People travel from all over the world, surpassing many obstacles along the way, for the once in a lifetime chance to see His Holiness and learn from him! On this special journey of the heart, Tibetan Lama Buga and Lisa Tully will be leading our group to McLeod Ganj, India to attend public teachings by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and to learn Buddhist meditation from teachers of his lineage and be with his local Tibetan family.

The Heart of the Buddha

Attending the public teachings by His Holiness will afford you the opportunity to experience the immense power of this man’s heart. He refers to himself as “a simple monk” but rest assured this is an incredible, albeit typically Tibetan, understatement. Although His Holiness tirelessly travels the globe reaching out to as many “brothers and sisters” as possible, the authenticity of seeing him reach out to his own people in his home temple is a totally different experience.

For example, looking around you will see devotees falling into deep states of meditation simply by being in his presence. People bursting into tears at the mere sight of him as he gently opens hearts that little bit wider. As the saying goes “a broken heart is an open heart.”

Deepening Your Practice

Our meditation retreat is a 10 day silent retreat run by the internationally renowned Tushita Meditation Centre. Nestled high up in the forests far away from any hustle and bustle, this welcoming haven is perfect for those who want to get away and explore their true nature. This is a serious retreat that will provide the tools needed to begin or enhance a daily meditation practice and to learn more about Tibetan Buddhism.

McLeod Ganj is also know as “Little Lhasa” as it is filled to the brim with Tibetan lamas, monks and nuns meditating for the benefit of all sentient beings in the many monasteries, nunneries and secluded retreats scattered around the hilltops. The vibration of this sacred place is so high that it provides the perfect setting to embark on a special journey of meditation and spiritual growth.

Want to Join Us?

If you are ready to challenge yourself and explore the compassion and unconditional love within you – we are delighted to welcome you! Questions? Give us a ring at 727-421-0849 or email us – we can’t wait to hear from you!

Pictures of the Tushita Meditation Centre complements of their beautiful website.

Finding the Buddha Within

The people are Tantric Buddhists who also have a Shamanistic background called Bon – and a fantastic history filled with legends and mythology. In fact, one of the highlights of our spiritual journey is hiking to Tiger’s Nest where Guru Rinpoche flew to on the back of a flaming tigress! Indeed, the monasteries are magical and beautiful in ways that I cannot begin to describe.

Everyone who visits is touched in the most astonishing ways, by the landscape, the heart of the people, and their philosophies. By the time we leave, the experience will have opened your heart in a manner that that is totally unexpected. Author and Aikido master Wendy Palmer invites you to join her on this magical and sacred pilgrimage. Through meditation, chanting, prayer and ceremony we will expand our consciousness and cultivate the compassion of Buddha within.

Compassion & Blessings

Thankfully we’ll have the opportunity to spend a day at Bhutan’s National Day celebration at Changlingmithang National Stadium. There will a special procession, mask dances, cultural programs and folk dances and songs. We’ll also spend time visiting the very rare and endangered Black Necked Cranes in Phobjikha. And as a special gift, a Lama will be preparing a prayer and blessing ceremony for us. As service is an important part of our spiritual experience, you are welcome to bring children’s books, blankets or anything you would like to donate to the Bhutanese people during our visit.

Deepening our Wisdom and Compassion for Action

This trip is designed in the context of spiritual practice and our intent will be to strengthen our connection to wisdom, energy and compassion. Anyone with a committed and regular practice is welcome to participate. We will practice a Conscious Embodiment approach to meditation that works with a balance between concentration and awareness. Like most embodiment practices this approach to mindfulness seeks to recognize thoughts as habit and choose the openness of wisdom and compassion.

The Conscious Embodiment centering and partner exercises will be part of our daily ritual. These exercises will be designed to enhance our experience of the environment to allow for a strong somatic imprint so that inspiration can be accessible and transferable long after our trip is over. Each person will be asked to have a skill and a quality to work with in order to discover a deeper place of commitment and inspiration during our journey. You will receive more information about this process when you sign up.

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”
~ Martin Buber

Want to Join Us?

Questions? Give us a ring at 727-421-0849 or email us – we can’t wait to hear from you! This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime journeys, and you will not come back the same person you were when you arrived. If there is any way that you can get way for this mystical journey, I encourage you to come! And don’t leave without watching the video on the right –>

Mysterious & Ancient Temples

We’ll have the opportunity to explore the amazing temple complex at Angkor Wat – or at least a part of it! Built in the 12th century, Angkor Wat lies north of the modern town of Siem Reap and was originally Hindu dedicated to the God Vishnu. Around a century later the official religion was changed to Buddhism. Since Buddha was a Hindu, the change of religion was adopted seamlessly and people converted from Hindu to Theravada Buddhist, which continues to the present day.

Unconditional Love in Action ♥

Service is often called unconditional love in action – to give totally of yourself is to be free of ego, 100% present, doing what is needed without judgment. In these moments our heart opens and the truth of who we are comes through – our divine presence. Volunteer travel is a powerful experience – you risk coming home with a clearer vision of what you want in life, a deeper sense of self-realization, and clarity about who you are and your purpose in life!

Listen to David’s Teleclass: “Moving from Me To We: Self-Realization Through Service!”
Sign up and receive the recording now.

There is Good Here

Take a moment to enjoy the beautiful video (on the right –>) that David created from pictures of his previous journeys to Cambodia. He is singing a special song he created to raise funds for his special projects: building fresh water wells, providing anti-malaria nets, chicken husbandry program, and a school for the children. Truly David is an extraordinary man passionate about a wonderful cause.

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.
~Rabindranath Tagore

Want to Join Us?

Questions? Give us a ring at 727-421-0849 or email us – we can’t wait to hear from you!

Opening to Spirit

Through specially crafted experiences and adventures, you will find yourself falling in love with the Balinese way of life. Centered around a group of temples, every community is cohesive and cooperative – illustrating what our world could be like if we all worked together. Music, art, theater, work and religious practice is all one in the same and every action is taken as an offering to Spirit. They believe that the physical world is permeated by the spiritual world – sekala niskala (meaning visible-invisible) – and this is a great source of inspiration.

Blessings of Bali

• Enjoy an exclusive visit with mountain villagers
• Sunset and Full Moon Ceremony at Bali’s highest temple
• Water ritual purification ceremony at a Balinese pilgrimage site
• Experience the classical Lejong Dance
• Create your own ceremonial mask and process the meaning
• Enjoy the Munduk Waterfall, temples, markets & beaches!
• Boutique hotels and luxury suite accommodations
• See the Kecak dance at the Uluwatu Temple at sunset
• Bath in the Indian Ocean
• Group sharing and processing time

Want to Join Us?

Questions? Give us a ring at 727-421-0849. We can’t wait to hear from you! This is a profound and heartfelt trip – meant to connect you with your inner divine consciousness. Our intention is for you to become the highest expression of Spirit and light that you can be!

“Goodness shouts. Evil whispers.”
~Balinese saying

Mysticism & Power

We’ll reconnect with the Mother Goddess worshiped from around 9000 BC to 2000 BC and explore early Christian Mysticism in the steps of St. Paul and St. John. From there we’ll deepen our understanding of the Sufi tradition and the mystical heritage of the Whirling Dervishes. Watching these dancers enter spiritual bliss is an amazing experience. In addition we’ll visit an *Alevite Moslem Temple where a man and woman perform a ritual round dance in the name of God, and also experience Turkish Music Therapy through a Bakshi Dance. (Central Asian shamans “Bakshi,” used music and dance to cure patients.) It will be possible for us to speak to these dancers and learn about their powerful traditions! *(Alevism, a liberal sect of Islam, has distinct differences to the practices of Turkey’s Sunni majority. The Alevi house of worship is called a cemevi, while Sunnis worship in a mosque.)

Ancient Ruins

Some of the other wonderful sacred sites we will be visiting are the famous Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, and the ancient cities of Konya and Pamukkale. By boat we’ll explore some of the lesser known sites of Kaunos, Loryma and Knidos.

Our land journey is to be announded and the Gulet extension along the Turquoise Coast is to be announced.

Sailing into the Past

In addition to a wonderful exploration by land, we’ll also explore the quiet coves and isolated ruins along the Turquoise coast by gulet – our private sailing boat. Here we will relax and slow our pace and connect with the energy of this beautiful land. We will look forward to morning strolls amongst the ruins of past civilizations while back on board the crew prepares our lunch. The table, under the shade of an awning, is laden with Turkish specialties; tempting vegetable dishes, colorful salads and freshly caught fish. The bread, baked in a stone oven, arrives by row boat from a village ashore. Then while we rest in the sun, our boat will set sail for our next harbor.

Want to Join Us?

Questions? Give us a ring at 727-421-0849 – we can’t wait to hear from you!

“He who does not travel does not know the value of men.”
~ Moorish proverb

The Last Shangri-La

The retreat center is located in Spiti, India. Also known as “the roof of the world” it lies isolated in a deep valley, where its unique culture has developed undisturbed. Home to some unimaginable topography – enthralling peaks, gorges, rivers & lakes, Spiti has a serene atmosphere that remains cut off from the rest of the world for almost 8 months in a year. It is sparsely populated, and yet it is an overflowing melting pot of Buddhist culture. Spiti remains one of the last bastions of true peace and tranquility – a little world of its own. A true Shangri-La.

Deep in the Himalayas

Blue Mango rests at a height of 12,500 ft above sea level, on the beautiful pebble beach of the Spiti River. It has breathtaking vistas of the Himalayan range, clusters of juniper trees, warm sunshine and a crystal clear, bright blue sky. Here, in the midst of God’s exquisite creation, is where your spiritual journey takes flight.

Rejuvenation of your Body-Mind-Spirit

Every single day of the retreat has been carefully planned to enhance your spiritual, inner work and healing experience, and to rejuvenate your body, mind and soul. Spread over a period of 11 days, you will experience a combination of different meditative techniques, soul therapies, yoga, NLP, Life Coaching and experiential learning.

“Life is a journey and we don’t always pick the people with whom we travel that journey. The path always begins beneath our feet, with the first step we take. Where we stand right now is where our journey begins”.
~ Buddha

Want to Join Us?

Questions? Give us a ring at 727-421-0849 – we can’t wait to hear from you!

Vietnam is now a country at peace, a land of serenity, tranquility and harmony. Visitors to Vietnam are fascinated by the remarkable beauty of the country’s natural setting. Its “S” shape, broad in the north and south, and very slender in the center, stretches along the eastern coast of the Indo-Chinese peninsula. It is slightly larger than Italy and a bit smaller than Japan. The gentle mists that shroud her mountain peaks, the glittering water of the lagoons that shower the coastline, the breathtaking sand dunes and the dazzling stretches of uninhabited beaches are havens that arouse and awaken our Divine Nature and perfection.

Mystic Lands, Sacred Ruins

From a lovely rowboat ride along a narrow but extremely poetic stream to the Perfume Pagoda, to the phenomenal Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the mystery and mystical nature of this glorious expanse of paradise, with its stunning array of fascinating history, will encourage you to delve deeper into the recesses of your own inner beauty. You will be motivated and inspired to shift from a life, complex and involved, to the simplicity and enchantment of living as play.

Divine Inspiration

On this hallowed journey, you’ll experience a sacred balance between the wonder of the temples and pagodas, and the astonishing splendor of nature. Fall in love with the Lover of all Lovers, as you woo and court yourself among the most holy and heavenly perfection – that of Yourself and of our Mother Nature. Allow the flawless mercy of The Extraordinary to cushion you, as you begin to accept yourself as an expression of Sacred Creation.

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.”
~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Want to Join Us?

Questions? Give us a ring at 727-421-0849 – we can’t wait to hear from you!

Details Coming Soon!