静
Still
The heart of the method: an hour that is quiet, unscored and yours.
The method · 归
A path from the world back to yourself
We call the method The Return. Its structure is the same for everyone; the way you walk it is your own. Every body, breath and mind is different — the method offers the path, not the answer.
One class
Five passages
A full circle: in through the threshold, through body and breath to the mind, then back out into the world carrying the state with you. The room’s light, sound and scent change with each passage — the space is part of the method.
-
到
Arrive10 min
Shoes off, phone silenced and put away, a cup of warm tea. Find a mat or a chair. The light comes down.
Warm light, warm tea. One scent by the door for anyone who wants it — never filling the room.
-
松
Release15 min
Slow, supported shapes from yin and restorative practice — until the body stops asking for attention.
Low light, a slow soundscape.
-
息
Breathe10 min
The breath slows and the out-breath grows a little longer — gently, never held, never forced. The light and sound of the room rise and fall with it.
The room breathes at about six breaths a minute. Follow it, or keep your own pace.
-
观
Observe25 min
Lying down or sitting, doing nothing. Thoughts and feelings come and go; you neither push them away nor hold on.
Near-stillness overhead. The image moves slower than the breath.
-
归
Return15 min
Slowly bring this state back into the body and out into the world. The hour ends with three words: You’re back.
Light returns. Tea after, if you like; nobody has to talk.
Graded by the mind
Three depths
Classes are not graded by difficulty of pose, but by how quiet the mind can become. Your record keeps only two words a visit: how you arrived, and how you left.
- 一 · 1
Let go
In the room
For one hour, you really set the outside world down.
- 二 · 2
Notice
In the room and at home
In daily life you begin to notice when your breath goes shallow and your mind is pulled away.
- 三 · 3
Hold your own
Anywhere
Anywhere, a few breaths bring you back. This is graduation: you no longer need to come — you like to.
Three modes
Still, Gather, Roam
Gather brings people in. Still keeps them. Roam is our newest, quietest experiment.
聚
Gather
Breathing together: first sixteen people in a borrowed room; one day, perhaps a hundred under a dome, their breathing slowly falling into step.
All gatherings游
Roam
The world opens only as you breathe out. The slower the breath, the further you travel. No score, no end.
Try it nowYour way
The same path, walked differently
The body
Age, injuries and flexibility shape the Release passage. Nothing is ever forced.
The season of life
Sleep, mood and rhythm change across a life — especially for women. We design for these seasons, not only for levels.
What the heart needs
Some come to let something out, some for quiet, some for company, some to be alone. The Observe passage is guided accordingly.
Today
The same person is different every day. Each practice starts from today, not from last week’s plan.
Human teachers make the judgements in the room. Your record remembers. The tools on this site carry the practice home — and aim to be outgrown.
Boundaries
What the method is not
- We look after body, breath, mind and mood — but this is not psychotherapy or medical care. Teachers are not therapists, and we make no claim to treat any condition. When something is beyond us, we refer you to people who can help.
- The method must be teachable. It is being written into a bilingual teacher’s manual: how long each passage lasts, what is said, and what is not.
- Yoga is the first door, not the only one. The five passages hold any gentle practice; the centre is always the breath.