Vision & Direction
Wood
What lets you grow, plan, and move forward. When it runs low you feel stuck — overthinking every decision, holding onto resentment, unable to choose a direction. Associated with anger.
Charting Paths
RISE IMMERSIVE RETREAT
Nanning, China · 5–8 Nov 2026
RISE
This November, join us for the RISE Immersive Retreat in Nanning, China.
You leave with a direction and sharper intuition
Fire years 2026 and 2027 bring rapid and disruptive change, where doors close and open at the same speed. Fire also governs the heart, surfacing questions you've been too busy to sit with: whether the pace you're keeping is sustainable, and whether your long hours are worth it. Over four days in Nanning, guided by Chinese Astrology, you will reset accumulated fatigue, reduce the mental load of constant decisions, and restore the clear thinking you need to move with intention.
YOU'RE INVITED4 DAYS · 3 NIGHTS · EARLY BIRD CLOSES 31 JULY 2026
IN CHINESE ASTROLOGY
2026 and 2027: Fire can burn or fuel
2026 is a Fire Horse (丙午) year and 2027 a Fire Goat (丁未) year. Fire is the dominant element in these two consecutive years, which are known as the Crimson Horse and Scarlet Goat Calamity (赤马红羊劫), occurring once every 60 years.
The Crimson Horse and Scarlet Goat Calamity is typically characterised by rapid and disruptive changes that leave a lasting impact. 2026 has seen new wars being fought in Iran and the Middle East, artificial intelligence changing how work gets done, and jobs disappearing overnight even at profit-making companies.
Keeping your head low and working hard no longer guarantees employment. A constant income stream may have guaranteed stability and satisfaction for your parents, but does it for you?
Disruption cuts both ways. Doors can close or open at the same speed, and it has never been easier to pivot, to build something different, to stop waiting for permission to go after what you actually want.
Fire is also the element that governs the heart, which is about joy, enthusiasm and clear thinking. In Fire years, accumulated fatigue has a way of surfacing questions you have been too busy to sit with: whether the pace you are keeping is actually sustainable, and whether your long hours is worth it.
Silencing these uncomfortable questions does not settle the unrest. Acting with clarity does.
This retreat quiets the noise.
Over four days in Nanning, you will be guided on recharging your energy using Chinese Astrology: resetting accumulated fatigue, reducing the mental load of constant micro-decisions, and restoring the clear thinking you need to move with intention.
You leave with a direction and sharper intuition: whether this is in the form of strategic questions, or planned actions.
FIRE FUELS THE HEART
Clarity comes from quieting noise
This is a retreat guided by Chinese Astrology, where you get to step into and immerse your five senses in the five elemental experiences. From the busy city streets to the scenic and sometimes sleepy countryside, you get to enjoy energy detoxification and recharging methods of different elements with expert guidance.
This sharpens intuition.
Sleep is not compromised, so you don't need another holiday to recover from this. Tasting local flavours is part of the fun: the local Zhuang ethnic group favours sour and spicy, whilst local adaptations of the Cantonese cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine are commonly available because of the proximity to Guangzhou and the Vietnam border.
Suitable for all fitness levels.
01
Recharge in nature
Trading in the city skyline for the rustic countryside. You get to feel the naturally cool weather against your skin and feast your eyes on the lush nature. In a world where everything is fighting for attention, your five senses will thank you for this sensory reset.
What the experience includes: Guided energy detoxification to allow space for clarity and to reduce decision-making time.
02
Immerse in five elements
Guided by Chinese Astrology, you get to release tension in your body through the immersive experiences incorporating Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water elements. This resets accumulated fatigue and rebalances the five elements in your body.
What the experience includes: Guidance on the elements that recharge you most effectively, so you don't waste time on what doesn't.
03
Sleep in luxury on all nights
Rest is essential for the body. You get to sleep in the luxurious 5-star Shangri-La hotel in Nanning. In a room of your own. No snoring, no compromises. Shared-room rate available for those who prefer to share a room.
What the experience includes: Single occupancy room for all three nights.
04
Eat local flavours
Local flavours at well-established restaurants are included. And you get to try street food at the bustling night markets if you want to.
What the experience includes: Meals for the first three days and breakfast for Day 4.
THE FIVE ELEMENTAL EXPERIENCES
Release tension and recharge using the five elements
The five elements form the basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each of these five elements is linked to a particular mental or emotional state and also correlates to at least one organ. More importantly, the five elements can be experienced in different practices. During this immersive retreat, you will get to try these for yourself to start releasing accumulated tension in the body.
Passion & Connection
Fire
What gives you warmth and real connection. When it runs low you feel disconnected from your work, flat around people, performing an energy you don't feel. Associated with joy.
Grounded & Belonging
Earth
What lets you care for yourself and others, and feel settled. When it runs low you take on too much and try to control instead of feeling safe. Associated with worry.
Knowing Your Worth
Metal
What helps you know your worth, set boundaries, and let go. When it runs low you stay in situations you've already outgrown, unable to walk away. Associated with grief and sadness.
Depth & Reserves
Water
What lets you reflect deeply and face the unknown steadily. When it runs low you feel tired, afraid, or tend to drift along with the highs and lows of others. Associated with fear.
All five are worked into the four days you spend with us.
YOU'RE INVITED
What this actually gives you
What's included
- ✦3 nights at Shangri-La Nanning (available on a first come, first served basis), or a 5-star hotel
- ✦Meals included for Days 1, 2 and 3; breakfast provided for Day 4
- ✦Elemental immersion experiences, local sightseeing and all planned activity fees are included
- ✦Group transport arrangements and group airport transfers are included at announced timings
ACCOMMODATION IN NANNING
Room of your own in the scenic Nanning
For this retreat, we will be based in Nanning, which is nicknamed China's "Green City". Here, the five elements are well-balanced, which is a great boost for the immersive experiences.
Energy resets are optimal when you have your own space, even for a few hours. You will have a room of your own. No sharing even if you bring a friend, unless you want to.
We will be staying in the comfort of Shangri-La Nanning, the tallest Shangri-La hotel in the world. The hotel occupies floors 68 to 88, offering views of the entire city.
Note: A full payment is required to secure your room at Shangri-La, on a first come, first served basis. A room at another 5-star hotel will be arranged if Shangri-La is no longer available at the time of your payment.
Your facilitator
Gwen Ho
Founder, Charting Paths
Gwen is research-driven. She does not adopt a modality because it sounds compelling. She looks for clinical evidence (even for skincare ingredients) and most recently, personal proof.
When Gwen was advised to proceed with surgery for a torn meniscus, she refused to. She had previously underwent a surgery with complications and took one full year to recover, so she wanted to avoid surgery as much as she could.
So she began her search and tried a combination of physical work, Traditional Chinese Medicine and quantum physics modalities: physiotherapy, strength training, pilates, ART (active release technique), acupuncture, tuina, cupping, Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Frequency treatment and BodyTalk. She made her choice through careful research, chance encounters and also Chinese Astrology forecasts.
The result? Her surgeon discharged her. Surgery not required.
Over the years she has explored and trained across four broad areas:
- Mental Health and Wellbeing: Certified Mental Health First Aider
- Coaching and Inner Architecture: Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Neuro-Linguistic Enneagram Practitioner
- Pattern Recognition and Timing: Trained in BaZi, QiMen DunJia and Numerology
- Biohacking and Quantum Science: Certified BodyTalk Practitioner, Forest Bathing Therapy
That experience sharpened what Charting Paths is built on: the heart-body connection is the backbone of the nervous system.
PAST RETREAT IN PHOTOS
The investment
RISE IMMERSIVE RETREAT · NANNING · 5–8 NOV 2026
USD 2,500
Early Bird: USD 2,000 (until 31 July 2026)
- ✦3 nights at Shangri-La Nanning (available on a first come, first served basis), or a 5-star hotel
- ✦Meals for Days 1, 2 and 3 are included; breakfast for Day 4 is provided
- ✦Elemental immersion experiences, local sightseeing and all planned activity fees are included
- ✦Group transport arrangements and group airport transfers are included at announced timings
A deposit of USD 500 secures your slot in the retreat.
A full payment is required to secure your room at Shangri-La Nanning, available on a first come, first served basis.
Invitations to the retreat close 20 September 2026.
What past participants say
Voices from women who have been there
What she liked: The retreat was highly personalised and a customised report was shared with the participants.
What she liked: The retreat was fully planned by Gwen and it offered her a chance to go with the flow. The three days also gave her rich insights, and she made new friends.
What she liked: Recharging and releasing tension can feel very vulnerable, but Gwen held a safe space for the participants.
What she liked: The retreat was very different to her usual holidays, and she left feeling more relaxed.