What is Ratna Ling's organization like, and does that affect the retreat experience?

Ratna Ling is described as a volunteer organization. Its work includes the Tibetan Book Preservation Project and retreats rooted in yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. Expect a contemplative, community-oriented setting rather than a commercial spa. The page doesn't specify rooms, meals, or other amenities for this retreat.

If I can't commit to a guided weekend, are there other ways to stay at Ratna Ling?

Yes. Ratna Ling offers a 5-day Personal Retreat on flexible dates for people with their own meditation, yoga, spiritual, or mindfulness practice. It suits people who want to connect with themselves, nature, and the community without a set teacher-led program. It is a different format from a guided qigong and tea weekend.

Is there an online option if I can't travel to Cazadero?

Flow & Steep is described as an in-person retreat at Ratna Ling, and the page text doesn't mention a remote version. Ratna Ling's sister organization, Dharma College, runs an online six-week course called Feeling Fully Alive, focused on body awareness and presence. It is a different offering, not a substitute for this retreat.

Wellness Retreat

Flow & Steep: A Qigong and Tea Retreat

Name: Flow & Steep: A Qigong and Tea Retreat
Start: 2027-02-19T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2027-02-21T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Ratna Ling Retreat Center

Date

Feb 19 – Feb 21, 2027

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Location

Ratna Ling Retreat Center

Cazadero, CA

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At a Glance

Duration

3 days

Description

Flow & Steep is a qigong and tea retreat at Ratna Ling Retreat Center in Cazadero, California, led by Dr. Cynthia Li, Daniela Cubelic and Pavi Mehta. It is a weekend wellness retreat for anyone drawn to slow, gentle practice and who wants a quiet stretch in the Northern California redwoods to move, breathe and rest.

The retreat is rooted in qigong, one of China's oldest contemplative healing traditions. Over the weekend, qigong becomes a living practice that weaves together gentle movement, breath, visualization, sound and stillness. Tea is part of the retreat's name and its character, a companion to the slower pace of the days.

What to Expect

The weekend moves through the elements of qigong practice: gentle movement, breath work, visualization, sound and periods of stillness. The pace is unhurried. The practices are meant to settle the body and quiet the mind rather than to demand effort or performance, and the tea in the title points to the same intention of pausing and being present.

Three teachers share the weekend, so the practices are offered from more than one voice and perspective.

Your Hosts

Dr. Cynthia Li, Daniela Cubelic and Pavi Mehta lead Flow & Steep together. They guide the weekend as a shared offering, bringing qigong, breath, sound and stillness into one practice.

The Setting

Ratna Ling Retreat Center sits in the coastal redwoods near Cazadero in Sonoma County, California. It is run as a volunteer organization, and its retreats are described as an invitation to step away from daily demands and connect with yourself, with Nature and with the community there. The center's Tibetan Book Preservation Project and its scholarships for retreat guests are supported by donations.

Before You Go

The retreat is a weekend stay. Gentle qigong movement is the core of the program, and the practices are described as approachable, so you do not need to arrive with prior experience in qigong or tea. Come ready to slow down, and bring whatever you usually need for a quiet weekend outdoors among the redwoods.

Venue

Ratna Ling Retreat Center

Cazadero, CA, United States

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Common Questions

FAQs

It is held at Ratna Ling Retreat Center in Cazadero, California. Ratna Ling describes its setting as the great outdoors and the redwoods, and other retreats there include time in nature. The page text I have doesn't give driving directions or arrival instructions, so confirm those with Ratna Ling when you register.

The organizer text I have doesn't name the teacher or describe the daily schedule, the qigong style, or the tea offerings. Check the full event listing or contact Ratna Ling before booking if a particular teacher, lineage, or tea format matters to you. Other Ratna Ling weekends are typically led by named guest teachers, so the registration page is the place to confirm this.

Ratna Ling sells gift certificates in any amount from $50 to $5,000. At purchase, enter your name as Buyer and the name and email of the Recipient. The page doesn't say whether a certificate can be applied to this specific retreat, so check with Ratna Ling before purchasing.

Ratna Ling accepts donations that can fund a scholarship for someone to attend a retreat. It also runs at least one sliding-scale retreat, the Thanksgiving weekend, but nothing in the text says Flow & Steep is sliding scale. If you need assistance, ask the organizer directly about scholarship availability.

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