Deeshen Shah & Jade Chan – Brilliant Guides to Presence

November, 2025

By Sarah Hodges

Last October, Jade wanted to surprise her husband, Deeshen, with something special for his birthday: community. The couple had arrived in Hawai‘i about a year earlier and were still weaving new connections, meeting a few wonderful people around the island. They had a bright budding Qigong following online, where they shared videos for people around the world to join in and practice with them. Yet, they longed to gather with people face-to-face, to breathe, move, and share energy in person.

After some careful searching, Jade came across an online post for a Navaratri celebration with traditional Garba dancing at Still & Moving Center. The event seemed perfect. Deeshen, being from India, would surely appreciate attending a celebration that promised dance, joy, and community. Quietly, she signed them up.

Perhaps they did not know what they were getting into. On Deeshen’s birthday, they walked through the Center’s front doors. The staff warmly greeted them. Before long, they were dancing in the Barefoot Ballroom, joining in the Garba dance with smiling strangers who quickly felt like kindred spirits. 

At the end of the celebration, a casual mention of their Qigong practice caught the attention of Center manager Dustin Hara. While the Center had long hosted gifted Qigong teachers, it happened that none were teaching in person at the time. What began as a birthday surprise suddenly opened a new door – a serendipitous invitation to share their love of mindfulness and Qigong with the local community.

“It felt natural,” says Deeshen. “Like nature itself was allowing us to bloom.”

Deeshen’s journey began in India, where yoga and meditation were a way of life. That early foundation nurtured compassion and discipline. Deeshen and Jade shared path deepened in Taiwan, practicing Qigong with elders and under a teacher from India, steeped in the Tao philosophy of flowing with effortless action.

Jade and Deeshen had always been guided by their passions: service, wellness, and travel. Their Qigong and yoga practices began as a way to bring peace to their own lives, and evolved into a bridge for others to experience harmony and connection within themselves and with nature.

From that day forward, Deeshen and Jade gain both a community and a space to watch their students grow and learn through Qigong. They did not question why the Center had drawn them in – this seemed to be the natural progression of their paths.

So when, a year later, our Diwali team invited them to embody the lead roles of Prince Ram and Princess Sita in the 2025 Diwali Festival Ramayana reenactment, they gratefully accepted.

They approached rehearsals, from capoeira to hula, as meditative practices, blending Qigong’s grounding energy with the expressive freedom of Nia and the joyful rhythm of dance. Night rehearsals required them to stay late, forfeiting their usual early bedtime, since they rise each morning well before sunrise. They met this schedule, surrendering their own preferences for the greater good, for the unity of the whole. 

“It was such an honor to serve the community through this epic,” Jade reflects. “We prepared for five weeks, immersing ourselves not just in the characters, but in the intentions and god-like qualities behind them.”

A deep dedication to Qigong and Taoist philosophy shines through Jade and Deeshen. They face everything they do with presence, truth, and service to the higher purpose of the moment.

We’re overjoyed to have Jade and Deeshen as part of the Still & Moving community. Their heartfelt dedication to nurturing others through mindful movement helps uplift all who come onto their path.

You might also spot the couple somewhere in the world, trekking across breathtaking landscapes or sharing mindful travel tips from the cities they explore. And keep an ear out! A travel retreat for us may be on their horizon, as they continue to craft creative, grounded experiences.

If you’re on O‘ahu, you can join Jade and Deeshen outdoors, once-a-month, for an early morning practice in nature. Or find their weekly Qigong class at Still & Moving Center, both in-person and online. Simply being in their presence offers a sense of calm and embodiment – a gentle seed of inspiration toward wellness, longevity, and a joyful, abundant life.

Diwali rehearsals became for Deeshen such an immersion into the magical land of ancient India, he drew this exquisite pencil drawing of Sita and Ram during their practices. He gifted then gifted his drawing to Still & Moving Center after their Ramayana enactment.