It’s one thing to physically escape the city but The Garden Gathering takes it one step further and encourages us to remove ourselves—mind, body and soul—from our consuming and busy everyday lives.
It’s Friday night and rather than sitting in the back of an uber en route to dinner and drinks with friends somewhere in Central, I’ve found myself sitting in the back of an almost pitch-black sampan in Cheung Chau with a toothless sampan driver yelling things that I can’t understand—and I speak fluent Cantonese.
One of Hong Kong’s most underrated bi-annual events, The Garden Gathering, awaits on the other side of this ride.
Founded by May Nogoy and Resham Daswani, The Garden Gathering is a three-day women and children only event that nurtures our connection with ourselves, with others and with nature through a series of two-hour workshops led by local and international teachers or “gardeners”.
Beyonce's former guitarist Bibi McGill, who blends her musical talents with her love of yoga, led workshops such as NAAD Yoga, African Ancestry in China and Ecstatic Victory Dance, where she encouraged Garden Goers to let go, lose all inhibition and dance.
The first order of business when I arrive at Sai Yuen Farm is to sign up for the workshops I want to take part in over the weekend. Labelled “Skillshare”, wisdom sessions that weave together categories such as ancestry, healing, empowerment, earth medicine and more. Tea ceremonies, forest walks, yoga and guided meditation sessions were held throughout the weekend in beautiful settings outside in nature or in cosy geodomes.