LIVING YOGA

​James Hilton's book, Lost Horizon, popularised the concept of Shangri-La, a mythical land that has, for years, captured people's idea of paradise. His vision is the backbone and inspiration behind our Road to Shangri-La sojourn through northwest Yunnan, undeniably my favourite part of China thus far. The people are sincere and warm, nature is abundant, and there is plenty of history and culture to dip into.

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As our three earlier sojourns to Shangri-La have clearly shown me, our external journey to the destination of Shangri-La is but a reflection of our inner journey towards all the ideals that Shangri-La entail: abundance, contentment and an unwavering peace of heart and mind. As such, in the fourth reiteration of this retreat, we will intentionally involve all our sense organs in an external-internal journey, as possible pathways to living in greater alignment both within and without.​​

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Itinerary overview

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When you land in Lijiang on Wednesday 14 April, our guide will meet and will drive you to Shaxi, where our adventure begins. A former caravan town steeped in history, Shaxi was a key stop along the ancient Tea Horse Road, a route that connected Chinese traders (who traded primarily in tea and horses) to those in Tibet, India and Nepal. We will spend two nights in a modern courtyard hotel owned by my friend and one of our guides, Dahua. He belongs to the Bai ethnicity, a minority group who has a long and colourful cultural history and tradition in Yunnan. He is also an outdoor enthusiast who will initiate us into the wonders of nature (like a horse trek excursion through the forest). 

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At the start, we will take it super easy so as to allow our bodies time to ​​​​acclimatise to the region's elevation (2,100 metres above sea level). We will stroll the ancient markets and alleyways of Shaxi and enjoy slow village days.

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Once we have eased into our travel rhythm, we will drive out to Benzilan, a Tibetan town nestled at the foot of the Baimang Snow Mountain, where we will stay for two nights. Here, we will pop by an artisanal incense maker who follows historical Tibetan-style methods, blending aromatic local herbs, medicinal plants, and natural barks; visit the historic 17th century Dongzhulin monastery to better understand Tibetan Buddhism's impact in China; and take an easy hike to a sacred waterfall (unknown to tourists) for a very special meditation session.

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We will then drive to the eastern edge of the Himalayas towards Shangri-La, the peak destination in our itinerary. Part of geographical Tibet, Shangri-La provides the perfect backdrop for an insight into Tibetan culture.​ We will visit a traditional thangka painter in the old town, swing by a Tibetan brewery with a soul-stirring story, and take a morning walk to a small temple frequented only by Tibetan locals, who visit to pray for good health and to be blessed with children. We cap off our adventure by going glamping in a hidden valley. 

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We will journey back down towards the charming town of Shuhe on our last night, so we are closer to the airport. We will spend our final morning sipping tea with my wonderful tea master friend. Our time together ends on Tuesday 27 April, in the town of Shuhe. Transport will be arranged to take you back to Lijiang to catch your afternoon flight back to Singapore.

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Our days will be bookended by morning Yoga practice and post-dinner satsang, where we will gather to chat and share insights and reflections from the day's travels.

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Please note

• We will be staying in charming, safe and comfortable hotels (whose owners or managers we are familiar with), with all modern amenities. This includes ensuite showers and toilets, towels, toiletries, a hair-dryer (220V only) and free Wi-Fi. The only exception is our one night glamping, where bathroom and toilet facilities are shared (very clean, not at all campground-ish). Each fixed tent also comes with a wash basin, with water that is heated by a gas stove.

• Accommodation and full itinerary details will only be shared with retreat participants, three months before the trip commences.

• We seek your understanding if we have to adjust some programmes on the itinerary – sometimes, closures and unavailability cannot be foreseen. But we promise whatever we schedule in place will be equally fun!

• We will travel in a van with a driver who doubles up as our bilingual guide. Our guide(s) will be with us all the time, so you don't have to speak Mandarin to join this retreat.

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Retreat fee (early bird until 14 Dec 2026)
S$3200 for twin-share; top-up S$750 for single occupancy

(The glamping site has raised their prices, so we had to adjust the fee too. Hope you understand!)​

After early bird: +S$400​

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Inclusions​

• Daily accommodation

• Three vegetarian meals a day, except for three meals during free-and-easy timings

• Daily morning Yoga practice

• Airport pick-up and drop off, if you travel on recommended flights

• All planned excursion transfers during the retreat

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Exclusions​​

• Flight tickets

• China visa fees, if required

• Compulsory travel insurance

• Expenses incurred should you fall ill in China. Please make sure your travel insurance adequately covers this.

• Any necessary Covid tests, should regulations require them then

• Optional activities

• All personal expenses eg. laundry, shopping, extra food orders during group meals