TIBET YOGA RETREAT ITINERARY
May 23-June 5, 2008

This Yoga retreat will be the adventure of a lifetime. The journey will take us to Beijing, Tibet, Shanghai and back. This is within the best window for visiting Tibet because the weather should not be too harsh. As with any travel, we hope this trip will take us to a deeper understanding of our practice in a land rich in spiritual traditions. Situated up in the Himalayan Mountains, Tibet has been a destination for many spiritual practitioners who have tapped into its sacred energy.

May 23. Fly from Washington DC to Beijing.

May 24. Pick up at Beijing International Airport. Go to the hotel for rest.

May 25. Our first yoga class will be focused on getting grounded. From becoming rooted we can find a place that will empower us to venture into our journey ahead. In addition it will help us to deal with the inevitable jet-lag that comes after a trans-continental flight. After our morning yoga practice, we will have breakfast in the hotel. We will then be picked up and driven to the Friend Yongsheng Jade Carving Factory for shopping. After lunch, we drive to the Badaling Great Wall. After seeing the great wall, we will rest at the hotel before enjoying a delicious dinner of Peking duck at a famous Beijing restaurant.

May 26. Our second morning yoga practice will focus on developing strength, inner confidence, and will power, learning to transform one’s weaknesses and struggles to become ones greatest strengths in life. After the breakfast, we will be picked up at the hotel and then drive to the Forbidden City, the largest of the ancient imperial palaces. Then we will rent three-wheel bikes with drivers to take us through the Hutong, the winding streets and alleys where the real culture of Beijing lives. After having lunch and a short rest, we will drive to the Summer Palace, the largest and most beautiful Chinese imperial garden. Later in the day, we plan to sit in a quite place, where Gopi will lead a small guided meditation, moving into the power of mantra and sound ending with a reflective writing exercise. That night, we will have a big dinner and an early to bed. We fly early the next day for Tibet.

May 27. Our flight from Beijing to Lhasa will be in two parts. The first leg of our journey will take us to Chengdu, where we will transfer to another plane to take us to Lhasa, 3658 meters above sea-level. The scenery will be incredible as we fly across China. After arriving in Lhasa, our driver will take us to downtown Lhasa to check into our hotel and have a rest as we adapt ourselves to the higher attitude. Later, we will visit the Barkhor area which is the heart of the old Tibetan part of town. In the center of the area is the Jokhang, the most revered religious structure in Tibet. We plan to end the evening with some praniyama exercises, this will help one adapt to the thinner air.

May 28. Due to the thinner air, our main focus in our practice will be the breath- starting with praniyama exercise, moving into a soft movement meditation and mantra asana. Finding a balance as we acclimated to breathing in the higher altitude. Later in the day, we will visit the Potala Palace, the world’s highest ancient castle-like building site. The Potala Palace is where the Dalai Lamas in all ages have lived. It used to be the political and religious center of Tibet and consists of Red Palace and White Palace. From there, we will proceed to the Pakuo Street look at the local handcrafts and experience the local customs of Tibet. At night you can go to see the evensong of Lamas. Also, you can go out into the local nightlife and drink with the natives at “Makye Ame,” a local popular bar or Babila, probably the most popular nangma bar in Lhasa.

May 29. We will start the day early with our first long yoga practice in Tibet. This yoga practice will be a journey of looking into the window of the heart, through the power of evoking love, and compassion. Afterward, we will have a leisurely breakfast. The daytrip will take us to Yangbajing Hot springs. The hot springs contains minerals reputed to be good for health. If you plan to swim, you’ll need to take your bathing suit with you. Later, we will pay a visit to a local Tibetan family with our guide/translator to understand the culture of Tibet at a more personal level.

May 30. This practice will be focused on expressing one truth, letting go of trying to control situation that control you and trusting your internal power within. We will then drive from Lhasa for LingZhi where flowers are in bloom all year long. It is known as the Switzerland of Tibet. LingZhi has Basongcuo Lake, the most beautiful lake in Tibet, known by the snow-covered mountains, glaciers and tress that are reflected upon the lake’s rippled surface. Here we will have a discussion on the Bhagavata gita and its interpetetion on the power of the mind and how our attachment control us. Then we will take a hike around the area and then retire to our hotel in BaYi, the capital of LingZhi area. Be ready for some spicy Sichuan-style food in this region. Kirtan at night if possible.

May 31. Morning meditation. In the morning, we will visit a 2500-years old cypress tree and explore the beautiful town of BaYi. Then we will return to Lhasa. On the way to Lhasa we will travel through some beautiful scenery and visit the Tibetan village of “A Pai Pei.” There will be an outside yoga practice before lunch. We will arrive in Lhasa later in the night and go to Deji Street which is a center where you will find all kinds of delicious food, including Sichuan cuisine, hotpot, and other delicacies.

June 1. After breakfast, we will set out from Lhasa to Yamdrok Lake, the world’s largest fresh-water lake. We will travel across the Qushui Bridge and through incredibly high Gonbala Mountain Pass to the city of Shigatse for the night. The Gtsang district in Shigatsa is known as “Land of Singing and Dancing.”(A yoga class will be held before breakfast)

Shigatse is the most colorful area in Tibet with vast grasslands, fertile fields in river valleys, flourishing semitropical jungles and snowfields at high altitudes. The famous scenery spots include Xiqin Spring, Yatung Spring, Yongzelucuo Lake, Tashilumpo Monastery, Palkor Monastery in Gyantse, Sakya Monastery, Pingcuolin Monastery, Juenang Monastery, Pala Manor and etc. Furthermore, the Everest Nature Reserve, with an area of more than 30,000 square kilometers, is around it. The annual Zhanfo Festival and Tiaoshen Festival in Tashilumpo Monastery, Ximuqinbo Festival in Xialu Monastery and Tibetan drama shows have won a high prestige in the world for their distinct styles. In addition, Shigatse is rich in medicine resources, among which there are more than 300 kinds of medicines for common use, such as aweto, fritillaria, gastrodia tuber, hsueh-lien-hua, rhodiola root and rhubarb.
Here on our hike we will make your prayer arrows and move into a walking mountain meditation and reflective writing exercise. Ending in a group mantra chant – sending the spiritual virbration and our intentions into the atmosphere and universal creation as we are so high up in the mountain.

June 2. Our yoga practice will be focused on finding harmoney from within and taking that into our outer lives. After breakfast, we will pay a visit to the five-hundred years old Tsahilunpo Monastery, one of the six monasteries of Dge-lug-pa, where Panchen Lamas in all ages have lived. In the monastery, there is the world’s biggest bronze statue of sitting Maitreya. Talk and stories from the Vedas about whom the saint Maitreya is. These stories from the Vedas teach us lessons on ways to live in harmony. We will come back to Lhasa along the Sino-Nepalese International Road. On the way, we can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the pasture and valley of River Brahmaputra. (In the whole day we will cover a distance of 295 kilometers from Shigatse to Lhasa. Later, we can do some last minute shopping at Bajiao Street in Lhasa before we leave for Shanghai in the morning.

June 3. We will check out after breakfast and fly to Shanghai. That evening after our flight we will enjoy deep yoga practice then, we will have an excellent Chinese massage and herbal foot bath. Afterwards, we will go to Bund to see one of the most unique skylines in the world.

June 4: After a morning yoga practice, we will go to Yuyuan Gardens, the Nanjing Road and People’s Square. Before dinner we will come together as a group for our last time to reflect on the transformation that have exterienced together, we will then have an excellent Chinese dinner that night. After dinner, it is free time for you to explore night life in Shanghai on your own or with Sophia, a native shanghainiese.

June 5: After breakfast, we will leave for the airport. Our trip ends here. If you want to have an additional travel on your own, we wish you a wonderful time.

-Namasta

Yoga and Meditation

Classes will be taught by Gopi Kinnicutt and Sophia Spencer throughout the entire trip. Since it will take a few days to acclimatized when we arrive in Tibet, we may just have gentle yoga practice and meditation during the first few days. Some days we will practice outside depending on the conditions. In Beijing and Shanghai, we will have yoga practice in the hotel.

Includes:
All yoga sessions.
All hotels in China.
Tours, interpreters and guides.
Three meals a day. In Tibet, 2 – 4 meals will be picnics.
All major land transportation in China.
Admission to Yangbajing.
One excellent whole body massage and Chinese herbal foot bath in Shanghai.

Cost: $5300

Considerations and Agreements:
• You must acquire your own Chinese Visa ($50). We will supply you with directions and locations.
• There will be a non-refundable deposit of $500 to reserve your space before March1st, 2008. You must pay the rest amount before April 1st, 2008.
• You will be responsible for acquiring your plane tickets. All airfares are excluded. Flights will include the international flight to and from China plus airfare from Beijing to Lhasa and Lhasa to Shanghai. We will arrange the flight, seating section schedule and price. We will arrange all tickets in China. No worries.
• You will be responsible for your own travel insurance.
• *Personal alcohol is excluded.

For Information, contact Sophia Spencer at: 202-701-3785 or email at sophia_march15@yahoo.com