Tai Chi and Qigong for Back Pain: Empower Your Healing Journey

Imagine moving through pain with grace rather than fighting it—discovering practices refined over thousands of years that gently coax your spine back into alignment while calming the nervous system. This weekend workshop at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, MA brings together two remarkable guides: Master Yang Yang, PhD, and renowned spine surgeon Dr. Roger Hartl, who together bridge the ancient wisdom of tai chi and qigong with modern clinical science. Whether you've struggled with chronic back pain or simply seek sustainable well-being, this immersive experience offers a pathway grounded in evidence and accessible to bodies of all capacities.

Tai chi and qigong, rooted in traditional Chinese martial arts and healing traditions, are far more than slow movement practices. They are sophisticated systems that integrate intentional physicality with stillness, functional meditation, and breath awareness to release deep-seated tension, restore spinal alignment, and strengthen your core from the inside out. This workshop demystifies these practices and shows you how they support not only pain relief but also improved sleep, better balance, and profound stress regulation—without strain, force, or the risk of reinjury. A landmark randomized controlled trial involving 350 participants, published in the North American Spine Society Journal, confirms what practitioners have known for centuries: these methods work.

What to Expect

Over this transformative weekend, you'll learn foundational tai chi and qigong movements designed specifically to support spinal health and pain management. Master Yang Yang will guide you through slow, deliberate postures that lengthen and stabilize your spine, while Dr. Hartl offers clinical context on how these practices fit into a holistic approach to spine care. The instruction emphasizes accessibility—modifications are built in, and the atmosphere honors where each body is in its healing journey. You'll also discover the meditative dimension of these practices, where stillness becomes as important as motion.

A special Saturday evening event elevates the experience, weaving together movement, science, and music with internationally acclaimed musician Yang Ying, creating a multisensory exploration of how sound and embodied practice amplify healing.

By the end of the weekend, you'll have concrete, portable practices to take home—tools you can use daily to manage pain, reduce stress, and cultivate resilience in your body.

Venue & Logistics

Held at the serene Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, MA, this workshop runs Friday, November 20–Sunday, November 22, 2026. Wear comfortable, loose clothing that allows easy movement; no prior experience with tai chi, qigong, or yoga is necessary. The Kripalu Center offers residential accommodations and meals if you wish to deepen your retreat experience.