Qigong Summer Camp

Dartmoor National Park – August 3rd-12th 2012

with Daverick Leggett, Brad Richecoeur, Graeme McCracken and friends

Prices:

Adults: £270 plus £70 food
Under 18′s: £110 plus £40 food
Family tickets available for more than one adult and one child-£100 off for second adult and £50 off per extra child
Under 3′s free

Call 0845 330 5086 or via our enquiry form

Book via the Online Booking Form
View 2009 Summer Camp Image Gallery

Qigong Camp on Dartmoor, a life changing experience

Qigong camp is the highlight of the year for many people, a profound life changing experience that nourishes the heart, revitalises the body and refreshes the spirit. These 10 days are an oasis of sanity in our challenging times, where the soul can drink deep and be re-inspired by simple living, close to nature with a welcoming group of like minded people who are interested in waking up to their true potential and celebrating this gift of being human.

The common thread that is woven through the camp is the practice of Qigong, the essence of which is our ability to transform stress and tension into aliveness, joy and clarity. This is through both the ‘formal’ practice that is offered throughout the day and also by simply living in a beautiful natural environment, surrounded by trees, soothed by a babbling brook, eating great food and hanging out with good company.

Over the years the size of the camp has reached its optimum number of 120, including 30 kids, this allows for a rich diversity and also cultivates an atmosphere of intimacy, inclusion and friendship, where we create camp life around a central fire, with a village green, heated and carpeted domes, beautiful yurts and the best compost toilets ever!

The camp is organised by experienced Qigong teachers Brad Richecoeur, Daverick Leggett and Graeme McCracken and attracts people from all over Europe.

See below for more info on the camp.

About Qigong

Qigong is a way of cultivating our subtle energy, or Qi, through relaxed attention in movement and stillness. During the camp we will be working with the transformative sitting, standing and moving meditations of Hua Gong (the form of Qigong originated by our teacher Master Zhixing Wang) as a way of becoming more present with our experience moment to moment. We will also explore the expressive and spontaneous aspect of the practice.

Through practising in the fresh air with the earth beneath our feet and the sky above us, we enter a heightened state of connection with the natural world and open ourselves to receive its abundant Qi. And through daily practice within a large group we build a strong Qi field which supports and empowers our transformation.

Camp Teachers

Daverick Leggett
Daverick has studied Hua Gong with Zhixing Wang since 1991 and is now a senior teacher. He teaches Qigong throughout the west country. He is also the author of two books on Chinese medicine and nutrition. Qigong Camp perfectly combines his passions for Qigong, the natural world and community. Daverick lives in Dartington, Devon with his partner and teenage son.

Brad Richecoeur
Brad says “Qigong Camp is one of the highlights of the year me,bringing together my passions in life- Qigong, meditation, nature, camping and community. I have been teaching Qigong and running these camps since 1994.”

Graeme McCracken
Graeme has been practising the Daoist arts of Qigong, Meditation and Dao Yin and Tai Ji since 1996. during this time he has had the opportunity to study with many teachers both here and in China. Graeme’s main teacher is the chairman of the British Taoist Association Shi Jing who Graeme first met in 1998. In 2004 during a trip to China Graeme was ordained as a Daoist priest (Dao Shi) under the guidance of Feng Xingzhao and was given the name Shi Qiao (world bridge). Since that time he has become more involved in the British Taoist Association and supports them to put on retreats by cooking and helping out. Graeme is also a practitioner of Chinese Medicine and has a clinic in London. He also teaches Chinese Medicine theory and food energetics at colleges and universities in the UK and Europe. Graeme holds the early morning sessions during the Qigong Camp, which involves Qigong, Dao Yin and mediation.

Peter Deadman
Peter has been involved with Oriental Medicine since the 1970s – as a practitioner of Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, lecturer and author. He has practised various kinds of qigong over the last twenty years. One of his favourite forms – and the one he will teach on the camp - is Taichi Shibashi Qigong – an elegant and relaxed yet strong core practice. The eighteen movements take around fifteen minutes to perform and can be learned through the duration of one Qigong camp.

Daily life on the camp

Over the years the flexible form of the camp has evolved into something like:

Early morning invigorating Qigong
Silent sitting meditation, or sleeping in

Breakfast

Main Qigong group practice
Daily gathering for camp business, days events, sharings etc

Lunch

Afternoon walks, swims, games, expeditions to the open moor/woods/river, quiet time
Qigong group practice
Guided sitting meditation

Supper

Nighttime around the campfire: songs, stories, dancing, ceremony, celebration
Qigong ‘cabaret’ or nighttime practice
Midway through the camp we have a market

We all muck in with the daily chores of running the camp, dividing into groups, rotating the responsibility for a specific task each day – like cooking supper or lunch, chopping wood and keeping the fire, washing pots and pans and caring for the site.

Often as the camp rolls on we find that ‘everything is Qigong’ and the days flow along effortlessly as we settle into deepening friendships within the community of campers and go about our everyday routines of ‘chopping wood and carrying water’.

We encourage and support everyone to find their own rhythm and pace during the camp – exploring how involved to be with all that is offered, not needing to push oneself to do everything, allowing the space for the transformative effect of being on the camp. On some days a sharing time is offered. This is an open space to share feelings that arise during the camp.