Daoist Immersion with Livia Kohn

Come to a spectacular site on the northern California coast and explore how living a Daoist life can make a difference in the world today. Daoism can provide a more appropriate world view, conceptual structures, and behavioral guidelines that allow us to treat self, society, na-ture, and the cosmos as one interconnected webwork and thereby bring healing to our fellow humans and harmony to the world.

To immerse ourselves in Dao, our day begins with qigong stretches. After breakfast we ex-plore six areas of progressive unfolding: cosmic thinking, mental ease, energetic potency, body awareness, social connection, and ecology. In each case, we use original sources from key religious scriptures. Lunch follows, then a break for resting, hiking, pool, or sauna.

In the afternoon, we experiment with different forms of Daoist cultivation: sitting in obliv-ion, visualization, dietetics, daoyin exercises (breathing, qi-guiding), interpersonal connection, and Feng Shui. Preparing a healthy, vegetarian dinner while applying positive internal energy, we offer the opportunity for participants to share their practices and expertise, while con-tinuing our discussion of Daoist worldview and lifestyle choices, becoming ever more ready to live a Daoist life full of harmony and integration.

Livia Kohn is Professor Emerita of Religion & East Asian Studies at Boston University. Her specialty is medieval Daoism and the study of Chinese longevity practices. She has written and edited numerous books and is a long-term practitioner of taiji quan, qigong, yoga and meditation. Seen as one of the world’s foremost scholars, Livia is an expert at placing each practice in its historical and cultural context, relating its current application and efficacious-ness to modern western living.

Dates: May 15-22, 2011

Location: The Sea Ranch, Sonoma County, California

Price: $980 (includes room, board, tuition, and textbooks); $700 local (non-residential)

Textbooks: The Taoist Experience; Daoist Body Cultivation

To register and hold a place, send a deposit of $300 to
Livia Kohn, P. O. Box 609, Dunedin, FL 34697 (include your e-mail address)
For questions, email liviakohn@hotmail.com or call 727-501-6915
Day
Time Topic
Sun 5:00 Arrival
7:00 Dinner
8:30 Orientation
9:00 Opening Circle

Mon 7:00 Crane Qigong
8:00 Breakfast (Group A)
9:00 Lecture: The World According to Dao
10:30 Text Study: The Taoist Experience, chs. 1-4, 7-8
12:00 Lunch
3:00 Discussion: Concentration, Insight, Oblivion (Tao Ex, chs. 29-32)
4:30 Practice: Quiet Sitting
5:30 R & R
6:00 Cooking
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Sharing

Tue 7:00 Bear Qigong
8:00 Breakfast (Group B)
9:00 Lecture: The Daoist Body (Body: Intro, ch. 1)
10:30 Text Study: Tao Ex, chs. 21-24
12:00 Lunch
3:00 Discussion: Visualization and Body Gods (Tao Ex, chs. 25-28)
4:30 Practice: Inner Smile
5:30 R & R
6:00 Cooking
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Qi Dancing

Wed 7:00 Dragon Qigong
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Lecture: Ways of Energetic Transformation (Body, chs. 2-3)
10:30 Text Study: Tao Ex, chs. 17-20
12:00 Lunch
3:00 Discussion: Daoyin and Dietetics (Body, chs. 4-5)
4:30 Practice: Daoyin
5:30 R & R
6:00 Cooking
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Sharing

Thu
7:00 Snake Qigong (1)
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Lecture: Advanced Practice—Ecstasy and Alchemy (Body, ch. 6)
10:30 Text Study: Tao Ex, chs. 33-36, 41-42
12:00 Lunch
FREE AFTERNOON
6:00 Cooking
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Open

Fri 7:00 Snake Qigong (2)
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Lecture: Self and Society, Cosmos and Morality
10:30 Texts: Tao Ex, chs. 13-16
12:00 Lunch
3:00 Discussion: The Ideal Daoist (Tao Ex, chs. 37-40)
4:30 Practice: Harmonizing Qi
5:30 R & R
6:00 Cooking
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Sharing

Sat 7:00 Snake Qigong (3)
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Lecture: Feng Shui and Proper Placement
10:30 Exercise: Houses and Interior Design
12:00 Lunch
3:00 Sharing
4:30 Practice: Qigong Review
5:30 R & R
6:00 Cooking
8:00 Open

Sun 7:00 Qigong
8:30 Breakfast
9:00 Discussion: Daoism in the World Today (Body, chs. 7-8)
10:30 Closing Circle
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Departure

SITE

The Sea Ranch is a community of private homes, sited with careful attention to the natural landscape along a 10-mile stretch of the Sonoma County coast in Northern California (www. tsra.org/index.php). The nearest town of Gualala (“walala”) has two grocery stores, a drug-store, a bookstore, several art galleries, gift shops, restaurants, medical and dental clinics, and nearby Gualala Point Regional Park:

Local flora and fauna: http://www.tsra.org/news.php?viewStoryPrinter=229

We have rented “Pelican’s Rest,” a home toward the north end of The Sea Ranch and a short walk to the bluff-top trail, Walk-on-Beach, swimming pool and sauna, and tennis courts. The reverse floor plan takes full advantage of the north coast views, and the house features a gourmet kitchen and outdoor hot tub and shower. With four bedrooms and three+ baths, the house accommodates 8 people. Couples are welcome, as three of the bed-rooms have queen or double beds (we will supplement as necessary with comfortable Aer-oBeds).

The Sea Ranch is approximately three hours by car north of San Francisco and Oakland airports (SFO, OAK); 1 ½ hours from Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa (http://www.sonomacountyairport.org/). TSR is also accessible from the airports by bus, with a connection in Santa Rosa (http://airportexpressinc.com/home.html; http://www.4mta.org/schedule_maps.php, rte. 95). Depending on arrival and departure times, we will organize a group car rental or may pick you up in Santa Rosa.