Last Thursday evening Mood Food opened its doors to the movers and shakers of Yangshuo, in a fantastic event that involved great food, great conversation… and a whole load of dirt. We started with a buffet that featured all of the Mood Food team’s star dishes (there are a lot) and a fantastic documentary called ‘Dirt!’, which brings to life the environmental, economic, social and political impact that soil has. It shares the stories of experts from all over the world who study and are able to harness the beauty and power of a respectful and mutually beneficial relationship with soil. Highly recommended! Then, as if that wasn’t enough, the key event of the night was a brilliant talk by Natural Building Architect Fredrik Dolmans. Currently based in Beijing, Fredrik has worked all over the globe, focusing on the development of buildings that use local natural resources and respect the particular ecosystem of an area. Over the past few years, he has run workshops all over China. Fredrik is passionate about teaching people how to adapt building techniques to their particular environment, and is even helping communities re-discover old building methods that were close to being forgotten. Thursday’s talk was highly inspirational, and it was great to see so many people, both Chinese and foreigners, so enthusiastic about the topic of Natural Building. There were plenty of questions to be answered after Fredrik had finished, and the talking went on into the small hours of the morning. The evening had such a fantastic atmosphere, and there was a real buzz of excitement in the air. So to everyone who...
“It’s all together that we will build a better world for tomorrow. We all have within us a part of the solution. To act brings happiness.” – Yann Arthus-Bertrand Wandering Dao has a large desire to give back to the world and share the wealth of its experience, knowledge and wisdom. This desire takes many different forms… from retreats and detox programs to the development of online materials, we are always looking for new platforms from which to share and learn. With this in mind, we have an exciting new platform under development, The Community Project. Encompassing Wandering Dao’s core philosophies or community, sustainability, health and education, The Community Project will be a self-sustaining, self-sufficient Eco-Village. Throughout history, strategies that promote the separation of people and the holding of power over one another has always led to injustice and self-destruction. Moreover, these strategies have kept humanity away from its ultimate quest… that of abundance, peace and happiness. Wandering Dao aims to take these lessons and learn from them, creating a community where both power and dignity are shared equally. Using Permaculture techniques that work with the Earth and respect its natural patterns, The Community Project will be an ‘off the grid’ Eco-Village capable of accommodating 100-150 people. To create the blueprint for this project, we have been re-examining the principles that govern our existence. According to Daoist philosophy, our entire universe is one singular living organism, and every component within that employs the same organizing principles. By obeying these principles, which provide stability and abundance to all creation, the elements of enslavement, poverty and injustice are naturally eradicated. This...
8 people have arrived at Wandering Dao from all corners of the globe (with a few more yet to join us), ready to start a 100-day placement involving both ‘work’ and ‘study’ elements. During the work element of the program, participants will take part in one of the (awesome) projects going on this year… There is a book and app being developed on Nutritional Healing. There are photography and video presentations being created, that will document what’s happening at Wandering Dao. There are communication tasks, blogging and updates to be written. And the Community Project will be brought to a new level this year, with a lot of exciting progress being made. So a lot to get stuck into! As for the study side of the program, where to start?! There is so much to learn… our mornings are now becoming an opportunity for us to explore different Daoist and Qigong practices, such as Ba Duan Jin, Zhan Zhuang and various forms of Meditation, all under the watchful eye of Master, teacher and friend Daniel Li Ox. When the WSP program is complete, participants will be free to attend the 6-week Self-Healing Essentials Empowering Program (S.H.E.E.P) retreat here at the centre. The S.H.E.E.P retreat will run this year from Oct 18 – Nov...
Things at the center are finally coming together. This week, we completed the move into our spectacular new kitchen and most of the debris has been lifted from the future dining area. Now we are simply awaiting the addition of furnishings, some more kitchen appliances, plus a few more staff members and the Mood Food Café will be under way! The best part is that we have to use the coming weeks to test all the recipes we plan to have as menu options. Nothing but good eatin’ ahead! In other news, we have a new work/study student joining us. We have all welcomed Bridget (USA) with open arms, but didn’t waste a moment before putting her to work! She accepted her new role gracefully, and the team feels even more complete now. Stay tuned for an interview with Bridget in a coming newsletter! Last week marked the beginning of a new segment in our training called the Dao of Mind Control. This is the second section of the Self Healing Essentials Empowerment Program that will comprise the second two week block of the retreat in October as well. As the meditation deepens, creativities abound – perfect timing for us all to collaborate on the final design work for the new...
Master Gao Yan-Tao passed away in his sleep on June 15th, 2013. One of my most revered masters just passed away in his sleep at the age of 88 years old. He practiced and taught Qi Gong, Tai Ji, and Kung Fu until his last day, was never sick during his life and died healthy. I will always remember this great man for his humility, and for his peaceful and pacifying mind. His disciples called him Papa. Out of all the great training Papa gave me, I will remember and pass forward two main messages. They were expressed in his extremely limited English: “Hey! Very good” and “One more time”. He taught all his students to love themselves and appreciate their progress as it unfolds, and to be consistent with their practices as consistency is the secret behind mastery. Thank you, Papa for your life and may you travel as gracefully dressed in Light as you did in your training...
The building we have come to call home still bears the original name “Om Yoga Center,” but big changes are in the works! In fact, this text is born to the sounds of a massive renovation effort. Very soon, the sign out front will read “Xingfu Li Zhiliao Zhongxin,” or “Inner Happiness Healing Center” in English, and what was once a modest yoga studio will be transformed into a complete wellness center offering qigong and yoga classes, detox services and much, much more. In addition, the center will be home to Mood Food Energy Cafe which will offer an exclusive menu based around the Wandering Dao philosophy: “Healing simply happens through healthy lifestyle choices.” As its owner Daniel Li Ox says, “[These choices] imply your emotional and mental habits, proper exercise and proper nutrition. And we’ll embody them all in our centre!” The buzz is already circulating around town, and the excitement is building with healthy meals, raw food options, and superfoods being rather unexplored territory here in the otherwise visitor-friendly...
After operating for many years in a small studio in Bali, Indonesia, Qigong Master Daniel Li Ox has relocated his training center to a spectacular location in the mountains of Southern China. The region is home to the rich culture and stunning scenery that gave birth to Daoist philosophy and the ancient healing arts of qigong and meditation. “Everything got too easy on Bali, on that island where one can forget that a world exist around” Daniel says simply.” China feels real, raw. All the paradoxes of life are present. No wonder why all the tools to face them were also born here. China is a great place to let your egoistic ideals die and to broaden your capacity to feel real life. China is surely THE spot on Earth to get stronger.” The new home of Wandering Dao is in the picturesque Chinese town of Yangshuo which has inspired everyone from ancient artists to modern filmmakers. The backdrop for our qigong training is now literally the same as that of “Star Wars” and “Avatar” films. With two majestic rivers flowing amidst the myriad steep mountain peaks, the energy of this place is like no other on Earth. Blessed...
