Raga Retreat China: The Music of Nature

The Music of Nature is a raga retreat and music, yoga and tea retreat at the Incredible Futures Retreat Centre in Wuyishan, Fujian, China. It is led by Shivam Rath, a slide guitarist and Indian classical musician who calls his approach Raga Retreats. The retreat is open to people with no formal musical training, and it suits singers, musicians and anyone who wants to learn to listen through Indian Classical raga, Nāda Yoga, mantra, kirtan and silence.

It lasts six days and five nights. A separate small-group Raga and Tea Training in Yunnan comes beforehand, and participants can take one part or follow the whole route from Yunnan to Fujian.

What to Expect

The Fujian retreat moves through a six-day arc, from ordinary speech into mauna (silence) and back to voice as vibration.

- Day 1: settling into the mountains, sharing tea and beginning raga.
- Day 2: learning to listen through raga, Nāda Yoga and conscious listening.
- Day 3: deepening mauna and communicating through sound and breath.
- Day 4: less teaching, more meditation, walking and presence.
- Day 5: the voice returns as Nāda, with breath becoming tone.
- Day 6: speech resumes, with greater awareness of intention.

Alongside raga, Indian Classical music, mantra and kirtan, the days include yoga, meditation, nature experiences, instrument exploration and tea ceremonies that honour Fujian's place in the history of tea. The practices work through voice, listening, simple tonal exploration and rhythm, so no training is assumed.

The optional Yunnan training in Lijiang runs for five nights. It offers individual raga instruction tailored to each person's instrument and level, tea ceremony and Five Elements sessions with Echo Ai, and perspectives from Chinese Medicine, Tai Chi and Qigong. It is aimed at musicians, singers, teachers, sound practitioners and experienced students. After it, the group travels gradually through Yunnan's ancient tea regions and the historic city of Dali, with hikes toward the foothills of the Himalayas. Travel arrangements are confirmed according to group numbers. An optional pre-retreat stay in Wuyishan visits rock formations, clear rivers, forests, temples and tea heritage sites.

About Shivam Rath

Shivam Rath is a Byron Bay-based slide guitarist, composer, producer and teacher, and also a yoga teacher and Indian classical musician. A second-generation Indian-Australian, he plays the 22-string Indian slide guitar, known as the Crystal Slide or Chaturangi, which he describes as a combination of the sitar and the Hawaiian slide guitar shaped by the Indian classical system. He has played it for nearly 15 years. He has spent close to two decades exploring where Indian classical music meets yoga, meditation, mantra and contemporary world music, and has taught and led retreats internationally.

About Echo Ai

Echo Ai leads the tea ceremonies in the Yunnan training. She has studied and practised Tea Ceremony for over 15 years, and her approach draws on the body, the Five Elements and long self-inquiry, treating tea as a way of observing, listening and becoming present.

The Setting

The retreat takes place in the mountains, forests and tea landscapes of Wuyishan, in Fujian. Participants stay in guesthouse accommodation at the Incredible Futures Retreat Centre, and breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided. Options include private or shared guesthouse rooms, and apartments or deluxe villas at the retreat centre for an additional cost, subject to availability and advance booking.

Before You Go

Sessions are taught in English, and no musical background is needed. The Fujian price covers five nights in a private guesthouse room, all meals, all Raga Retreat sessions (raga, Indian Classical music, mantra and kirtan), Nāda and sound practices, yoga and meditation, tea ceremonies, nature experiences, mauna and silence practice, and instrument exploration. Dietary requirements can be declared when enquiring.

International and inter-regional travel, the optional Wuyishan pre-retreat days and upgraded accommodation are not included. Participants should confirm visa costs and entry requirements with official sources.