Daylong Meditation & Qigong Retreat || Movement & Stillness

Meditation & Qigong for the Deep Winter; a Daylong/Half-day Retreat

“And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”
– T.S. Eliot

• Note: you must fill out this Google Form to register!

Join us for a daylong retreat to mark the turning of the year, co-led by Nick Ingrisani and Laure Marin de la Vallée. As we approach the longest night, we gather to cultivate the internal resources—heat, stillness, and attention—required to navigate the winter.

Together, we will merge the heart-centered practice of Mindfulness Meditation with the structural grounding of Qigong. We will move between stillness and motion, tuning into the wider forces that move us and metabolizing the sediment of the year.

This retreat is for you if:

• You are feeling the weight of the year-end and need a space to lay it down.
• You wish to bridge the gap between sitting practice and movement.
• You are looking for a container of quietude in community before the holiday noise.

The Container Includes:

• Seated & walking meditation practice
• Qigong fundamentals
• Opening dharma talk
• Guided meditation instruction
• Mindful eating (Please bring a lunch to stay in the container)
• Dharma sharing / Q&A session

A Note on Timing, from Laure: This retreat marks the Winter Solstice and serves as the closing event for my practice before my upcoming travels in India. It is a time to gather the community one last time in 2025.

What is Qigong? The Neijing warns: "If you wait until you are sick to heal, it is like waiting until you are thirsty to dig a well." Qigong is the digging of that well. It is a practice of internal hygiene, a method to discover, understand, and regulate the current of vitality that connects us to the wider ecology. While there are 40,000 forms, we seek only the essence: to anchor our minds in our bodies within the present moment. Through slow movement, self-awareness stabilizes to reveal our center and restore the body's innate capacity for resilience. We will be practicing fundamental patterns

*A detailed retreat schedule will be sent to participants prior to the retreat. Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome!

+ Location: Studio Mariko Tanabe || 5445 Av. de Gaspé, le studio 609A, Montréal, QC H2T 3B2

+ Date/Time: 9:30am – 4:45pm (Half-Day option 9:30am – 1:00pm) || Saturday December 20

• Price:

Benefactor = $108+
Supporting = $77+
Standard = $55
Supportive / Half-day = $33+

• Registration: Please fill out this Google form to reserve your spot.

*This daylong retreat is facilitated by Nick Ingrisani and Laure Marin de la Vallée.

Nick has held a consistent meditation practice since 2013, primarily in the lineages of Tibetan and Theravāda Buddhism. He recently stepped onto the teaching path after completing Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach's two-year meditation teacher training program. Nick's approach to meditation is centered on everyday life, weaving the practice into our daily rhythms, responsibilities, and communities. By practicing and cultivating presence throughout our lives, we awaken our hearts to meet each moment with more compassion, gratitude, and courage. Explore Nick's writing here

Laure is a somatic educator, bodyworker, Ayurvedic consultant, and writer. Living with over 25 years of chronic autoimmunity, Laure’s work focuses on deep listening to the body and the repair of its place within wider ecology. Their movement offering is grounded in their daily practice of Tàijíquán and Zhan Zhuang, bridging internal arts with somatic repair. Through their projects, they create spaces to metabolize the sediment of the industrial world and restore the body's autonomous rhythm. Learn more at https://mxmarin.ca

**Space is limited to 12 people.

***Please bring your own lunch and utensils to join the mindful eating practice. If you are unable to bring your own lunch, there are many restaurants and cafes nearby, but We strongly recommend bringing a simple lunch to stay within the container of the practice. Silence will be maintained during the meal.