a practice of returning to our bodies without turning away from the world.

I'm Pen, a qigong practitioner, tarot reader and community advocate based on Birpai Country in Guruk/Port Macquarie, NSW.

Qi By The Sea began with qigong, but over the last few years it has led me to a much bigger question about what it means to stay fully human in the world we live in.

How do we rest without disengaging? How do we take action without losing ourselves? How do we feel anger without letting it incinerate us, or grief without drowning?

Our bodies are not separate from politics, place, work, ageing, care or community. What we have learned to ignore in our bodies is often connected to what we have been taught not to question in the world.

Through qigong, tarot and reflection, I explore the relationship between the two. Qigong helps us return to sensation, movement and place. Tarot gives us 78 lanterns, each capable of illuminating something we may have been taught not to see.

These practices do not offer an escape from the world. Instead they can help us meet it with more discernment, agency and imagination.

Here you’ll find field notes from my own practice, free community sessions and occasional workshops for people who want to remain connected to themselves, each other and what matters.