The Listening Body
Qigong, Chinese Medicine & Craniosacral Therapy
Tulum, Mexico
February 17–22, 2027
Who It’s For
This retreat is intentionally open to both practitioners and people with no previous bodywork training. Acupuncturists, bodyworkers, and yoga or Qigong teachers will find real material to bring home. So will anyone simply curious about the body’s subtle signals. No previous experience with Qigong, Chinese medicine, or craniosacral therapy is required.
Daily Qigong
Morning practice grounds every day, building awareness and calm before the teaching begins.
Hands-On Learning
Real partner practice, not just lecture. You’ll be listening through touch by day two.
Small & Intentional
This retreat stays small on purpose, so there’s room for real attention and real questions.
Rest Built In
The retreat house holds space for quiet, integration, and slowing all the way down.
The 6-Day Path
Day 0
Arrival
Settle into the retreat house, meet the group, welcome dinner.
Day 1
Understanding the Body
Craniosacral system basics and an introduction to Chinese medicine.
Day 2
Listening
Palpation practice, listening stations, and the first group excursion.
Day 3
Working With the Body
The most hands-on day. Techniques, partner practice, real application.
Day 4
Integration
Bringing Qigong, Chinese medicine, and craniosacral work together. Second group excursion.
Day 5
Listening Forward
Closing circle, reflection, and departure.
For Those New to These Practices
What Is Qigong, Chinese Medicine & Craniosacral Therapy?
Qigong
A traditional Chinese health and self-cultivation practice integrating posture, movement, breath regulation, attention, and energetic awareness to cultivate and regulate Qi. Practiced for overall health, vitality, and resilience, Qigong can support personal well-being while also developing the body awareness, sensitivity, and self-regulation useful when working therapeutically with others.
Chinese Medicine
A comprehensive medical system that understands health through the dynamic relationships among organ systems, tissues, channels, emotions, environment, and natural cycles. Frameworks such as Yin-Yang, the Five Phases, Qi, Blood, and the channel network are used to understand patterns of health and dysfunction and to guide practices that support both prevention and treatment.
Craniosacral Therapy
A gentle, hands-on therapeutic approach grounded in anatomy, physiology, skilled palpation, and perception of subtle tissue movement and rhythmic activity within the craniosacral system. Through sustained, attentive contact, CST is used to support nervous-system regulation and address a broad range of physical and functional concerns · including pain and tension, stress-related and mental-emotional patterns, and digestive or other autonomically mediated symptoms · while following the body’s response rather than imposing a predetermined correction.
A Note on the Relationship Between the Three Modalities
Qigong, Chinese medicine, and craniosacral therapy are distinct systems and traditions. This retreat does not present them as interchangeable. Instead, it explores areas of resonance between them and asks what each can reveal about the others.
Qigong offers an embodied practice of cultivating awareness and sensitivity. Chinese medicine offers a framework for understanding patterns, relationships, cycles, tissues, organs, emotions, and the environment. Craniosacral therapy offers a hands-on practice of listening to the body through touch, rhythm, tissue, and subtle movement.
Participants are welcome to explore these practices together, or to notice which aspects speak most strongly to them.
The Big Highlights
What You’ll Experience
Daily Qigong Practice
Morning practice that builds body awareness and self-regulation · the same sensitivity you’ll need when working hands-on with someone else.
Craniosacral Listening
Hands-on training in palpation and subtle listening, learning to support the nervous system by following the body’s response rather than imposing a fix.
Chinese Medicine Foundations
A complete medical framework · organ systems, channels, and natural cycles · used to understand patterns of health, not just isolated symptoms.
Partner Practice
Quiet, focused work with a partner, developing real listening skills through touch and observation.
Tulum Jungle & Coast
Two half-day excursions into the landscape around the retreat · a change of pace, and a chance to let the material settle.
The Practitioner
Emily Morrison, LAc, MAOM
Emily is a licensed acupuncturist, educator, and the practitioner behind Valley Spirit in Beacon, New York. For more than twenty years she has studied and practiced bodywork, Chinese medicine, herbal medicine, craniosacral therapy, qigong, and the internal arts.
Fifteen years of lineage training with the North American Tang Shou Tao Association shaped how she works: classical Chinese medicine, internal martial arts, qigong, and the Gongfu medicine traditions carried within that lineage.
What This Retreat Includes
The Scope, Confirmed · The Numbers, Coming Soon
Retreat house stay a private house near Tulum
Fresh daily meals mostly plant-based, prepared on-site
Two group excursions jungle, coast, or local culture
Full curriculum Qigong, Chinese medicine & craniosacral training
Small group setting kept intentionally intimate
Glimpses of Tulum
The Jungle, the Coast, and the Practice Space
"Most of the time we react first and ask questions later. This retreat asks something different · pause, listen, then respond. That's true whether you're learning craniosacral work or just learning to hear your own body again."
What Clients Say
About Emily’s Practice at Valley Spirit
“I am a bodyworker myself and I feel I receive the highest comprehensive treatment when I come in for a session. Emily holds a deep and safe presence in each of her treatments. Her knowledge of Chinese medicine is vast and deep, coupled with intuition and wisdom.”
“Emily took the time to sit with me and listen first, to all kinds of past pains and issues I had so many feelings about. She made me feel safe and checked in with me throughout the session. I trusted her completely. I felt heard, and seen, and cared for.”
“The somato-emotional releases brought on through her craniosacral treatments created a healing I rarely experience in so few sessions. Her combinations were unique, and released more than just physical injury.”
“Emily is so strong and intuitive. I’ve been seeing her and her students for years, and my body and mind are better for it.”
“I am a bodyworker myself and I feel I receive the highest comprehensive treatment when I come in for a session. Emily holds a deep and safe presence in each of her treatments. Her knowledge of Chinese medicine is vast and deep, coupled with intuition and wisdom.”
“Emily took the time to sit with me and listen first, to all kinds of past pains and issues I had so many feelings about. She made me feel safe and checked in with me throughout the session. I trusted her completely. I felt heard, and seen, and cared for.”
“The somato-emotional releases brought on through her craniosacral treatments created a healing I rarely experience in so few sessions. Her combinations were unique, and released more than just physical injury.”
“Emily is so strong and intuitive. I’ve been seeing her and her students for years, and my body and mind are better for it.”
Reserve Your Interest
Space & Pricing Coming Soon
Be the first to know
We’re finalizing the retreat house, exact dates, and pricing. Join the list and you’ll hear first, with no obligation to book anything today.
Join the Interest ListNo payment required. We’ll reach out with room options and pricing as soon as they’re confirmed.
Who It’s For
Two Kinds of People, One Room
Practitioners
- Acupuncturists & Chinese medicine practitioners
- Massage & bodywork practitioners
- Somatic, yoga & Qigong teachers
- Other health & wellness professionals
Curious Beginners
- Anyone who’s experienced craniosacral work and wants to understand it
- Anyone curious about the body’s subtle signals
- Anyone wanting a gentler way of relating to their own body
- Anyone ready to slow down and actually listen
Common Inquiries
Q&A · Details & Preparation
The retreat house is still being finalized. We’re looking at private, intimate spaces in the Tulum area, and we’ll share full accommodation details with everyone on the interest list as soon as the venue is confirmed.
Yes. This retreat is intentionally small, so solo travelers are well-supported and connected to the group from day one. No previous connection to anyone else attending is needed.
No, you’ll book your own flights, most likely into Cancun International Airport (CUN), the nearest major airport to Tulum. Ground transportation and transfer logistics are still being finalized, and we’ll share arrival details once they’re set.
No previous experience is required. The retreat is open to both practitioners and curious beginners, and the material is taught so that both can follow it.
No. This retreat is educational and experiential, not a craniosacral certification or a comprehensive Chinese medicine training. It’s meant to give you a meaningful foundation, not a professional credential.
There’s no payment required to join the interest list, and no cancellation policy applies yet since registration hasn’t opened. Full pricing and booking terms will be shared once dates and the venue are confirmed.