A few years back I asked TreePeople founder Andy Lipkis what he does to lift his spirits when the green going gets tough. Qigong was on the top of Andy’s stress-busting techniques — and since that short conversation, I’ve been vaguely curious about this practice — but not curious enough to actually invest my time looking for a Qigong school or teacher. I didn’t even know where to start looking!

Last week, I finally got to practice Qigong — at Raksa in Culver City. In fact, thanks to Raksa, I’ve also gotten to try TaiChi and Feldenkrais Movement in the last month. That’s because Raksa offers a full schedule of movement classes — all in a roomy, peaceful studio featuring bamboo floors and low VOC paints.

A variety of yoga classes make up most of that schedule, but Tai chi, Qigong, and Feldenkrais movement classes are also offered, letting anyone easily try out these techniques without signing up at a school dedicated to the specific practices.

In many ways, Raksa’s like a one-stop-shop for all alternative wellness practices. In addition to the movement classes, the Culver City spot also has a macrobiotic cafe and offers eco-friendly salon services. Plus, Raksa also offers a long list of “energy” and “mind” services, ranging from the I-want-to-try-it acupuncture sessions to the I’ll-keep-an-open-mind-about-it reiki and hypnosis sessions to I-think-it’s-bullshit astrology readings and “past life regression” sessions. The services are offered by 30 different practitioners in the upstairs rooms — painted in corresponding chakra colors.

“All these things helped me at different times in my life, ” says Apinya Pokachaiyapat, Raksa’s founder, “and you want different things at different times.” Apinya — who has degrees in math, civil engineering, documentary filmmaking, and creative writing in addition to a yoga teacher certification — says Raksa seeks to offer people an alternative to western medicine that addresses all areas of wellness in a non-threatening, try-what-you-want sort of environment.

Many visitors come in for a simple yoga class or a therapeutic massage, but for those seeking a total package, Raksa offers a private evaluation and health consultation. For $100, you get a 2-hour consultation with Apinya and Lucien Demaris, a Feldenkrais practitioner and nationally certified bodyworker — to tackle anything from addiction and trauma to a simple desire for improved wellness. Together, the three of you will create a wellness package that “will encompass how you eat, what you do, kind of give a holistic approach in supporting you to get to your goal,” according to Apinya. That could combine everything from an ayurvedic diet plan to taichi classes to therapeutic massages to cranial sacral unwinding.

Don’t need or can’t afford a personalized plan? Then take advantage of the individual movement classes at $10 – $15 each — and the many different workshops offered at Raksa, which really run the gamut — from an “E&P Relation Workshop taught by a hypnotherapist to “The Psychotherapy of Yoga” taught by a clinical psychologist with a PhD. Those workshops usually cost $35 each, but free intro to yoga and Tai Chi workshops will be taught on Sat., July 11. Call to RSVP!

Raksa. 10846 Washington Blvd., Culver City. 310.559.7200.

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