Secrets to Mastering the Five Elements
Workshop, November 14, 2010.
10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Mill Valley Community Center, Mill Valley, CA.

For all martial and internal arts artists, acupuncturists and healing arts professionals!
For the first time in the U.S., Donald Rubbo will reveal how to develop a felt sensation of the Five Elements and deepen one’s understanding of Taoist principles, in nature, and within ourselves.
For anyone, of any martial arts system or style, men and women, interested in increasing one’s mastery of the internal arts.
This day-long workshop will inform and empower you, as practitioners of tai chi chuan (regardless of style or form), qigong, Hsing Yi, Bagua, Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, acupressure, tuina, and all other internal martial and healing arts, and take you to higher levels of accomplishment.
We are a microcosm of the universe, not separate from nature, and all the elements and their corresponding qualities are deep within us, in our DNA. Learn how to embody the Five Elements to deepen your connection to nature, enhance your practice and positively influence the universal energies.
“Donald Rubbo takes you so much farther than most other teachers, and if you have an open mind and a receptive heart, there is no limit to the progress you can make and the wisdom you can cultivate!” William H.
Donald and Cheryl Lynne will teach how to integrate and express the Five Elements within yourself to bring about lasting inner and outer harmony through:
• The Five Forms
• The Five Tastes
• The Five Colors
• The Five Sounds
• The Five Seasons
• The Five Directions
• The Five Expressions
• The Five Yin and the Five Yang Organs
• The Five Remedies to the Negative Emotions
In Taoism and in traditional Chinese medical theory, the system of the Five Elements describes the interactions and relationships between phenomena. All of nature and the universe can be defined by the elements and all aspects of nature contain the principles of the five elements.
You don’t want to miss this exciting workshop, and the opportunity to study this profound subject with high-level masters.
Cost: $108.00
$50.00 non-refundable deposit after registration. Cancellations before 7 days of the event will receive a credit (minus $50). Cancellations within 7 days will be entirely non-refundable.
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Click here to view more photos of our Cooking with Chi! at EarthRising Retreat Center at IONS.
We ask, why be a master of one thing when you can be a master of all things? Would you like to achieve a level of awareness that encompasses all phenomena? Through the daily practice of breath work, meditation, guided intention and movement, the Qigong practitioner develops hyper-sensory awareness and a higher level of intuition. Primordial Qigong will lead you to the primordial state of pre-birth and help you to cultivate the state of Wu Ji, or Original Emptiness. Anyone can practice this profound, timeless system because it's easy to learn and daily practice can take about 8 to 12 minutes. For advanced practitioners, we recommend one hour a day of practice.
The rustic outdoor setting of the land at IONS is perfect for learning Primordial Qigong. By observing and integrating the elements of nature, participants will increase their sensitivity, deepen their intuition, gain a profound awareness of the world around us and develop extraordinary abilities that lead to re-aligning oneself with the natural order of the universe.
In this lovingly crafted digital eBook, Donald and Cheryl Lynne Rubbo present their take on Primordial Qigong, a gem from the treasure chest of Taoist mystical Qigong, emphasizing the role the mind (intention) plays in the alchemical process inherent in this form, to help you find the Fountain of Youth.
In its simplicity, Primordial Qigong covers the full range of Taoist theory and philosophy. One begins the form with emptiness, and from that emptiness is born yin and yang, and then from the two comes all things. Practicing this form brings harmony to Heaven, Earth and Humanity as you are moving through all of the directions of the Ba Gua, balancing the five elements, and reversing the seasons. After this journey, the practitioner returns back to the beginning--to a primordial state of being. The experience is that of a mystical rebirth, a perpetual renewing and continuation of the cycle of life.
Primordial Qigong is one of the oldest forms of qigong; the mythical Taoist sage Zhang Sanfeng, said to be the father of Tai Chi Chuan, is credited with creating Wu Ji Gung (Primordial Qigong.) Master Zhu Hui, the lineage holder of Primordial Qigong, taught this system to Donald Rubbo.
You will gain a deep understanding of how to…
- become one with the universe and access limitless potential
- trust and deepen your intuitive abilities
- cultivate a felt-sensation of the unseen, energetic matrix of existence
- participate in a closing ceremony, a special healing for the earth, for our loved ones and for the entire world
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Donald and Cheryl Lynne Rubbo lead their students and clients through the process of becoming mindfully aware of how and why assumptions have come to constrain the way we perceive, understand, and feel about our world; how to change these structures of habitual expectation to allow a more inclusive, discriminating, and integrating perspective; and, finally, making choices or otherwise acting upon these new understandings.
The Rubbos believe that in order for their students to change their meaning structures (beliefs, attitudes, and emotional reactions) they must engage in critical reflection on their experiences, which in turn leads to a transformation of perspective. applies modern science to ancient systems of health; we teach how intention and visualizations can create the conditions that lead to greater health, happiness and the felt-sense of being one with the universe.
Donald and Cheryl Lynne Rubbo’s annual Rubbo Art of Energy Retreats.
The shift toward environmentally friendly—or "green"—activities is impacting where people choose to exercise. Rubbo Art of Energy, based on ancient Asian martial and healing arts with a modern understanding of profound systems of transformation, has offered its classes, workshops and retreats outdoors in parks, sacred sites and power spots since 1980, and has been international since 2003.
“Rubbo Art of Energy is the creative process of cultivating, controlling and expressing energy for the attainment of the profound. Within that, all of the arts can find true expression,” says president and co-founder Donald Rubbo. “By emphasizing the importance of the mind in effecting change in body, mind and spirit, Rubbo Art of Energy is in the forefront of mind-body medicine.”
“Green Exercise” refers to physical activities that give participants the benefits not only of exercise but also of direct exposure to nature. A growing body of research shows that interacting with nature can positively impact health and well-being; relieve stress; promote concentration and clear thinking and increase happiness.
“Rubbo Art of Energy focuses on transformative learning, the process of becoming mindfully aware of how and why assumptions have come to constrain the way people perceive, understand, and feel about the world; how to change these structures of habitual expectation to allow a more inclusive, discriminating, and integrating perspective; and, finally, making choices or otherwise acting upon these new understandings,” says co-founder Cheryl Lynne Rubbo. “We believe that in order for our clients and students to change their meaning structures, beliefs, attitudes, and emotional reactions, they must engage in critical reflection on their experiences, which in turn leads to a transformation of perspective. And we know from scientific and medical research that when this type of work is done outdoors, the positive life-changes are much more profound and longer lasting. ”
Some of the systems of transformation offered at Rubbo Art of Energy Retreats:
- Primordial Qigong, a three-dimensional physical mandala, encompassing all of the primary aspects of Taoist philosophy: the concepts of yin yang, the trinity (heaven, earth and man), the Five Element theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the I Ching, the Bagua and the mystical aspects of numbers.
- Five Element Balancing Qigong, this system quickly brings body/mind/spirit into harmony by balancing each component of our bodies with its relationship with all aspects of nature: element, color, direction, season, sound and a negative and positive emotion.
- Healing Hands Qigong, cultivation exercises to develop powerful internal energy. Recommended for martial artists, acupuncturists, massage therapists, physiotherapists and anyone who uses healing techniques to benefit others. Uses intention to cultivate the energies of Earth, Environment and Heaven, and transform them into healing energy to send out the palms of one’s hands. Includes Dispel the Negative Qi, Stir the Cauldron of Qi, Cultivate and Send Qi.
- Spinal Qigong, exercises to stimulate the spine, the nervous system and the circulation of the entire body, promote self-awareness and self-healing for all levels of back and spinal problems, as well as increasing overall general health.
Also offered at the retreats are the rare and profound Guang Ping Yang Tai Chi Chuan, dynamic Shaolin Kungfu, BreatheStrong Extraordinary Breath meditation and Taoist Yoga.


