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MEA 3-Day Deep Dive

Qigong for Your Second Act: Real Energy for the Work That Matters

With Master Mingtong Gu
Sep 3 - 6, 2026 Santa Fe, USA
Enroll Now Book A Call
Partial Scholarship Available. Apply Here.

Is a partial scholarship for you?

We believe in making personal growth and education accessible to everyone, which is why we offer partial scholarships on a needs-aware basis for many of our programs.

These scholarships support individuals facing financial challenges, including — but not limited to — members of underrepresented communities. If financial stress might prevent you from attending a workshop, we encourage you to apply.

Partial scholarships, provided through the Association for Growth and Education, are limited to 2–3 seats per workshop and reviewed in the order received. We recommend applying as soon as possible, as scholarship decisions are typically confirmed 90–120 days before the workshop date.

Apply Now
Mingtong Gu

Qigong Master Embodied Awakening Movement & Chi Center Founder Beloved teacher at Kripalu, Esalen, Omega

Early Enrollment Rate, Save 10%!
When you book before July 5, 2026

You finally know who you are and what you're here to do – but your body can barely keep up with your desires.

It’s the Modern Elder paradox…

You've spent decades accumulating wisdom. You've clarified your values and know what matters most to you now – and have a clear vision for what you want your life to look like going forward.

Now if only you had the consistent energy to bring your vision to life.

You wish you had the energy that spurred you on in your 20s and 30s – but lately it feels like you're leading more from exhaustion than genuine aliveness.

You get depleted more quickly and there’s a steady undercurrent of strain – like you’re drawing from reserves that never get fully replenished. Maybe your fuse is shorter or your body feels “tired and wired” more often than you’d like.

And so your plans for living your best life are taking so much longer to be realized than you had hoped – and it’s hard not to get discouraged at your lack of forward progress.

There’s a part of you that has started to wonder: “Do I even have what it takes to create the life I want?”

The good news is, the energy you wish you had is inside you, waiting to be unlocked.

There’s a different way to move through your days so your body and nervous system feel energized and alive instead of constantly overdrawn.

  • Instead of bracing and pushing, you work directly with your body’s life force – your Qi, or chi – in ways that help your system actually let go and refill.
  • You begin to release stress stored in your nervous system and restore sustainable vitality from the inside out.
  • You experience more calm in your body, more clarity in your mind, and enough energy left to enjoy the work and people you care most about.
  • You gain the energetic support to feel present, alive, and resourced in your second act – not just getting through the day, but having the capacity to truly lead and live it.

All it takes is learning to work with your body's energy instead of against it – which you can do in three powerful days in Santa Fe, with an internationally recognized Qigong master.

Let Master Mingtong Gu show you how to turn stress and depletion into steady, sustainable vitality for your second act.

In this intimate 3-day workshop, you’ll learn to work directly with your body’s life force – your Qi (chi) – through gentle Wisdom Healing Qigong movement, breath, and sound, so your system can shift from constant overdrive into a more regulated, replenished state.

Instead of pushing through, numbing out, or crashing, you’ll learn to cultivate a new internal baseline of calm, clarity, and aliveness.

Master Mingtong Gu is an internationally respected Wisdom Healing Qigong teacher who’s spent decades helping people transform stress, pain, and exhaustion by working with energy medicine at the root.

Known for transmission-based practices that make powerful ancient methods feel simple, accessible, and even playful, he meets you where you are while expanding what feels possible for your health and presence.

You’ll apply these practices to real life – your work, your relationships, your impact, and how you lead yourself and others.

Our Rising Circle Ranch is designed to support this kind of deep reset: wide horizons, quiet mornings, star-filled nights, nourishing food, and a community of fellow travelers ready to live with more presence and less depletion. 

During your three days with Master Mingtong Gu, you will discover how to work with your body’s natural life energy and:

Learn core Wisdom Healing Qigong practices that help you shift from stress and depletion into more calm, clarity, and inner nourishment – without needing hours a day on the mat or another complicated routine.
Work directly with breath, movement, sound, and energy – to gently retrain your nervous system, so your body can downshift out of overdrive and remember how to rest, reset, and recharge.
Receive personalized guidance and real-time refinements from Mingtong, as he tunes into your energy and helps you adapt the practices to your body, your history, and the leadership and life demands you’re carrying now.
Experience what it’s like to practice in a close-knit group of peers – leaders, founders, and purpose-driven adults – where you can ask questions, share your experience, and feel the potency of doing this work in community rather than on your own.
Connect the dots between energy practice and everyday life: how to bring these tools into your workday, your relationships, and the moments when you most tend to override your own needs or push past your limits.
Be held by MEA’s signature hospitality: nourishing meals, thoughtful details, and a dedicated team that handles the logistics so you can fully drop into your own process.
Leave with simple, sustainable 10–15 minute practices you can carry home – so the steadiness, presence, and renewed energy you cultivate here can continue to grow long after you leave the ranch.

This Workshop
Is For You If…

  • You’ve been in “high‑functioning” mode for a long time – leading, deciding, holding responsibility – and your body is starting to tell you the way you’re doing it is not sustainable.
  • You’re tired of managing stress only at the surface level and sense that something deeper in your nervous system and energy needs attention, healing, and real support.
  • You’ve tried meditation, yoga, or other forms of mindfulness, but you’re curious about a more embodied, energy‑based practice that helps you release stress stored in your nervous system and feel change through your whole system, not just your mind.
  • You want simple, repeatable practices you can weave into real life: between meetings, before bed, and after hard conversations, rather than adding another big “should” to your to‑do list
  • You’re drawn to ideas like wholeness, inner harmony, and coming home to your body, and you want a grounded way to explore that through energy medicine and embodied awakening.
  • You know your energy, health, and presence are essential – at home, at work, and in whatever you’re building next – and you’re ready to invest in resetting the energetic foundation underneath your second act.

Meet Your Faculty

Mingtong Gu

Qigong Master of the Year | Founder of Wisdom Healing Qigong | Internationally Respected Teacher

Master Mingtong Gu is a renowned Wisdom Healing Qigong teacher who’s introduced these ancient, lineage-based practices to tens of thousands of students around the world. He’s known for helping people transform stress, pain, and exhaustion by working with energy at the root level, gently awakening the body’s natural capacity for healing, resilience, and joy.

Trained in China with Grandmaster Pang Ming at the world’s largest medicineless Qigong hospital, Mingtong carries a rare combination of deep tradition and contemporary insight. His teaching is grounded, accessible, and often playful, making subtle concepts feel tangible and helping students feel safe enough to soften, feel, and change.

  • Deep lineage: Mingtong studied directly within one of the most respected Qigong lineages and translates that wisdom into simple practices you can use in the midst of a full, modern life.
  • Recognized leadership: He was named Qigong Master of the Year by the 13th World Congress on Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
  • Trusted guide: Author of several books and creator of online programs, including the Qigong for Life Mastery and Pure Qi online series.

“We’re not trying to fix the mind or control the body. We’re awakening the deeper energy of life itself, so healing, peace, and joy can naturally arise from within.”

~ Mingtong Gu ~

Supported By the MEA Team

Amie Tullius

MEA Experience Facilitator

Amie Tullius is a New Mexico-based writer, gallerist, and creative collaborator. She’s spent over a decade as a gallery director, helped launch an international dance company, and has profiled and promoted artists and creators from around the world. She has an MFA in writing an ...

View Bio
Reserve Your Transformation
“Spending one day with Mingtong is like stepping into an energetic doorway where the impossible starts to feel inevitable. What I thought was just a ‘practice’ became a portal—he doesn’t teach change, he transmits a field that changes you. In just hours, I experienced a turning point I’d been circling for years, awakening something ancient, alive, and deeply relevant to the leader – and human – I am becoming.”
Chip Conley
MEA founder and New York Times bestselling author
"When I was at one of the lowest points in my life, a time when I was ready to walk off the earth, I had an opportunity to meet Master Mingtong Gu and do deep trauma work with him. This work literally saved my life and started me on a new path to healing relationships, consciously letting go of old stories and patterns and finding gratitude for the shadow, light and the joy has come through the acceptance of the whole me."
Michael Franti
Musician, Activist & Humanitarian
“Mingtong is full of vitality, wisdom, and skill. He is a real healer, and the practices he teaches can change your life.”
Jack Kornfield, Ph.D.
Best Selling Author, Spiritual Teacher, Cofounder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center
“Mingtong is the real deal – a humble powerhouse. His presence lights up a room, his teachings stay with you for life.”
Joan Borysenko
YT Bestselling Author & Mind-Body Pioneer

What you'll gain

A calmer, more resilient nervous system

Learn simple Qigong practices that help your body shift out of constant overdrive into a steadier, more regulated state. Begin to experience more ease, less reactivity, and a greater sense of peace by the end of each day.

Practical energy tools you can use daily

Leave with short, repeatable practices – using breath, movement, and sound – that fit into real life. You’ll know exactly what to do when you feel drained, wired, or overwhelmed.

A renewed connection to your own body and wisdom

Reconnect with your body as an ally instead of something to push through or manage. As you soften and listen, it becomes easier to sense what you need and make choices that support your well-being.

Supportive community and ongoing inspiration

Experience what it’s like to do this work in an intimate group where you’re seen, heard, and encouraged. The conversations, connections, and insights you gain here can continue to support you long after you leave.

Our Agenda at a Glance

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

4:00 PM: Check-In / Welcome

5:30 PM: Welcome Reception & Dinner

7:00 PM: Orientation Session

9:00 PM: Free Time

Friday:

7:30 AM: Mind + Body

8:30 AM: Breakfast

10:00 AM: Classroom Time

1:15 PM: Lunch

2:00 PM: Free Time

3:00 PM: Classroom Time

5:30 PM: Free Time

6:30 PM: Dinner

Saturday:

7:30 AM: Mind + Body

8:30 AM: Breakfast

10:00 AM: Classroom Time

1:15 PM: Lunch

2:00 PM: Free Time

3:00 PM: Classroom Time

5:30 PM: Free Time

6:30 PM: Dinner, Dessert & Graduation

8:00 PM: Evening Gathering

Sunday:

7:00 AM: Breakfast

9:30 AM: Checkout / Departure

*Please note all times are estimates and not all “classroom activities” take place in the actual classroom. This agenda is meant to give you an idea of the general flow of activities.

Step into transformation in the high desert

Rising Circle Ranch | Santa Fe, USA.

Our spectacular Santa Fe campus is located on an upscale regenerative ranch featuring traditional Pueblo architecture and nearly 2,600 acres of wildlife, hiking trails in the arroyo, and awe-inspiring beauty. Close to historic Santa Fe, an artisan’s mecca.

PLUS: Gourmet from-scratch meals, snacks, and drinks featuring locally sourced ingredients, made by our in-house chefs

  • Big-sky desert country
  • Breathtaking nature
  • Interaction with horses and donkeys
  • Evenings around the campfire
  • Star-gazing

Meet the horses of Rising Circle Ranch

Rising Circle Ranch spans 2,600 acres of New Mexico high desert – wide skies, rugged trails, and plenty of room to roam. During your stay, you’ll see that our horses are part of the daily rhythm of life on the ranch.

For our three-day workshops, optional guided rides are available to book on-site for an additional fee, depending on weather and ranch conditions. Led by experienced guides, these rides are open to all skill levels – from first-timers to seasoned riders.

You’ll experience highlights like:

  • Wildlife habitats and arroyo trails
  • Ancient petroglyphs
  • Breathtaking high desert vistas
  • The tranquil setting of our regenerative ranch

Your workshop also includes:

  • 3 nights of lodging at our world-class retreat center at Rising Circle Ranch, Santa Fe with all of your meals, snacks, drinks and other amenities included
  • Daily sessions and experiential activities to help you connect with your inner self, envision your desired experience, and release what no longer serves you
  • Mindfulness practices to soothe your nervous system and help you cultivate greater mindfulness and presence in the moment
  • Movement to get the energy flowing and build your strength and agility as you chart your course forward to the life you want to live
  • Incredible bonding experiences with the most amazing humans you’ll ever meet
  • Intimate gatherings to cultivate connection and celebrate the joy and beauty of life

Find the sustainable energy to create and live the life you dream of.

Whether you want to travel the world, launch a new business, give back to your community, or keep up with the grandkids, you need a body and nervous system that can truly sustain you in this next chapter – instead of relying on caffeine, willpower, or grimly pushing through.

With Qigong master Mingtong Gu, you will:

  • Practice Wisdom Healing Qigong methods that help you clear tension, pain, and emotional overload instead of storing it in your body
  • Experience what it’s like to have more energy at the end of the day – not because you did less, but because your life force is actually recharging
  • Learn how to use gentle movement, breath, and sound to support better sleep, steadier moods, and a clearer mind
  • Give your body a real chance to reset, so wired‑but‑tired nights and everyday tightness have space to genuinely shift

Step away for a few days and build the energetic capacity that makes your life, work, and second act truly sustainable.

Early Enrollment Rate, Save 10%!
When you book before July 5, 2026

Book your spot today

Qigong for Your Second Act: Real Energy for the Work That Matters

Sep 3 - 6, 2026 Santa Fe, USA
Early Enrollment Rate
$3,000 $2,700 per person
Enroll Now Book A Call
Partial Scholarship Available. Apply Here.

Is a partial scholarship for you?

We believe in making personal growth and education accessible to everyone, which is why we offer partial scholarships on a needs-aware basis for many of our programs.

These scholarships support individuals facing financial challenges, including — but not limited to — members of underrepresented communities. If financial stress might prevent you from attending a workshop, we encourage you to apply.

Partial scholarships, provided through the Association for Growth and Education, are limited to 2–3 seats per workshop and reviewed in the order received. We recommend applying as soon as possible, as scholarship decisions are typically confirmed 90–120 days before the workshop date.

Apply Now

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this workshop for?

This experience is for anyone in midlife who feels a bit checked out of life even though everything looks fine on paper. If you’re juggling work, relationships, and responsibilities while wondering about presence, purpose, and how to handle change without coming unglued, this workshop is for you.

Do I need to have meditation experience?

Not at all. If you can sit in a chair and be curious about your own mind, you’re in the right place. Beginners and long-time practitioners are both welcome. Dan designs his teaching for people who live in the real world, not in monasteries.

Is this workshop religious or spiritual?

Dan teaches from a Zen Buddhist lineage, but the emphasis here is on practical tools, not beliefs. You’ll hear stories and teachings from the Zen tradition, and you’ll be invited to reflect on your own values and meaning, but without any pressure to adopt a particular worldview.

What’s included in the tuition?

Your tuition includes all programming, three nights of accommodations, chef-prepared meals, snacks, drinks, and access to MEA’s inspiring campuses in either Baja or Santa Fe. The only additional costs are transportation to the venue and any personal incidentals.

How do I know if I qualify for a partial scholarship?

We offer partial scholarships on a needs-aware basis. Our goal is to make MEA accessible to those who may face financial barriers to attending. If you’re experiencing financial stress that could prevent your participation, we encourage you to apply for assistance.

What if I’m not sure if this workshop is right for me?

We’re happy to help. Book a free call with our team, and we can help you decide based on your current life situation, goals, and timing.

Still deciding or have questions?
Connect with our helpful team of Advisors

Our Advisors are all MEA alumni who can offer genuine insights into our programs. They’re passionate about helping you finding the right fit to make your next chapter the best one.

BOOK a cAlL

Daniel Booz

Lucas Erie

Leslie Bartlett