Gaia Ashram Comes to China: Echoes from Om’s Inspirational Tour! ✨
The ecovillage movement is a gentle yet powerful awakening – a global family remembering how to live in harmony with our beautiful Earth. While it feels like a modern wave, this collective dreaming began decades ago. At Gaia Ashram, we have always been blessed to sow these seeds, watching a generation of changemakers bloom.
This May, our co-founder Om, along with a beautiful circle of Gaia alumni, felt the call to weave these threads of connection into the fertile landscapes of China. For three weeks, they walked upon new soils, shared ancestral and ecological wisdom, and expanded our regional family. Across three provinces, it was a whirlwind of deep listening, heartfelt tears, mud-stained hands, and soulful reunions.
🌾 Sowing Design Seeds at Yuansu Natural Farm, Jiangsu
Our journey began with a 7-day Ecovillage Design Workshop (mini-EDE) at Yuansu Natural Farm in Jiangsu. As a pioneering base deep-rooted in permaculture and natural building, Yuansu itself stands as a living, breathing model of an eco-community. Over these seven days, around 20 beautiful souls – residents and seekers alike – lived and breathed together as one community.
Using the Gaia Education framework, we didn’t just study sustainability; we felt it. We explored how human settlements can actively heal the Earth, balancing social harmony, ecological systems, and shared worldviews. Working in small circles, the participants poured their visions onto paper – not as rigid projects, but as colorful, living blueprints ready to take root in the real world.
Echoes from a Participant: “This course allowed me to learn about different styles of leadership, the matrix of ecovillage design, and the lived experiences of intentional communities. Immersing myself by the beautiful lakeside, surrounded by natural buildings and the living environment, has left a deep imprint on my heart. It gave me a beautiful vision that makes my dreams feel more concrete and purposeful, giving me the energy to step forward.“
Awakening the Wild Heart at Yungu Community, Shanghai
Next, we traveled to the quiet edges of Shanghai, gathering at Yungu Community for a 5-day immersion combining Deep Ecology and Ecovillage Design. In a world that often moves too fast, this space became a sanctuary to slow down, press our hands to the earth, and practice The Work That Reconnects by Joanna Macy.
Moving through the sacred spiral of the framework, we allowed ourselves to feel it all – the grief we hold for our breaking world, and the fierce love that underlies it. Through collective rituals and barefoot nature connections, despair transformed into life-sustaining hope. By blending the head, heart, and hands, we remembered that we are not separate from nature; we are simply a part of this living Earth, remembering how to belong.
Yet, as this empowering hope arose, we didn’t stop at inner transformation; we chose to ground it into real-world action. Integrating the four dimensions of ecovillage design, participants tapped into their newly awakened interconnectedness to explore how sustainable living can blend into their own lives. If Deep Ecology gifted us the eyes to truly see, Ecovillage Design handed us the reliable tools to build; guiding us to manifest our envisioned future through daily, conscious practice.
Echoes from a Participant: “After the workshop, my body and mind felt so much lighter! Those who care about or work on ecological issues often carry a hint of heaviness in their lives – a heaviness that stems from our deep pain for the Earth, for life, and for society. This Deep Ecology workshop provided a beautifully safe container, using a systemic approach to help us transform the pain deep within into a force to move forward. To be able to experience this transformation in a safe space with like-minded companions, accompanying and reflecting one another, was a truly wonderful process.“
Bridging Communities: Shanghai & Dali Meetups
Beyond the intensive workshops, this tour was a beautiful opportunity to hold space for the wider community in China through meetups in both Shanghai and Dali.
In the bustling heart of Shanghai, we gathered in a vibrant community center. Sitting in a warm circle, the evening brought together long-time friends, past volunteers, and many curious new faces who had never been to Gaia Ashram before. Intrigued by alternative lifestyles, they came with open hearts and big questions about daily life at the Ashram, our vision, and how to practice ecovillage principles and sustainable living within their own urban contexts. Om spoke gently and from the heart, weaving our collective stories together and planting seeds of sustainability and mindfulness right in the center of the city.
In the bustling heart of Shanghai, we gathered in a vibrant community center. Sitting in a warm circle, the evening brought together long-time friends, past volunteers, and many curious new faces who had never been to Gaia Ashram before. Intrigued by alternative lifestyles, they came with open hearts and big questions about daily life at the Ashram, our vision, and how to practice ecovillage principles and sustainable living within their own urban contexts. Om spoke gently and from the heart, weaving our collective stories together and planting seeds of sustainability and mindfulness right in the center of the city.
Our final meetup took us to Dali, a region that naturally draws beautiful seekers exploring alternative ways of living, intentional communities, and sustainable paths. Gathering in a circle, local changemakers brought their rich, on-the-ground experiences to the table, raising practical questions about community living and the intricacies of the structures behind the scenes that hold everything together.
Answering each query with great patience, Om meticulously mapped out years of seasoned experience and shared Gaia Ashram’s story with circle. In the process, we found beautiful echoes between the eco-communities forming across China and our home in Thailand, with plenty of shared inspirations on how to live deeply and consciously on this land.
A Ten-Year Journey: A Reflection from OmSunisa
This tour held a very special place in Om’s heart, marking a beautiful milestone in her connection with this land:
“I first came to China to facilitate workshops back in 2016. Back then, the ecological movement was just starting to sprout, and people were beginning to show curiosity about ecovillage design and deep ecology. Over the past ten years, returning here time and again, I have seen those seeds grow, flourish, and take deep root across the country.
Seeing so many incredible, tangible ecovillage projects thriving today, and seeing so many young people deeply passionate about this way of living, brings me immense joy. Looking at the journey ahead, I feel more responsibility – but it is an honor to have this responsibility.”
The Ripple Continues...
Borders are merely lines drawn on maps, but our collective calling to heal the land and our communities knows no boundaries. Seeing the fierce love, vulnerability, and dedication alive in the Chinese regenerative movement has deeply humbled us.
A deep, bowing thank you to our incredible hosts at Yuansu Natural Farm and Yungu Community, thank you for opening up your home and heart, and selflessly holding space for this tour. Our gratitude also goes out to all the organizers and volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes; your dedication and countless hours of coordination beautifully wove this three-province journey together. We are also grateful to the gentle souls who held the logistics with so much care.
And finally, to every single participant who showed up: thank you for bringing your profound love for the Earth and life into our spaces. Thank you for listening, questioning, learning, and practicing alongside us. Your deep engagement and presence gave this journey its truest, most vibrant meaning.
If these echoes stir something within you, our doors at Gaia Ashram in Thailand are always open. Whether as a volunteer, an intern, or a course participant; you are welcome here. Check out our upcoming programs via this link!
With deep love, wild hope, and earth blessings,
The Gaia Ashram Team
“May all the work we do be of benefit to Mother Earth and all her beautiful Beings!”