Workshop 1:

Gentle Qigong Daily Routine: A Path to Softness, Fluidity, and Presence

Online February 8–March 8, 2025

Five Saturdays 9am-10am PST

Join Liping Zhu in exploring how the time-honored qigong tradition and Zen practice can support a mindful, healthy, and vibrant life.

This workshop integrates the wisdom of qigong with the Zen practice of presence and awareness. Drawing on principles of softness and fluidity—qualities often associated with babyhood and a beginner’s mind—participants will cultivate energy (Qi) to calm the mind, release physical tension, and nourish the body’s joints and tissues.

Over the course of five weeks, participants will develop a sustainable one-hour daily routine that includes:

• Qi Warm-Ups to awaken the body’s energy systems.
• True Qi Circulation Method to harmonize and balance the flow of Qi and blood.
• Six Healing Sounds to cleanse and revitalize the body’s internal organs.

These gentle, flowing exercises foster physical flexibility, improve circulation, and cultivate a sense of presence and ease. By uniting these practices with Zen’s contemplative approach, this workshop provides tools for life preservation and grounded awareness in everyday life.

Here is Zen Center registration online link for Workshop 1

Workshop 2:

Revealing Your Inner Dragon: Harnessing Inner Strength through Grace and Balance

Online March 22 – April 19, 2025

Five Saturdays 9am-10am PST

Rooted in the traditions of Chinese internal arts, Qin Quan offers a path to vitality, balance, and inner strength that complements the mindfulness and presence cultivated through Zen practice. Like Qi Gong and Tai Chi, Qin Quan harmonizes body and breath, but its dynamic and flowing movements uniquely reflect the dragon’s grace and power, inspiring us to explore our own innate potential.

Developed by Grandmaster Qin, this system focuses on aligning the body’s natural force and opening pathways of Qi to foster resilience and balance in daily life. Through this five-week series, we will integrate the wisdom of Qin Quan with Zen’s contemplative approach, engaging in two transformative routines:

• Miraculous Dragon Fully Revealing, cultivating flexibility, alignment, and energy flow.
• Dragon Tiger Powerful Walking, a grounding practice to strengthen and center the body.

By embracing softness and strength, these practices help us align with the dragon’s qualities—vigor, power, and grace—while embodying the mindfulness and awareness central to Zen.

Register Here online with SFZC for workshop 2

These workshops will be offered via San Francisco Zen Center. All registration related questions please contact SF Zen Center directly.

Exciting upcoming Tassajara In-person Retreat in 2025:

Tassajara is San Francisco Zen Center's Zen monastery training site as well as a hotspring. It is located near Carmel Valley.

Here is the newest announcement from the SF Zen Center:
San Francisco Zen Center is pleased to announce that Tassajara will be offering an inspiring array of retreats this summer!
These Zen meditation and interdisciplinary arts retreats are geared towards guests who are interested in immersing in practice and nature under the guidance of some of our most established teachers. We are pleased to offer a selection of our most popular past retreats (such as Zen and Yoga), as well as exciting new offerings that explore practice and leadership, traditional Zen studies, poetry, family life, and more.


April 30–May 4
Swimming Dragon Daoist Walking Qigong
with Dr. Liping Zhu

We are honored to be invited back and to open the guest season of the beautiful Tassajara after a 5-year break! Looking forward to seeing our Swimming Dragon Taichi family again! Please act quickly to reserve your spot since we expect all Tassajara retreats will sell out fast this year.