A Qi Gong workshop at a festival is nothing like a class in a hall. People are tired, sometimes short of sleep, and the group mixes those who came out of curiosity with those who happened to be walking past.
We have run enough of these in recent years to know what works. This piece is for organisers of festivals, retreats and events - it sets out what our workshop looks like and what we need.
What the workshop is
Sixty to ninety minutes of guided practice suitable for complete beginners. No experience, no equipment, and nobody has to take off their shoes or change clothes.
It has four parts:
- Settling and breath (10 minutes). Standing, a feel for the ground, the first long exhales. For many at a festival this is the first such moment in thirty hours.
- Opening the body (20 minutes). Simple movements through the joints that anyone can copy. Shoulders, chest, spine, hips.
- A short sequence (20 minutes). Four or five movements linked to the breath, repeated often enough that people take them home.
- Closing and silence (10 minutes). The part people mention most surprisingly often the next day.
Why it works at a festival in particular
- A low threshold. No need to be flexible, young or rested. Anyone who can stand can join - and anyone who cannot stand can sit.
- It scales. Fifteen people or a hundred and fifty; the sequence stays the same, only the leading changes.
- It does not require silence. This matters. Qi Gong works even while a soundcheck runs two hundred metres away - in fact that is what turns it into practice.
- People leave with something usable. One sequence they can do at home in ten minutes is a better souvenir than enthusiasm that fades by evening.
Flowing water never grows stale; a door hinge never gathers rust.
What we need from the organiser
Space. A flat meadow, a tent or a hall. Roughly two square metres per person. Grass is entirely fine; asphalt less so, because people will not be barefoot.
A time slot. Mornings work best, between eight and ten. An early slot is an advantage at a festival, not a limitation - people who turn up at eight are there for a reason.
A PA for more than forty people. A wireless microphone and one speaker is enough. For smaller groups it is unnecessary.
Shade or a roof in the heat. The sequence is not strenuous, but standing for an hour in full sun at eleven is a bad idea.
A realistic turnout estimate. Whether it is 20 or 200 does not matter - knowing in advance does, because the leading differs.
What we do not need
No mats, no props, no equipment. No changing room. No advance registration - open entry works better, because people join as it goes.
Combinations that work well
Qi Gong in the morning, Kung Fu in the afternoon. The same crowd, two very different experiences. The afternoon workshop is more physical and lands well with younger visitors.
Qi Gong and meditation in one block. Thirty minutes of movement, twenty minutes of sitting. This is closest to how we practise ourselves.
Several shorter repeats. At multi-day festivals this beats one long workshop - people come back a second and third time, and that is when something starts to happen.
How to arrange it
Send us the date, the expected number of people, the space you have and what you hope the workshop will do. We reply with a programme suggestion and a price.
We run workshops across Slovenia; we are based in Ljubljana, where we also have our own training centre at Ziherlova 44.
