Alpine Retreat 2026

Join us in the Alps of Switzerland in October 2026 to rejoice and participate in a 4-day retreat of healing and renewal, sharing our common humanity with a small group of fellow travelers along the Way.

An immersion in Taoist healing practice

Led by Dr Mao Shing Ni, anti-aging specialist, bestselling author, master coach,
and lineage caretaker of the 75 generation Integral Way tradition

This retreat is led in English and is appropriate for both beginner and experienced practitioner.

Early Bird Discount - Register below now

Photo credits: our special thanks to all of our previous retreats participants for their beautiful photo contributions

The retreat - Heal yourself / heal the world

How do we best cultivate mind, body & spirit to balance our health, nurture inner capabilities and facilitate spiritual development with insight, freedom and light? At birth, nature provides each of us with a special garden of inheritance (see: I Ching birth chart). How our garden grows is mostly up to us – do we pay attention to what our garden needs, select the right nutrients, and protect it from the extremes of weather?

With a focus on refining our life purpose, Dr Mao shares practical guidelines to fortify our physical foundation, meditation to clear our minds and spiritual practice to dissolve separation and open our connection to the universal divine. He offers guidance on self-adjustment tools enabling a safe ride on the inevitable waves of change of our daily lives. All serves the health, happiness and prosperity in our lives and supports our service to the world.

Pre-retreat health consultations and treatments at the retreat with Dr Mao

In collaboration with Tao of Wellness Clinic and Chi Rivers / Peter F Cunneen, Dr Mao will offer traditional Chinese medicine treatments during the retreat starting Thursday afternoon October 8 and possibly post-retreat on October 11. Information and registration

About Dr Mao Shing Ni
Co-founder of Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Tao of Wellness, Dr Mao Shing Ni is a 38th generation practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, leading authority on the Taoist Arts and Taoist anti-aging medicine, and author of many books and DVDs on integrative health. Dr Ni is regularly featured on American television, newspapers, and blogs and teaches internationally meditation, Tai Chi and Qigong, Feng Shui, I Ching, Taoist Psychology, Chinese medicine and more. Beside his healing work, Dr Mao, like his father Hua-Ching Ni, is an acknowledged master of all aspects of Taoist arts and practice and the current caretaker of the Integral Way tradition. For more on Dr Mao and the Ni family tradition, see the College of Tao.

About the Integral Way
Going back thousands of years, the Integral Way transmits one of humanity’s oldest unbroken traditions of personal cultivation and spiritual development to the modern world. Its elucidation provides practical solutions for todays’ life and health challenges. For more on the Integral Way, go to the College of Tao.

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2025 Alpine retreat - excerpts from a post-retreat article by Dr Mao Shing Ni

“Being and Doing: A Taoist Path to Wholeness

. . . .Surrounded by mountains that have stood for millions of years, we reflected on one of the central challenges of our modern lives: balancing being and doing. The Alps offered us a living metaphor: the peaks reaching upward represent our doing, while the deep valleys and still lakes embody our being. Both are essential. Without the valleys, the mountains would have no form. Without stillness, action loses its clarity and purpose.

North Star—the Still Point Just as the North Star anchors the night sky while the constellations revolve around it, our still point anchors the heart and spirit, allowing us to engage in the busyness of doing without losing touch with the essence of being. By regularly returning to this inner stillness through breath, meditation, or a moment of silence, we cultivate clarity, direction, and resilience in a world that often pulls us off course.

Balance of Yin and Yang Taoism teaches that yin (stillness, reflection, being) must nourish yang (movement, productivity, doing). At the retreat, we alternate lectures, interactive dyad sessions and movement practices—a balance of yin and yang. Participants noted that they found themselves more in their bodies and less in their heads. When you can bring balance into your life you will find your creative insights flow effortlessly because stillness fertilized action.

Returning to Nature The Tao is often called the “Way of Nature.” The Alps reminded us that we, too, are part of this great living system. When we allow ourselves simply to be—listening to birdsong, watching the clouds, or gazing at the stars—we remember that we don’t need to earn our place in the universe. Being itself is enough.. . . “

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Q & A about the retreat

Q: I worry the program may be too much for me, can you clarify it?
Don’t feel intimidated: the focus is gentle and personable, following a natural variation of quiet activities. Everything is done with ease, with no practice done for too long. Rather than quantity, we focus on depth and meaning and flexibly adapt to personal needs. In one day, we may spend time taking in the sun’s healing energy, listening to a lecture, sharing a cup of tea, following simple Qigong movement or engaging in a self-reflection assignment, taking a walk in the woods or resting in one’s room, enjoying a guided meditation, socializing together, and contemplating the stars before retiring for the night.

Q: I have no experience with meditation or Qigong, is this program too advanced for me? 
No, the program is an excellent introduction to chi movement and meditative practices and will respond to the individual needs of each participant. Bring an open mind, be ready to explore something a little different in your life and you will be certain to reap many fruitful experiences from the retreat.

Q: I have been meditating or practicing Qigong or Tai Chi for years, will this program respond to my needs?
Yes, this retreat can certainly help deepen your personal practice. These four days together will help you nurture a profound link between mother nature and your advancing meditation and Chi cultivation practice, whether you wish to look for new input or explore a new approach, resolve a particular blockage, receive support to clarify your vision, strengthen your purpose or open the way to reap greater rewards from your diligent efforts. Bring your personal / practice questions for Dr Mao

Q: How can I use this retreat - I am skilled in a branch of the Taoist Arts, as a Feng Shui or TCM practitioner, or a Qigong or Tai Chi teacher?
Coming with a sincere desire to learn, your positive energy will be nurtured and your growth assured through the application of Taoist natural science. Cross pollination in Chinese medicine, Feng Shui, Taoist meditation or Qi movement arts is very fruitful; by discovering other avenues of a similar integral approach, we end up with a more direct knowledge and an empowerment of our skills.

Schedule - October 8-11, 2026, Qi movement and meditation practices interspersed during all sessions
Thursday, Oct 8: registration 5-6:00pm, dinner: 6:30pm, evening session 7:45-9:15pm 
Fri-Sat, Oct. 9-10: Qigong 7-8am, b’fast 8am, am session 9:30-12:30pm, lunch 12.30pm, pm session 3:30-6:00pm, dinner 6:30pm, eve. 7:45-9:15pm 
Sunday, Oct. 11: Qigong 7-8am, b’fast 8am, am session 9:30-12:30pm, lunch 12:30-1:30pm, departing

An optional pre-retreat day for small group learning might be added - Wed Oct 7: 2-6:00pm, 7:45-8:45pm, Thu Oct 8: 7-8am, 9:30-12:30pm,
details, fee and registration to follow.

About Hôtel Balance
CH-1922 Les Granges
See Hôtel Balance

Travel & practical information
With limited local parking and access only via a steep mountain road, access by train is highly recommended for non-local drivers. From Martigny, take the Mont-Blanc Express alpine train to Salvan / Les Marécottes where Hôtel Balance staff will pick you up. By car, it is 1 hr 40 minutes from Bern & 2 hrs from Geneva International airport. Please consult our travel, tourist and practical retreat info sheet below.
Travel, tourism and practical retreat information

From previous participants:

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Special note for all participants:
In order to maximize your experience, we recommend you diminish or forgo smoking, alcohol or coffee intake during the retreat. Also take special precautions to avoid any cold / flu before the retreat (wearing a mask in crowded areas, airport and planes, etc). If applicable, each participant should also discuss with their healthcare provider about the appropriateness of this retreat given their mental or physical health situation. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

CEU - ASCA, RME: 24 hrs

Please contact us if you do not see the type of room desired in the selection, or if would like to share a group room with one or 2 other participants. We may be able to work out a solution for you. We look forward to your contact.

registration

Early Bird discounts - until June 21, 2026
Full payments received no later than June 21, 2026 are entitled to our Early Bird. As our 2025 Alpine retreat was sold out and as room choices are limited, we encourage you to sign up early.

Cancellation / Refund
Upon receipt of a written request, we will reimburse 100% of your payment minus a CHF 120.- registration fee until June 21, 2026 and 50% of your payment until September 6, 2026 minus a CHF 120.- registration fee. No reimbursement will be done thereafter but your reservation is transferable to another person. Unfortunately, our refund policy is non-negotiable. As unpredictable events do sometimes occur, we highly recommend that you contract a comprehensive travel / hotel / course cancellation insurance, or separate insurances covering you completely.

Payment options
Wire transfer, credit card or Paypal

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