Cultivate Ease

Join Master Yang Yang, PhD for a weekend workshop exploring tai chi and qigong as gentle, experiential practices for relieving chronic back pain while enhancing sleep, stress regulation, balance, and whole-body well-being.

Through slow, intentional movement, stillness, and functional meditation practices, you will:

• Release tension and improve body alignment.
• Strengthen the core and support spinal stability.
• Improve sleep, balance, and confidence in everyday movement.
• Examine and transform the roots of stress and anxiety through meditation.

Rooted in traditional Chinese healing and martial arts traditions, tai chi and qigong offer an integrated approach that supports healing without force or strain, making the practices accessible to people with pain as well as those seeking lasting well-being.

The practices taught in this workshop are grounded in the same core principles examined in a 350-participant randomized controlled trial of a virtual tai chi and qigong program for chronic low back pain, published in the North American Spine Society Journal. You will gain insight into how traditional training methods—integrating stillness, awareness, and intentional movement—were structured and evaluated in clinical research.

The workshop will also include a presentation by special guest Dr. Roger Härtl, a world-renowned leader in minimally invasive spinal surgery and an advocate for multidisciplinary approaches in spine care. Dr. Härtl will share clinical perspectives on integrative strategies for managing chronic back pain.

On Saturday evening, as part of the weekend program, join spine surgeon Dr. Roger Härtl, Tai Chi master Yang Yang, PhD, and internationally acclaimed musician Yang Ying for a rare interdisciplinary evening exploring healing through science, movement, and music. This session is also open to the broader Kripalu community.

Recommended Reading: Yang Yang, PhD, et al. A Tai Chi and Qigong Mind-Body Program for Low Back Pain: A Virtually Delivered Randomized Controlled Trial

NOTE: No prior experience with tai chi or qigong is necessary. This workshop is appropriate for individuals with chronic back pain, health professionals, and those interested in gentle, evidence-informed approaches to long-term well-being.