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George Thompson

Filmmaker. Storyteller. Educator.

 

 

 

George Thompson

Filmmaker. Storyteller. Educator.

Meet George

I'm George Thompson, filmmaker, storyteller, and educator. Drawing from my studies in the Wudang Mountains in China, I have dedicated my life to translating ancient wisdom into fun, practical tools for overcoming the challenges of modern life—from anxiety, meaninglessness to disconnection.

George’s Mission

Today, I am humbled that my organisation Balance is Possible! has grown into a thriving team of 15 people from 12 countries. Together, we run the world’s most popular Tai Chi school, produce films that have inspired millions, and host transformational events across the globe. Through playfulness and joy, our mission is to guide people towards clarity, purpose, and lasting balance.

Below, there's more about my lineage and my teachers.

Balance is Possible!

Change your story. Change the world.

400k+

subscribers

22mil+

views

15

team members

70k+

course students

George’s Teachers & Lineage

I see myself as a translator.

Across history and cultures, humanity has discovered profound insights into peace, balance, and joy. These truths are not new. So the question that drives me is simple:

If we already know so much about how to live well — why isn't there more peace?

To me, this is not a knowledge problem.

It's a communication problem.

My work is to take these timeless teachings and translate them into films and practices — so you can feel them, not just understand them intellectually.

What follows is the lineage I stand on.

I feel deep gratitude for these teachers and traditions — I am humbled to contribute, in my own way, to our collective potential: balance is possible!

 2017 

Master Gu & the Wudang Mountains — Joyful Lineage

My meditation journey began in 2017, when I was 22.

Anxious and confused — I stumbled across a small Tai Chi school in the Wudang Mountains.

By chance, Master Gu was the only English-speaking teacher across the entire mountain range.

What struck me wasn’t just his philosophy.

It was his joy.
His big, open smile.
His childlike curiosity.

There was something unmistakable —

a lightness, a presence, a way of being that didn’t need explaining.

I stayed.

And that decision changed the course of my life.

I became his disciple, a 16th-generation lineage holder in the San Fung Pai Tai Chi tradition, with Master Gu as the 15th generation.

What he gave me was not intellectual understanding, but something far more foundational:

  • how to enter the body
  • how to train consistently
  • how to feel rather than think

And perhaps most importantly:

he showed me that spiritual practice could be joyful.

The Wudang Mountains themselves were also a teacher.

Walking through misty mountain paths, passing monkeys, sitting in silence among ancient temples — I felt the depth and guidance of thousands of years of Taoist practice.

This is a place where people have come, for centuries, to cultivate energy, clarity, and harmony with the Dao.

To be connected to this lineage is a profound privilege.

 

 

 

 

 

 2017 

Master Gu & the Wudang Mountains — Joyful Lineage

My meditation journey began in 2017, when I was 22.

Anxious and confused — I stumbled across a small Tai Chi school in the Wudang Mountains.

By chance, Master Gu was the only English-speaking teacher across the entire mountain range.

What struck me wasn’t just his philosophy.

It was his joy.
His big, open smile.
His childlike curiosity.

There was something unmistakable —

a lightness, a presence, a way of being that didn’t need explaining.

I stayed.

And that decision changed the course of my life.

I became his disciple, a 16th-generation lineage holder in the San Fung Pai Tai Chi tradition, with Master Gu as the 15th generation.

What he gave me was not intellectual understanding, but something far more foundational:

  • how to enter the body
  • how to train consistently
  • how to feel rather than think

And perhaps most importantly:

he showed me that spiritual practice could be joyful.

The Wudang Mountains themselves were also a teacher.

Walking through misty mountain paths, passing monkeys, sitting in silence among ancient temples — I felt the depth and guidance of thousands of years of Taoist practice.

This is a place where people have come, for centuries, to cultivate energy, clarity, and harmony with the Dao.

To be connected to this lineage is a profound privilege.

 2021 

S.N. Goenka — Discipline & Stillness

In 2021, I sat my first Vipassana retreat with S. N. Goenka.

Ten days. Complete silence.

No phone. No speaking. No distractions.

You essentially become a monk for ten days.

This was a different kind of teacher.

No interaction. Just the method.

Goenka showed me the raw mechanics of the mind and what true stillness is.

Since then, a 10-day Vipassana retreat has become a yearly anchor in my life.

 

 

 

  

 2021 

S.N. Goenka — Discipline & Stillness

In 2021, I sat my first Vipassana retreat with S. N. Goenka.

Ten days. Complete silence.

No phone. No speaking. No distractions.

You essentially become a monk for ten days.

This was a different kind of teacher.

No interaction. Just the method.

Goenka showed me the raw mechanics of the mind and what true stillness is.

Since then, a 10-day Vipassana retreat has become a yearly anchor in my life.

 2022 

Jeremy Lent — Systems Thinking Mentor

Jeremy Lent, through his book The Web of Meaning, changed how I see the world. I reached out to him and he has kindly become one of my core mentors.

I had always struggled with the idea of self-development in isolation.

He articulated something crucial:

👉 you cannot have inner peace without outer harmony

He brought:

  • systems thinking
  • ecological awareness
  • the integration of personal and planetary wellbeing

This is essential to my mission.

 

 

  

 2022 

Jeremy Lent — Systems Thinking Mentor

Jeremy Lent, through his book The Web of Meaning, changed how I see the world. I reached out to him and he has kindly become one of my core mentors.

I had always struggled with the idea of self-development in isolation.

He articulated something crucial:

👉 you cannot have inner peace without outer harmony

He brought:

  • systems thinking
  • ecological awareness
  • the integration of personal and planetary wellbeing

This is essential to my mission.

 2023 

Jack Kornfield & Tara Brach — Compassion

In 2023, I trained with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.

Up until this point, my training had been strong in discipline and embodiment — but they helped me bring in emotional maturity and taught me the core teachings of compassion.

This helped me balance awareness with care.

 

 

  

 2023 

Jack Kornfield & Tara Brach — Compassion

In 2023, I trained with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.

Up until this point, my training had been strong in discipline and embodiment — but they helped me bring in emotional maturity and taught me the core teachings of compassion.

This helped me balance awareness with care.

 

 2023 

Deng Ming-Dao
— Core Taoist Mentor

“George has a gift for helping people see their own potential clearly. His kindness and integrity allow anyone who trains with him to discover their connection to Nature, the miracle of wellness, and the power of the inner self.”

—Deng Ming Dao
Author of 365 Tao 

Around the same time, I reached out to Deng Ming-Dao.

He became an ongoing key mentor.

From him, I’ve received:

  • deeper philosophical grounding in Daoism
  • clarity in expressing subtle ideas
  • guidance on walking this path in the modern world

He bridges tradition and articulation in a way I deeply respect.

 

 

  

 

 2023 

Deng Ming-Dao — Core Taoist Mentor

“George has a gift for helping people see their own potential clearly. His kindness and integrity allow anyone who trains with him to discover their connection to Nature, the miracle of wellness, and the power of the inner self.”

—Deng Ming Dao
Author of 365 Tao

Around the same time, I reached out to Deng Ming-Dao.

He became an ongoing key mentor.

From him, I’ve received:

  • deeper philosophical grounding in Daoism
  • clarity in expressing subtle ideas
  • guidance on walking this path in the modern world

He bridges tradition and articulation in a way I deeply respect.

 2024 

Chungliang Al Huang — Play & Flow

“George Thompson is brilliant.He is championing the next generation of consciousness expansion”

— Chungliang Al Huang

Co-author with Alan Watts of
“Tao: The Watercourse Way"

In 2024, I met Chungliang Al Huang, my second Tai Chi master.

Where Master Gu’s teaching was more martial and structured,

Chungliang’s was playful, expressive, almost like a dance.

From this inspiration, I created Ecstatic Tai Chi — bringing together:

  • music
  • movement
  • presence
  • play

This has become a core part of my teaching.

 

 

 

 

 2024 

Chungliang Al Huang — Play & Flow

“George Thompson is brilliant.He is championing the next generation of consciousness expansion”

— Chungliang Al Huang

Co-author with Alan Watts of
“Tao: The Watercourse Way"

In 2024, I met Chungliang Al Huang, my second Tai Chi master.

Where Master Gu’s teaching was more martial and structured,

Chungliang’s was playful, expressive, almost like a dance.

From this inspiration, I created Ecstatic Tai Chi — bringing together:

  • music
  • movement
  • presence
  • play

This has become a core part of my teaching.

 2025 

Adyashanti — Stillness

In 2025, I discovered Adyashanti.

His teaching cut through something fundamental.

He didn’t ask you to still the mind but to recognise the stillness that is already here.

“The silence is not the absence of sound, but that which contains all sound.”

This deeply influenced how I understand and guide meditation.

 

 

 2025 

Adyashanti — Stillness

In 2025, I discovered Adyashanti.

His teaching cut through something fundamental.

He didn’t ask you to still the mind but to recognise the stillness that is already here.

“The silence is not the absence of sound, but that which contains all sound.”

This deeply influenced how I understand and guide meditation.

A Living Lineage — And Your Path

One of my greatest teachers is the collective wisdom of humanity.

We live in an extraordinary time —

👉 the world’s wisdom is at our fingertips.

Every book is a teacher and an opportunity.

Wherever you are on your path, I hope you fall in love with learning —

and seek guidance along the way.

Balance is Possible!