Qigong Retreat 2011

12-25 November, 2011, Kaiapoi, New Zealand.

Dear Friends,

With the help of many of you, the planning and preparation of our annual New Zealand retreat is underway for 2011. It has not been an easy time for people in Christchurch, however our Christchurch Qi family has demonstrated enormous courage and positive spirit. Our Qi family in other parts of New Zealand and around the world has been lovingly supportive and caring. Let’s get together at this retreat and unite our qi and qifield to continue to support those in need, both in NZ and in other parts of the world.

Background:

Thanks to the collective effort, Ren Xue is moving forward in a healthy and steady manner. More people are learning the Ren Xue Principles and using them to improve health and develop life with positive results. Yuan Tze Centre has planned this retreat to provide an opportunity for Ren Xue practitioners to deepen their learning and practice and to meet their needs for continual growth. This retreat is built upon the success of the previous retreats and at the same time will be unique in its own way. It is designed to help practitioners make faster progress in achieving the goal of ‘Zi Du, Du Ren’ (Uplifting Ourselves and Helping Other People). Retreat 2011 will probably be the last New Zealand retreat open to everyone. Therefore it will be a special occasion in the development of Ren Xue. By encouraging the best from every participant, this retreat will be an extraordinary experience providing benefits during the retreat and well beyond.

The retreat will be especially suitable for those who have begun their Ren Xue learning and practice. However, beginners are also welcome and can benefit from the retreat in every way. If you are a beginner, we strongly recommend that you read the book Voyage to the Shore Part 1 before coming to the retreat. You will learn the basic Ren Xue knowledge from this book and gain more understanding from the teachings given during the retreat.

Activities:

On this retreat, the teaching will be deeper as it builds on the experiences and progress made on previous retreats. This will be achieved by reviewing and expanding the Qigong theories and by “fine-tuning” the practice of the methods. Teachers will also have the opportunity to improve their knowledge and teaching skills of the methods. Practice of Qi therapy will be another focus for qualified teachers. Although it is a silent retreat as before, this time there will be more interactions between students and between students and qualified teachers. However, the main focus of this retreat will be on the development of life as a whole. Much emphasis will be put on improving the understanding of life and changing life. The work on the consciousness will be comprehensive this time, with relentless effort directed to identifying patterns and changing them. The qifield to support your learning and practice will be strong and of high quality to support your work on health and the consciousness. It will be different from any previous retreats. You will definitely see and feel the difference when you are there.

Here is the daily timetable. A booklet with the detailed programme and other relevant information will be given to everyone on arrival.

Daily Routine:

am

6.00 Get up (30”)

6.30-7.50 Session 1 (1’20”)

7.50-9.00 Breakfast (1’10”)

9.00-11.40 Session 2 (2’40”)

11.40-1.00pm Lunch (1’20”)

pm

1.00-3.00 Session 3 (2’)

3.00-3.30 Afternoon tea (30”)

3.30-5.00 Session 4 (1’30”)

5.00-6.30 Dinner (1’30”)

6.30-8.15 Session 5 (1’45”)

8.15-9.30 Free time (1’15”)

9.30-6.00am Bed time (8’30”)

Note: The five activity sessions are dedicated to Ren Xue lectures, Qigong practice, individual and group Qi therapy and teaching of the Zhineng Qigong methods.

(Please read the following information thoroughly as there are changes from previous retreats.)

Dates

12-25 November, 2011 (14 days)p>

Arrival: 12th November, Saturday afternoon

Departure: 25th November, Friday after lunch

The retreat begins with the dinner at 6:00pm on the day of arrival and ends with lunch on the last day.

Venue

12 Williams Street, Kaiapoi, Christchurch www.blueskies.org.nz

Transport

The venue is about 15-20 minutes drive from Christchurch Airport. Taxi or airport shuttle services are available from the airport. If you wish to share shuttles from the airport to the venue, please provide us with your arrival time at Christchurch airport as soon as you have booked your travel.

For directions from Christchurch, please check the link below:

http://www.blueskies.org.nz/images/stories/PDF/christchurch_map.pdf

Food

Three meals and an afternoon tea will be provided daily. Please bring your own snacks if you need food between meals. The menu will consist of healthy food consisting of fresh fruit and vegetables, a variety of legumes and grains and some dairy products. Eggs will be available everyday and fish twice a week. You are welcome to bring your own ready-to-eat meat such as salami and ham. There will be fridge space available for storage.

There is a basic selection of tea and coffee. If you prefer specific herbal teas, please bring your own tea bags.

Vegan, gluten or dairy free options will be available if necessary. Please let us know if you require any of these options.

What to Bring:

1. • pillow slip
   

2. • sheets and duvets or sheets and sleeping bag
   

3. • towels and personal toiletries, including ear plugs if necessary (may be useful if you share a room with a noisy sleeper)
   

4. • blankets for keeping yourself warm during sitting practice
   

5. • cushions for sitting practice
   

6. • slippers or socks for main inside areas
   

7. • water bottle or thermos flask
   

8. • hot water bottles, just in case
   

9. • torches
   

10. • Prepare yourself with warm clothing as the weather at this time of the year can be variable.
    

Fees:

NZ$1400 per person, NZ$2600 per couple or two family members.

NZ$1200 for holders of the Community Services Cards

Fees cover all necessary expenses including accommodation, food, tuition/lectures and group healings. 

If you are financially challenged please contact us to work out a payment option that will suit you.

There are different accommodation options available at different costs. See ‘Accommodation’ below for details.

Accommodation:

There are four accommodation options.

1. 1. 1. Bring your own tent – $55 less each person
   

2. 2. Bunk rooms – no extra cost (sleep approx. 4-5 depending on the size of the room and the number of participants)
   

3. 3. Bunkroom style twin rooms – extra $195 per person for 14 days
   

4. 4. Single rooms and twin rooms – extra $280 per person for 14 days (serviced and linen/towels/bedding supplied)
   

Please note that because of the limited number of the single and twin rooms available, we request that people only reserve these rooms if absolutely necessary.

Linen/bedding can be hired at $10 per set (sheets, 2 blankets, a pillow and a pillow slip) for the two-week period. A change of sheets costs $5. Towels are not provided.

Booking and Payment:

You can make your booking anytime from now. A deposit of $200 is required to secure your booking, with the remainder to be paid at any time before or on arrival at the retreat. The deposit payment is non-refundable.

Should you cancel before 31 August, 5% of your deposit will go towards administration costs and 95% ($190) will be retained by the Yuan Tze Centre. The $190 will be held in credit for your future spending with the Yuan Tze Centre, with no time limit. Please note that this does not include the events/activities held by the non-profit organization Yuan Tze Ren Xue Center. The New Zealand Yuan Tze Ren Xue Center and US Yuan Tze Ren Xue Center are two separate non-profit organizations. US The funds are not transferrable to others. Cancellation after 31 August will be non-redeemable and non-transferrable.

Payment Methods:

NZ Students:(Please DO NOT pay through our website.)

Deposit:

For Internet transfer, please pay into the following bank account:Yuan Tze Centre, Account No: 02-0520-0049828-000

For cheque payment, please make the cheque payable to ‘Yuan Tze Centre’ and send it to: Yuan Tze Centre, PO Box 35188, Naenae, Lower Hutt 5041

The Remainder:

Cash or cheque on arrival, or

Internet transfer: Deadline of transfer: 5 November, 2011.

Overseas Students:

All payments should be made in NZ currency. We do not accept cash or bank drafts in any other currencies.

Deposit:

Please go to our website and pay the deposit through Paypal.

The Remainder:

Cash or bank draft on arrival (personal cheques from overseas banks are NOT accepted)

Direct wiring to our account: Please add the $25 bank fee to the amount you intend to transfer.Please ask Melissa for bank account detail or our account info for direct wiring if you wish to use this option. The deadline of this option is 31 October, 2011.

Paypal: If you wish to pay with your credit card via Paypal, please add the 5% fee to the amount. Please ask Melissa for bank account detail or our account info for Paypal if you wish to use this option. The deadline of this option is 31 October, 2011.

Contact:

For any enquiry, please contact Melissa:

Phone 64 4 567 5988

or email info@yuantzecentre.com

Note: There will be no medical assistance available on site. For people with difficulty in self-care or people whose health condition can be unstable or who need special care, please talk to us first.

This Ren Xue retreat will offer a different experience from all previous retreats. I believe you understand this is not about external/material comfort. By coming to the retreat you will experience another rare opportunity to know yourself better and to change and elevate your life. I am looking forward to working with you to progress and uplift life.

- Yuan Tze