Root & Rise: A Breathwork, Qigong & Self-Inquiry Retreat

This retreat is an invitation to realign awareness with the body, to let breath and movement restore harmony, and to nourish the heart’s garden. Through daily breathwork, qigong, and contemplative inquiry, we will ground deeply in the body, awaken vital energy (Qi), and reconnect with the simplicity of essential presence.

At the heart of this retreat lies the practice of self-inquiry. Guided by the essential question “Who am I?”, and “Who am I not?”, it unfolds through silence and partner dialogue. Rather than seeking intellectual answers, it opens the space for a direct, lived experience of authenticity and truth.

Conscious Circular Breathing supports this journey by purifying your vital energy, melting and transforming your emotional patterns and beliefs, and awakening a clear, polished and pure way of seeing yourself and the world.

Qigong grounds and integrates the process, harmonizing vital energy through slow, refined, and conscious movement. It nourishes, builds, and circulates vitality, fostering a deep connection with nature. Through this inner alchemy, the practice conditions the body and meridian system, cultivating calm, clarity, and a strengthened presence of body and mind.

Contemplative Self-Inquiry (Dyad) – A simple, precise partner practice oriented around essential questions. This process helps quiet your inner dialogue, keeping your attention to the present moment, where the self can manifest. In silence, partners alternate speaking and listening without commentary; the question is offered anew each round, inviting direct experience rather than concepts. This gentle container cultivates radical honesty, deep presence, and the recognition of awareness itself—clarity that naturally infuses daily life.

Three tools, three pathways, one direction: returning to the Self — releasing, embodying, awakening. This retreat is open to anyone, wherever they are on their journey. All we ask is for a curious mind and heart, all levels of practice are welcome.

Contraindications for Breathwork. While breathwork is generally safe and beneficial for most people, certain conditions require special attention. If you are pregnant, have epilepsy, severe asthma, cardiovascular issues, a history of trauma, have recently undergone surgery, or live with a psychiatric condition that could be affected by deep inner work or changes in breathing patterns, please contact Mario before registering for the retreat at mario.xindao@gmail.com.

This retreat will be held in English.