Mastering the Buddha Nature Within

Journey to Bhutan! :: Dec 7-18th, 2014

WHY Bhutan you ask?

Because the first time I visited this remarkable country my experience was so life-changing I’ve wanted to go back from the very moment I left.

The only way I can describe it is to say that the country is so stunning and pristine, the people so heart-felt and remarkable, the philosophy so different from ours, and the location so remote – that I felt like I had wandered into an entirely different universe.

There is something magical about traveling out of your comfort zone and into great beauty. A part of you breaks open when you are awe-struck to the core – it sets off fireworks within your neurons opening you to possibilities that you never could have imagined.

Ideas spark in your mind, the world changes rotation,
hearts burst open, strange birds rush across the sky,
and great mysteries are revealed…

You take a pilgrimage into your own soul and come out somehow transformed, lighter, clearer, truer to your passion and purpose.

And NOTHING is ever the same again.

That’s WHY we go to Bhutan.

That’s WHY we wander.

And that’s WHY you must join us.

HOW do I know this trip’s for me?

If you’re longing for an infusion of inspiration in your life
If you’re dreaming of a deeper connection with your passion and purpose
If you need clarity in your personal and business life
If your heart needs to stretch it’s boundaries and burst open
If you want to learn how to apply Buddhist teachings to your life
If you need a new approach to the way you are living
If you feel called to connect with magic of Bhutan

Sheri is an inspiring coach with a wealth of useful information and insight. She shows how we can take our message to a wider world while still keeping our spiritual values. I’ve just enjoyed a retreat with Sheri, had a great time, and learned much that will support my own work. Many thanks Sheri!

Lucinda Sykes, M.D. | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

WHERE is Bhutan?

Not many people have actually heard about Bhutan – The Land of the Thunder Dragon, or even know where it is located. For many years this little country about the size of Switzerland has been off limits of foreigners.

If you look at a map you will find Bhutan to be east of Nepal at the same latitude (as Florida actually), with a tiny piece of India separating the two countries – and the northern edge touches the Himalayas.

WHAT am I going to experience?

Through meditation, chanting, prayer and ceremony, and connecting the local people – you will expand your consciousness and practice cultivating the compassion and loving-kindness of the Buddha within (for others, and most importantly – for yourself).

This trip is designed to strengthen your connection to your inner wisdom, love, and compassion. In this challenging world of ours learning to put the Buddha’s teachings into practice (in the most practical of ways!) is the focus of our group time together.

Attaining the highest level of Gross National Happiness in the world is the goal of the Bhutanese people (as opposed to Gross National Product) – we too will aspire to bring that attitude into our lives.

We also suggest honoring your body after our pilgrimage to Tiger’s Nest with a visit to the spa at the 5 star Zhiwa Ling hotel (the last 2 days of our journey).

Each of the treatment rooms are dedicated to one of the aspects of Tara, the radiant goddess who embodies the virtues of compassion, healing, wisdom and fearlessness. She is the most venerated female deity, representing the divine feminine of the Buddha Nature.

Tara is known as “She Who Saves” and is the Protectoress of the sick. All healing goddesses are thought to be one of her many emanations and her healing blessings are bestowed on all who sincerely seek her out. All treatments begin with the therapist invoking the healing energy of Tara, and conclude with the balancing resonance of the Himalayan singing bowl. It’s not to be missed.

Register now!

WHAT’S the itinerary + highlights?

You can download the details for our Bhutan itinerary by clicking the highlighted link.

Fly over eight of the ten tallest peaks in the world – including Mt. Everest.
See the 108 Chortens or stupas built for the Gross National Happiness of Bhutan.
Travel across the lush valleys of Bhutan – one of the ten most important bio-diversity hot spots in the world.
Hike to the Divine Madman’s temple (Chimmi Lhakang) a famous pilgrimage site for childless couples
Enjoy some of the best Tantric art in Bhutan.
Visit the stunning Punakha Dzong – a magnificent architectural masterpiece nestled between two rivers.
Hike in the Black Mountains National Park and visit the rare Black Neck Cranes, a symbol of peace for the Bhutanese.
Visit Rinpung Dzong the religious headquarters of Bhutan where the movie “Little Buddha” was filmed.
Attend the Druk Wangyal Festival with its sacred folk & mask dances.
Explore the capital of Bhutan, Thimpu – the only capital city in the world with no traffic lights!
Attend a prayer ceremony with monks followed by a teaching on Buddhism.
Pilgrimage to the famous Takstang Temple (aka Tiger’s Nest) situated on a cliff edge, dedicated to the Guru Rinpoche (we’ll be using his mantra on the journey).
Two nights in the stunning 5 star Zhiwa Ling Hotel at the end of our trip to nourish ourselves on all levels!
Make friends for life with the other people you sojourn with.

Sheri is an amazingly perceptive, no-nonsense person and coach. With compassion yet directness, she pointed out patterns of mine which no longer serve me in my relationships or business. She provided methods of dealing with these so that I can choose to see myself and others from clearer, healthier perspectives — and allow what I do to come out of that. Thank you from my deepest heart, Sheri!

Pamela Pappas, M.D. | Classical Homeopathy

The people of Bhutan are Tantric Buddhists who have a Shamanistic background called Bon – and a fantastic history filled with strange legends and mythologies!

In fact, one of the highlights of our journey is a special pilgrimage up to the sacred site called Tiger’s Nest which marks the spot where the beloved 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.

You’ll have the opportunity to spend a day at the Druk Wangyal Festival. Held at the Dochula Pass which is an incredibly scenic location – you’ll have a panoramic view of the Himalayan mountain range – simply stunning!

The festival showcases many unique folk and mask dances including the story of Milarepa, one of the most inspiring Buddhist Saints who achieved enlightenment within a lifetime.

The best part is just being part of the everyday life of the people and experiencing their joy and delight.

You’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 just 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.

Bhutan cannot be described in any way – you simply must visit and experience the beauty of the both the landscapes and the amazing people!

Register now!

WHAT’S Included:

All daily meals are included in this program
Nine nights in charming local hotels
Two nights in the stunning 5 star luxury Zhiwa Ling Hotel the last 2 nights of our journey (pictured on the right)
All spiritual teachings, meditations and ceremonies with Sheri + Lisa
All ground transportation in Bhutan
Your local guides
Admission fees to the temples and sites are included.
All tips for the drivers and bell boys (a $150 USD value)
Special blessing prayer ceremony with the Lama
A pre-trip teleclass to teach the Guru’s mantra and to set the intent for our journey
**Your roundtrip flight from Bangkok to Paro, Bhutan on Druk Airlines (a $820 USD value)

WHAT’S Not-Included:

Non-included lunches and dinners during your trip to and from Bhutan.
You will probably need to overnight in Bangkok at the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel coming and going (~$170 USD per night).
Other non-included items would be travel insurance, excess baggage charges & airport taxes, beverages (alcohol, soda), personal items, and souvenir shopping!
The incredible spa services at the 5 star Zhiwa Ling hotel, drinks from the tea house, or any extras that are not included in our package.
Your international round-trip air flight to Bangkok is not-included in the cost of the journey.
Tips for the maids (we recommend you leave $1-2 USD per person per day)
Tips for your two amazing local guides (we recommend you plan on gifting around $140 USD for both)

**Please note we need approximately two-to-three days to fly to Bhutan and one-to-two days to fly home. Make sure you account for these days in your scheduling of this journey.**

ABOUT Sheri:

My personal adventure began in 1998 when I was going through a challenging time in my life. I realized on some level that I had never been truly happy. Although I changed: husbands (twice), cities (five moves), podiatric practices (three different offices) and friends (should we go there?), I still had no real joy in my life.

A leap of faith was the last resort – I sold my practice, boy-friend (only kidding), and home – and closed the surgical residency program I was director of (yes, that was a pretty big deal and yes, the medical community thought I was nuts).

After leaving behind the world of medicine, I spent nearly 8 years on a transformative spiritual quest. But over time, I gained skills + tools to shift my own reality — from the inside out.

My personal exploration and apprenticeship time with don Miguel Ruiz inspired me to write: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Toltec Wisdom, Banish Mind Spam! and the How to Forgive eCourse.

Personally, I’M TIRED of seeing wonderful – no – fabulously awesome people living mediocre lives fulfilling other people’s dreams rather than creating unlimited abundance (in every direction), amazing success, an extraordinary life, and true wealth in every direction. This journey is my invitation to you to embrace your power and purpose on the deepest level of your being.

MEET Lisa Tully:

Following the calls of my heart one day I did the unthinkable, I quit my corporate career despite have two mortgages to pay. Then one day after a hypnosis session I heard a deep calling in my heart to go see the Dalai Lama in India.

It was like he had sent me a t-mail (telepathic mail)! With two mortgages to pay, living off credit cards (my savings were non-existent), no job to speak of and a desire to get traveling once again I booked a ticket to go see him.

And things have never been the same since – as it was this trip that inspired me to set up my spiritual travel company. It was a clear case of divine intervention or more like divine instruction!

When I’m not running tours to far-off lands I spend as much time as possible on personal retreat and attending Buddhist teachings and initiations to further my own personal practice.

I also love to draw from the wealth of other traditions & great masters including Sufism, Hinduism, Christianity & Celtic spirituality to name but a few. All under the close guidance of my beloved teacher Hema Vyas who I have been working closely with for over eight years now.

(From Sheri: Lisa has an amazing prospective on Buddhist traditions and it’s a blessing to have her on this journey of the heart.)

YOUR Investment:

$5599.00 USD per person double occupancy. Single occupancy for the trip is coming soon – if the space is available. We are happy to match you with a roommate if possible! A deposit of $800 USD is preferred as soon as possible. Final payment is due: September 1st, 2014.

**To Place your deposit, click the white “Add To Cart” button, then scroll down and click the “FINISHED? CLICK HERE” link to complete your transaction in our secure cart.
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Any cancellation made in writing between: June 1st, 2014 and September 1st, 2014 will result in a total loss of your $500 USD deposit. Any cancellation made in writing between: September 2nd, 2014 to October 1st, 2014 will result in a cancellation fee of 50% of the trip price. Any cancellation made between: October 2nd, 2012 and the trip departure will result in a total loss of funds. Any cancellation made: after the trip departs will result in total loss of trip funds. We reserve the right to cancel the trip if it is not meeting the trip minimum. Trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended to cover such issues. You can use our suggested Travel Guard Insurance online and choose from several policy options.

**Please know that we are happy to create a monthly payment plan for you – but you must be paid in full by the departure date! Simply email us and we can charge a specific amount monthly to your Master Card or Visa credit card. We look forward to sharing this amazing adventure with you!

If you’ve found this trip after the registration date – no worries! Give us a call and we’ll do our best to get you on the trip.

RECOMMENDED Books:

These are a few books that I feel will help you prepare for your upcoming journey to Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon. Please enjoy these recommendations. If you click on the book itself it will link you to Amazon.com.

How To Do Stuff You Feel Uncomfortable Doing!

So much has already been written about getting out of one’s comfort zone – I’m sure this isn’t a new subject for you. Yet – I bet that you’re still challenged when you have to do something you’re not particularly comfortable with in your business or personal life. I’ve long realized that understanding the inherent worth of something as ultimately positive does not necessarily compel us to action when we are feeling fearful.

That means when you are called to have one of those “difficult” conversations in your life that you know will create a great outcome (in the long run) – it still makes your skin crawl and you hem and haw about taking action and getting it done.

Or when you know you need to speak to more clients on the phone for your business, or finally create that webinar series you’ve been thinking about, or organize that summit you’ve been dreaming about to increase your database – you find 100 other things to do to avoid taking action.

So how do we push beyond our comfort zone and our fear so that we can leave mediocrity behind and embrace our audaciousness?

I need to... First of all it’s important to really get that everything you can be in life is sitting right outside your comfort zone – even if it’s just 2 inches beyond. You already know what you know and have what you have. If you want something different, if you want something more, that means you have to do something more.

I believe the key here is re-framing our relationship with fear. In our society we run from fear and strong emotions. We’ve never been taught to sit with the feeling of fear, breath through our fear, embrace our fear, or even (gasp!) make friends with fear. It’s like a dirty word, something we want to avoid at all costs.

Well I can tell you that people who learn to allow their feelings of fear to bubble up inside of them without having to run – are the ones who are living amazing lives. They’re the ones who take action no matter how scared they feel, no matter how much of a sweat they’re in, or how hard they’re shaking. They simply breath and move forward.

When you make a habit of doing so – you are re-programing and de-sensitizing your system to fear and learning to embrace it. You start to see that every time you walk through your fear something amazing happens! You see your life expanding and opportunities appearing. You start to actually look for challenges because you know the outcome is going to be awesome.

If you’re one of those folks who runs from fear and a good challenge – perhaps NOW is the time to make that re-frame. After all, everything is at stake here – this is your life and your future is in your hands. You have the opportunity to choose mediocrity or audaciousness. What will you chose?

I’d love to know if you’re having a challenge getting stuff done in your life and business that you know needs to be done – but you are avoiding. Post below and let me know!

To your success + audaciousness,
sheri-sig2

Need to fire a difficult person in your biz or personal life?

We ALL – at some point time in our lives, have to let a friend or client go – as painful as that might be. I don’t know anyone who relishes having to deal with this particular type of situation and for several reasons!

First of all, who wants to be the bad guy?

There are very few people (well, maybe some psychopathic folks) who don’t genuinely care about what others think about us.

Secondly, most people cringe at the thought of anything resembling a confrontation.

In fact, most folks are ready to run at the first sign of having to stand up to someone they believe is not going to agree with whatever they have to say.

Of course there are other reasons too, but these two are pretty much top of the list. So then how do we deal with those sticky-wicket situations?

Well first of all, we need to recognize that we are NOT serving ourselves or the other person by continuing a relationship that is not based in the highest good of both people. I believe it’s critical to understand that you are actually hurting the other person by not letting them go and that your selfishness – AKA fear of having to deal with the outcome of the conversation – is preventing you from taking healthy action.

By making this turn-around in your thinking, hopefully the realization that the short-term discomfort of conveying your message will be out-weighed by the long-term benefit of letting them go. That way they can find the perfect person that can serve them exactly the way they need to be served (whether that’s for a friend, a client, or your life partner).

The key is to carefully pre-construct what you have to say to make sure it clearly let’s that person know that you are suggesting something that is going to be highly beneficial for them and that you’re not just thinking of yourself.

For example, you might say to a friend who is too dramatic and negative: “I’m practicing not taking anything in my life personally anymore and working towards more inner peace. You mean a lot to me and I don’t want to impose what I want to create in my life on anyone I care for. I feel that at this point in time I’m not going to be able to be as good a friend to you as I’ve been in the past and think it would be best if I moved on from our circle of friends.”

Or for a client: “I feel that I’m unable to offer you the kind of support that you need at this time and I wouldn’t feel right having you pay me for services that I won’t be able to deliver to you in the future. I so appreciate your confidence in me and the work we’ve done together. I’ve gathered the names of a few people who might be able to assist in order to make the transition easier – and I would also be happy to forward any information that we’ve worked on together to the person who will be assisting you next.”

In actuality the business conversation is easier than the personal friend one because they’re more likely to have a comeback for you that could be a bit unpleasant. But that’s okay – they’re entitled to be pissed off and you’re entitled to find your happiness.

Of course these examples are not specific, but you get the idea! I’m curious as to how YOU handle these types of situations and if they make you feel like running. Post below and let me know.

To your success,

Here are my favorite tips for banishing overwhelm!

Thank you for coming over and deciding to take a POSITIVE first step in getting your over-booked life under control!

Fortunately it IS possible to gain the skills to totally turn your day around from being a treadmill of tasks, to a focused and well-organized list of actions you’re excited about getting done – and most importantly – that you CAN actually get done! So lets get to it!

If you prefer not to read this online
and would rather download this
information simply click here!

Tip #1

First it’s critical to get clear on what you’re filling your day with. I’d like you look at your calendar from last week very carefully. Is your list reasonable? Are you creating your day to purposely fail – in other words it’s obvious that there is no way in heaven or hell that you can possibly do everything on your list?

Also, when you make your list, are you one of those people who as the day goes on keeps adding more and more things onto the list until you can’t keep on schedule and everything is running over, going from one appointment into another until you feel like a hamster on a treadmill with anxiety setting in?

If you’re doing either of the above – then you’re creating drama and that needs to stop now! Let me give you an example of this so that we are crystal clear here.

I asked my client Cindy to give me a list of her tasks for a typical week so that I could see why she has was having so much trouble focusing on her business and getting anything done – considering she insisted that she was very organized.

The idea was to see why she always was feeling so anxious, stressed, and uncreative in her business. The picture you’re looking at is a reproduction of her actual calendar for the week. One of the most obvious things you can see is that she’s one of those folks who makes a list and then as she goes along keeps filling in things along the way. She’s what I call an official calendar stuffer!

So one of the first issues with Cindy was to get her to realize how much stress she was causing herself by not sticking to her original plan. Her original plan was not bad – she was careful to time her tasks so that she could get them done plus have a little extra emergency time built in – that is before she went and stuck all that extra stuff into her day.

The question to ask yourself now is whether or not your calendar resembles Cindy’s in any way, shape or form – and if so – you now know you need to strip your calendar of anything other than what YOU need to get done. Your agenda needs to be your agenda not a list of everyone else’s agendas and chores that they’re too lazy or busy to do themselves. Let others deal with their stuff and learn to say NO so you don’t stress yourself out.

Tip #2

Overwhelmed

My second tip is: use a time-block calendar – seriously. Now we just talked about how to create a list of activities that you can actually get done in a day. But the best way to get those items done is by organizing them in a manner that is most efficient according to the way your brain functions. Let me explain.

For most folks it’s best when they organize their day according to right brain and left brain activities. One of the fastest ways to shut down your creative process is by doing a bunch of technically minded activities and then switching over to creative ones.

So if you know you need to create a blog post or work on a package or product you are creating, or if you are writing the text for a video series you want to film – all those kinds of creative tasks should be time-blocked together.

If you have to answer emails, write your weekly newsletter, do accounting, or make some tweaks on your website – anything technical using your analytical brain – they should also be blocked together.

The creative process is about letting go of your thinking and being a channel – doing technical tasks requires thinking which closes the channel.

Woman with clarity

So then, all creative activities are best scheduled first thing in the morning when you are fresh out of dreaming and at your most creative and open. This will have your brain working in the most productive way and will drastically cut down on the amount of headaches you experience in a week!

If you need to talk to clients, a certain energy goes with that kind of activity too, I call it “presence,” and those calls should be made back to back. That way you are in “serving clients mode,” out of your own mind and concerns, and totally present for them.

Looking back at Cindy’s calendar we can see that with the way she has her calendar arranged there’s no way she’s going to be able to be creative or present for her clients.All her free creative time is late in the day when she’s probably experiencing an energy slump and already has done so much technical work that she can’t get her right brain to engage.

Simply by reorganizing Cindy’s calendar into time-blocks that make sense, she can be open to her creative flow and not feel stressed to create later in the day when she’s tired and running behind.

Tip #3

Don't Take it Personally!

And now here is my third and final juicy tip! My suggestion is to ask yourself REALLY HONESTLY which tasks can be done by someone else other than you. Are you just telling yourself that you’re the only one who can do these things, because I doubt that’s true!

Are you being stubborn and controlling, not wanting to let go of having everything done your way and only your way? Most folks I work with argue with me on this one and will insist that only they can do x,y + z – or that it takes sooooo long to tell someone what to do that they might as well just do it themselves (this is a personal favorite of mine).

Truly, the art of creating an excellent schedule involves learning to delegate everything that’s not your genus both in your life and your business. Think of it this way. What are you worth an hour? If you’re worth $200 per hour for example, and you’re doing menial errands and tasks that an assistant, a college student or even your own kids can do for $10-20 an hour then you’re wasting your time and disrespecting yourself.

By going over Cindy’s calendar there are definitely things that her kids could do that would take the burden off of her allowing her to become more productive and increase her income. By doing that she would be able to hire more help and take even more nonsense off her plate so that she becomes totally focused on what she loves to do, which makes her the most money, and most importantly – makes her heart sing!

In conclusion!

Heart-centered entrepreneur

So what do you think about these three tips? Do you find yourself guilty of engaging in one or even all of the behaviors I discussed? If so consider yourself typical.

Thankfully there is a cure for this condition and just following the 3 tips I discussed today you will find your sanity level goes up at least 50%. Of course there are other tips and techniques for getting your life more manageable (like saying NO more often!) but we only had time here for my favorite three.

If you feel like you could use some further help in getting your schedule and life back on track, and if you’ve had it with stress and anxiety in your life – you’re welcome to connect with me for a free “Obliviate Overwhelm” 30 minute consultation, I’d love to help.

It would be wonderful to have the opportunity to get you more productive and feeling less anxious and stressed so you increase your income and sanity at the same time! If you’re interested simply make an appointment here.

I want a life I love

The bottom line is that there’s no reason for any of us to be creating stress, anxiety and overwhelm in our lives. None. Life today is fast paced enough – we don’t need to add to it by trying to get the impossible done in a day and then by trying to argue for our right to do so.

Sometimes we’re just blindsided to what we’re doing and it helps to have an objective prospective on what we’ve created so that we can get clarity and a plan. That way we can be more present for our clients, ourselves, our family and our friends.

So let’s make the choice to stop sabotaging our success, and up our level of awareness about what we’re creating in our lives. I’d love to hear your opinion on all of this and what is your favorite technique for keeping your life out of the overwhelm zone!

To your success,

Do you have the mind-set for success?

Vision in business

Something’s been bothering me lately. It’s the number of people who don’t really believe that they can make a living doing what they love.

I’m talking about those folks who don’t even bother trying because they don’t believe they can generate an income equal what they’re currently making at their job.

Then there are also those who have actually started a business – but they just don’t know how to monitize it properly. Eventually the both groups end up discouraged, a bit resentful, and often end up quitting – sometimes before they even get started!

To me that’s truly awful. I spent 16 years of my life doing something I was really good at (but wasn’t my passion) and consider myself on a mission to end that kind of mediocrity.

For those of you who are not familiar – I was a podiatrist who had a very lucrative practice and decided to let that go to jump into the unknown – not just once – but twice!

Let me explain.

After selling my practice I became an apprentice of don Miguel Ruiz, author of the NY Times best-selling book The Four Agreements. It changed my life and I decided I would teach that work which I did for over 8 years. But then something inside was saying it was time to move on and jump into the unknown yet again.

I realized that most of the folks I was working with had no clue how to run a business and teaching them The Four Agreements alone could not help them with that aspect of their life. (It helped with the mind-set part but not the practical biz part.)

I realized that because I’d been in business my whole life – I could offer so much more if I moved beyond the framework I had created for myself.

So last year I relaunched my website and branding to allow myself to be able to share what I have in my heart most authentically and began creating a whole new tribe of awesome heart-centered entrepreneurs who want to live their most audacious dream life.

If I can do this and make a living at it (and a nice living: meaning thriving not surviving), so can you. It’s actually not hard – but it does take time, dedication, focus, and a clear PLAN that creates income. If you’re not taking actions that have the potential to create income – you’re wasting your time.

By that I mean spending too much time in the details, working on your website, blogging, organizing your desk, avoiding speaking to potential clients, answering emails, surfing Facebook – you get the idea – it isn’t going to work!

So the bottom line is you’ve got to change your mind-set for success and break the belief that others can do it but not you – and stop any and all self-sabotaging activities.

I believe we live in an abundant universe. I believe that there is no such thing as competition. I believe you can have anything you want in this life.

And most of all, I believe in you. 🙂

Your Rx for Success,

sheri-sig2