DHARAMSHALA YOGA & TIBETAN WELLNESS TOUR
8 Days
(Saturday 20may - Satuday 27 may2023)
This experiential journey combines the rejuvenation of yoga and traditional Tibetan healing with cultural and spiritual immersion in Dharamshala the heart of the Tibetan exile community. Here You will receive a pulse reading from a traditional Tibetan doctor (Amchi) restorative healing and relaxation massages from a traditional masseuse and holistic Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan healing science) treatment as prescribed by the Amchi (Tibetan doctor) if you wish. In the foothills of the Himalaya you will interact with a Tibetan Yogi in a mountainside retreat a female Shaman (Lhamo) in her home and nuns in a Tibetan nunnery.. The Tibetan Yogi will give you a short teaching and answer your questions about Buddhist philosophy and his life story. The Lhamo will enter a trance to create a sacred space for healing and divination during which you will be invited to ask simple direct questions. At the Tibetan nunnery you may quietly observe the nuns as they debate Buddhist logic light offering lamps and recite their prayers.
You will also learn basic techniques of Buddhist thangka painting from a Tibetan artist who will teach you the art of mindful creation of this tradition and learn to make Tibetan momos at a local home followed by dinner with her family. You will also interact with Tibetan children at a refugee school see traditional artisans at work in their workshops and get a well curated overview of Tibetan history and culture at the Tibet Museum.
Your body and spirit will be renewed and restored each day through yoga sessions led by a professional Tibetan yoga instructor who will also lead short meditation sessions give you an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism and lead a visual meditation on Tara the female deity of compassion at the Dalai Lama Temple. Daily yoga practice and meditation will heighten your awareness and mindfulness enhancing the quality of your experience and well-being each day.
Created and led by local women with loving care your experience will also directly support and help empower the women healers artisans entrepreneurs and home makers we work with.
HIGHLIGHTS
Jour 1: Delhi-Dharamshala flight
First Day in the Tibetan village
In the morning you will take a flight to Dharamshala, check in the hotel where you will receive a traditional Tibetan Khata greeting and orientation from Loving Tara’s Founder and your yoga teacher. Spend the afternoon settling in, followed by your first yoga class to bring your mind and body into a state of unity. Time to enjoy the small town of McLeod Ganj, stroll in the Tibetan market and observe refugee life, have a chai and just follow the mood. Late afternoon Hatha Yoga session followed by classical Indian flute over dinner.
Hotel: MAP
Jour 2: Asana Flow Yoga / Meditation at Dalai Lama Temple / Thangka Painting. The morning will begin with active Yoga Asana flow to activate your body & mind for a beautiful start to the day. After breakfast you will explore Tsuglagkhang Monastery, also known as the Dalai Lama Temple, the main structure of which is based on the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet. Here you will have a brief introduction to Tibetan Buddhism and learn how to prostrate, followed by a visual meditation on Tara, the female deity of compassion. Today we will also enjoy a Thangka painting workshop with a Tibetan artist, who will teach you the art of mindful creation of this Himalayan Buddhist tradition, which has been passed on from masters to their students for centuries. Dinner at a restaurant run by Tibetan women.
Hotel: CP
Jour 3: Kora Pranayama / Visit Tibetan School / Tibetan Medicine Consultation / Tibetan Massage / Yin Yoga. Wake up early in the morning to perform Kora circumambulation with the pilgrims, a traditional Buddhist way of giving homage and offering prayers around the Dalai Lama’s residence. On Kora way we will stop for a session of Pranayama and meditation in the surroundings of stupas to clear the blockages we hold deep and open a path to divine energy. After breakfast we will visit a Tibetan school run and cared for by two sisters of the Dalai Lama, whom all the children call Amala (Mother). A moment of mixed emotions, happiness of the child in us reflecting back, with sadness learning their stories of the Tibetan struggle. Lunch will be at another restaurant run by Tibetan women. In the afternoon we will consult a traditional Tibetan doctor or Amchi, followed by a healing Tibetan massage at Mentseekhang, the Tibetan Medical & Astrological Institute. Tibetan medicine, known as Sowa Rigpa (healing science) is one of the world’s oldest medical systems, dating from 200 BC. It is a holistic approach that can restore the balance of one’s physical, mental and emotional states. Treatment includes dietary and lifestyle recommendations, natural remedies and therapies using special herbs and minerals. Late afternoon Yin Yoga for women’s body & mind to open the heart and hips followed by dinner at the hotel.
Hotel: MAP
Jour 4: Asana Flow Yoga / Norbulingka Institute / Dolma Ling Nunnery / Tibetan Momo Cooking. We begin the day with a half hour of morning flow asanas to start the day, and after breakfast visit the Norbulingka Institute with its Tibetan Buddhist temple and Japanese-style gardens. Norbulingka was founded to teach and preserve traditional Tibetan arts and crafts in the fields of wood carving, sculpture, thangka paintings, tailoring and embroidery. You will have the opportunity to explore these different workshops and see the artisans at work. Lunch will be at the Norbulingka restaurant. In the afternoon you will have the occasion to discover the community of nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery and observe them as they debate, light offering lamps, and recite their prayers. We will then enjoy a Tibetan momo cooking class and have dinner in a local home.
Hotel: CP
Jour 5: Hike in the Woods / Meet Tibetan Yogi at Retreat Center / Hatha Yoga. We’ll wake up early for a gentle three-hour walk in the woods, tracing our way through deodar and rhododendron forests on paths with stunning views of Dharamshala, Kangra valley and the Dhauladhar range. After a picnic lunch, toward the end of the hike we will reach a mountainside retreat center where many yogis live. These exceptional human beings dedicate their life to meditation and study of the nature of mind. You will have the special occasion of meeting an accomplished Tibetan yogi, who give a short teaching on Buddhist practice and philosophy, after which you can ask questions about your own inner journey. Followed by a prayer flag celebration in a sacred site. Early evening Hatha Yoga and meditation session followed by dinner at hotel.
Hotel: MAP
Jour 6: Meet Female Shaman / Visit Tibet Museum / Tibetan Ku Nye Massage / Rejuvenation Yoga. Today you will have the honor of participating in a ritual healing session with a female shaman (Lhamo) recognized by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This encounter will be a very intense human experience. Consulted as an oracle and healer, the Lhamo can help answer some of your questions. After conducting some purification practices, she will enter a trance and create a sacred space for healing and divination. You will be invited to connect with her through simple, direct questions. After lunch in an open terrace restaurant, we will visit Tibet Museum at Gangchen Kyishong. The museum’s well-curated exhibits explain the cultural and political history of Tibet, including an emotional audio-visual account of the Tibetan people exiled from their home. In the afternoon we will enjoy a session of Tibetan Ku Nye massage, part of Tibet’s holistic Sowa Rigpa healing system. Rejuvenation yoga to enhance and deepen the massage healing, bringing your body and mind into a pure natural balanced state. Dinner at hotel.
Hotel: MAP
Jour 7: Free day - activities to be scheduled depending on the time of your visit. This may include Shoton Festival in April, Saka Dawa celebration in June, evening Chod prayer ritual at Shugseb Nunnery, teaching by the Dalai Lama or another high lama, meeting a Ngagpa (Tibetan Saddhu) for Buddhist teaching and interaction or a simply a day at leisure. In Evening, a powerful chakra purification yoga to take you deeper into the path of spiritual awakening.
Jour 8: Fly back with the memories