantalizing facts of this beautiful place, and more – so be sure to check it out. 🙂 And here’s some highlights below to get you started:
- Nourishing Qigong – Yay! We will enjoy daily refreshing Qigong instruction and practice – in beautiful city parks, along dramatic seaside landscapes, in forested mountains, in small villages, and in countryside meadows. Qigong is a Chinese healing art, a form of breath, meditation and movement originating from Nature. Qigong practice is a powerful way to cultivate our own health and vitality, and develop our spirit and soul. It also offers tools to receive Qi – both energy and information – from our environment. In a land teeming with diversity of life, terrains, ecosystems, cultures, cuisines, history and heart, we will learn practices to cleanse, gather, circulate and absorb the physical, energetic and spiritual beauty of Taiwan.
- Hot Springs Rejuvenation – Ahh…did you know that Taiwan is blessed with an abundance of natural hot springs all over the island? Their unique features are a result of the island’s geological and tectonic characteristics. We will enjoy relaxing in the healing waters of some of Taiwan’s renowned springs, and visit the misty Thermal Valley, the source of the famous Beitou hot springs in Northern Taiwan.
- Tea Culture – We’ll enjoy sipping fine Oolong and high-mountain tea with exquisite flavors, experience a traditional tea ceremony and enjoy conventional bubble tea (yes, it is from Taiwan, and it literally available at every street corner!) Taiwan’s tea culture is a delightful fusion of tradition, artistry and community. There are tea houses everywhere from traditional Kung-fu tea to conventional bubble tea to provide social gathering places, relaxation, enjoyment and for mediation and cultivation. You can say, in Taiwan, tea isn’t merely a drink. It’s a way of life – a bridge connecting generations, cultures, and nature.
- Diverse & Vibrant Culture from folk customs, traditional Chinese art and medicine to indigenous cultures – The majority of Taiwanese are Han Chinese whose ancestors immigrated to Taiwan from mainland China. Therefore in Taiwan you can find many well preserved Chinese artwork, qigong and Chinese medicine, and other traditions, such as calligraphy, wood carving, pottery, stone seal making etc. The National Palace Museum is home to nearly 700,000 exhibits, including ancient Chinese artwork and relics dating back over 8,000 years. It’s one of the top 10 most visited museums globally. Taiwan is also the land of dozens of indigenous tribes, and their cultures are alive, thriving and practiced. There are many local temples honoring different deities, for example the annual pilgrimage of Taiwan Sea Goddess Mazu has a long history and cultural significance. On our trip, we will visit at least two tribes, learning about their ways of life including some of the Amis tribe’s ecological and sustainable hunting and fishing practices, experiencing the “rice melody” of the Xiulou tribe, partaking in local art and tasting their delicious indigenous cuisine.
- Stunning Natural Beauty (which I touched on in July’s email), as Taiwan is home to every ecological zone except the desert, is over two thirds forested, with hundreds of high mountain peaks, old growth forest, sparking rivers, wetlands, dramatic seaside cliffs, and more.
- DELICIOUS cuisines! Ah, the food of Taiwan is epic, from the famous night markets, tea houses, to high-end cuisine restaurants. If you love boba (also known as bubble tea), Taiwan is its birth place. 🙂 Even any corner convenient store, as delicious, local snacks and foods. On our journey, we will enjoy tasting traditional Taiwanese, regional Chinese, Indigenous and many creative modern fusion foods blending influences from neighboring countries.
Our motto for our trips is “Active Journeys ~ True Connections“. Our bodies are our biggest musing tools to learn from Life around us. And in our trips we value experiencing the pulse of the lands and peoples we visit. We also keep our trips small as this intimacy allows for the magic of adventure in a new land to truly come alive. It also connects us in friendship as a group.
If you’re feeling excited and ready to join us, Come to TAIWAN – a trip and experience that will keep on giving in the lasting memories, friendships and nourishing Qigong tools you will have with you for the rest of your life.
