balance and ease: qigong and meditation for the earth phase
4 week course
Sep 13 – Oct 4, 2026
Times: 5:00 - 6:30 pm GMT (London)
6:00 – 7:30 pm CET (Paris)
9:00 – 10:30 am PST (Los Angeles)
12:00 – 1:30pm EST (New York)
Location: online
Sep 13 – Oct 4, 2026
Times: 5:00 - 6:30 pm GMT (London)
6:00 – 7:30 pm CET (Paris)
9:00 – 10:30 am PST (Los Angeles)
12:00 – 1:30pm EST (New York)
Location: online
Description:
As the summer eases towards its end, we arrive at Late Summer—a time of year known as the Earth Phase in Chinese medicine and qigong. This is a pivotal time of transition and centering, both in nature and within us. Earth, which also governs the transitional times between the other 4 seasons, teaches us how to find stability amidst life’s constant changes, whether navigating seasonal shifts, personal transitions, or the daily balancing act of our responsibilities.
This 4-week course explores qigong and mindfulness practices rooted in the wisdom of Earth’s energies. We will draw from Classical Chinese Medicine, Buddhist wisdom and Daoist traditions to cultivate balance, ease, and nourishing presence. Through gentle movement forms, standing meditations, and discussions, you will learn how to work with the energy of the Spleen and Stomach—the organs of Earth—to transform worry into grounded trust and overthinking into steady, compassionate awareness. Discover how to meet life’s demands from a place of centred resilience.
Each week’s content will build on the previous week’s teachings, yet also emphasise a different aspect of Earth’s energy of Late Summer. By the end of this course, you will have a home practice you can continue exploring and refining.
As the summer eases towards its end, we arrive at Late Summer—a time of year known as the Earth Phase in Chinese medicine and qigong. This is a pivotal time of transition and centering, both in nature and within us. Earth, which also governs the transitional times between the other 4 seasons, teaches us how to find stability amidst life’s constant changes, whether navigating seasonal shifts, personal transitions, or the daily balancing act of our responsibilities.
This 4-week course explores qigong and mindfulness practices rooted in the wisdom of Earth’s energies. We will draw from Classical Chinese Medicine, Buddhist wisdom and Daoist traditions to cultivate balance, ease, and nourishing presence. Through gentle movement forms, standing meditations, and discussions, you will learn how to work with the energy of the Spleen and Stomach—the organs of Earth—to transform worry into grounded trust and overthinking into steady, compassionate awareness. Discover how to meet life’s demands from a place of centred resilience.
Each week’s content will build on the previous week’s teachings, yet also emphasise a different aspect of Earth’s energy of Late Summer. By the end of this course, you will have a home practice you can continue exploring and refining.
what you'll learn through this course
Centering skillsAn understanding of the Earth energy’s role in qigong as a stabilizing, centering force for all seasons and life’s transitions.
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transform worryPractical tools, through movement and meditation, to transform worry and overthinking into grounded presence and trust.
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daily practiceA daily home practice for cultivating balance, serving as a steadying complement to any existing mindfulness routine.
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September 13, Week One: The Centring Energy of Earth
We begin by introducing the Earth Phase as the centre and stabiliser of the seasonal cycle. Through a short talk and guided practice, we will explore foundational standing meditation (Zhan Zhuang) and simple, repetitive qigong movements designed to cultivate a physical and energetic sense of being grounded and centred, establishing a steady base for the weeks ahead.
September 20, Week Two: Nourishing the Spleen and Stomach
This week delves into the Earth organs: the Spleen, which governs transformation and thought, and the Stomach, which receives and processes. We’ll learn how excess or under nourishment of food as well as stimulation, emotions and activities can deplete these systems. Our guided qigong practice will focus on gentle, twisting and spiralling movements that massage the core, support digestion (of food and experience), and help to settle a busy, "knotted" mind into a state of easier flow.
September 27, Week Three: From Worry to Trust
Building on our physical foundation, we explore the emotional landscape of Earth. We’ll discuss how its challenging emotion of pensiveness and overthinking can be transformed into its virtue: a deep, embodied sense of trust and faith. The practice will integrate rhythmic, balancing forms and meditation, using the breath and somatic awareness to release cyclical thinking and cultivate a reliable inner steadiness.
October 4, Week Four: Integration and the Middle Path
In our final session, we weave our explorations together. We focus on the Earth Phase’s wisdom of balance—the Middle Path—avoiding extremes of effort and indulgence. The culminating qigong sequence will emphasise smooth, mindful transitions between postures, integrating all themes into a cohesive "home practice" ritual that supports regularity, ease, and resilience through all of life’s transitions.
We begin by introducing the Earth Phase as the centre and stabiliser of the seasonal cycle. Through a short talk and guided practice, we will explore foundational standing meditation (Zhan Zhuang) and simple, repetitive qigong movements designed to cultivate a physical and energetic sense of being grounded and centred, establishing a steady base for the weeks ahead.
September 20, Week Two: Nourishing the Spleen and Stomach
This week delves into the Earth organs: the Spleen, which governs transformation and thought, and the Stomach, which receives and processes. We’ll learn how excess or under nourishment of food as well as stimulation, emotions and activities can deplete these systems. Our guided qigong practice will focus on gentle, twisting and spiralling movements that massage the core, support digestion (of food and experience), and help to settle a busy, "knotted" mind into a state of easier flow.
September 27, Week Three: From Worry to Trust
Building on our physical foundation, we explore the emotional landscape of Earth. We’ll discuss how its challenging emotion of pensiveness and overthinking can be transformed into its virtue: a deep, embodied sense of trust and faith. The practice will integrate rhythmic, balancing forms and meditation, using the breath and somatic awareness to release cyclical thinking and cultivate a reliable inner steadiness.
October 4, Week Four: Integration and the Middle Path
In our final session, we weave our explorations together. We focus on the Earth Phase’s wisdom of balance—the Middle Path—avoiding extremes of effort and indulgence. The culminating qigong sequence will emphasise smooth, mindful transitions between postures, integrating all themes into a cohesive "home practice" ritual that supports regularity, ease, and resilience through all of life’s transitions.