The Celts and the Tao: Qigong as Soul Return

The Celts and the Tao is a qigong and yoga workshop at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, led by certified master qigong teacher Nadiya Peters-Nottingham. It brings Taoist and Celtic traditions together to explore the connection between the natural world and our inner landscapes, and it suits anyone curious about qigong, shamanic journeying, or a gentler, more imaginative way of caring for body and mind.

The focus is on nourishing the creative life force and on qigong as a path of soul return. No prior experience is needed.

What to Expect

The program runs across four days on campus, with program sessions woven between daily yoga classes and shared meals. Within that rhythm, Nadiya Peters-Nottingham teaches four threads of practice:

- Qigong for the liver. You learn Hun and Po Qigong to reconnect with the liver, the Wood element in Chinese medicine, in service of a youthful mind and joyful sensuality.
- Shamanic journeying. You meet the Universal Power Animals of the Forest and explore how they relate to Organ Qi and to the Chinese zodiac Animal of the Year.
- Inner soul retrieval. Drawing on the Celtic reverence for trees, you work with the twin teachings of the Inner Cauldrons and the Taoist Dan Tiens.
- Mudras and chants. Qigong hand mudras and chants are dedicated to growing brain synapses and enhancing memory.

By reimagining the elements within the body, you set intentions for growth, renewal, and lifelong learning, and come to see the human body as a microcosm of the natural world.

The opening day begins with check-in at 2:00 pm, a Kripalu Yoga class from 4:45 to 6:00, dinner, and a first program session from 7:30 to 9:00 in the evening. Full days begin with yoga from 6:30 to 7:45 am and a silent breakfast, followed by program sessions from 9:30 to 11:30 am and again from 1:30 to 4:30 pm, with lunch between them. Evening yoga and dinner close the day. On the final morning there is yoga, silent breakfast, a last program session, and then lunch and departure. Times may shift, and the schedule given at check-in has the details and room locations.

About Nadiya Peters-Nottingham

Nadiya Peters-Nottingham is a certified master qigong teacher and a senior yoga teacher at the Integral Yoga Institute in New York City. Her teaching here draws on both Taoist and Celtic wisdom, linking the inner life of the body with the rhythms of the natural world.

The Setting

Kripalu is a yoga and health center in Stockbridge, in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, with grounds that guests are welcome to explore. Accommodations are intentionally simple, meant to help you unplug and feel grounded. You can choose a private room for solitude or a community dormitory for shared connection. Rooms are ready by 4:00 pm, and a luggage room holds your bags until then. Check-out on the last day is at 10:00 am, though you may stay on campus and join workshops until 2:00 pm.

Before You Go

All levels are welcome. No background in qigong, yoga, or shamanic work is required, and the teaching offers room for beginners as well as depth for experienced practitioners. The program is taught in English.

Your stay includes instruction, lodging on campus, three nutritious meals a day, more than ten daily yoga classes across the center's offerings, and access to the grounds and facilities. Healing Arts sessions, items from the Kripalu Shop and Cafe, and transportation are not included.