Brian carefully and expertly guides beginners and experienced meditators through all the steps of mindfulness meditation. He provides lots of opportunities for you to build on strengths and let go of weaknesses. With humor and precision, Brian invites you to engage in solitary connection with yourself, and warm and friendly group interaction. Together the group creates a safe atmosphere that sparks learning and increases personal enjoyment. Group interaction is enhanced with private meditation instructions that address your special needs and concerns. There is always emphasis on how to bring meditation practice into daily life. You will be able to confidently align yourself with new goals and aspirations which are based on personal experience. With Brian’s help, your experience will remain an invaluable milestone on the mindfulness journey.

At 18 years old Brian got life-changing teachings from the great Tibetan master Chőgyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He completed advanced training seminaries including Ngedon School, Nitartha Institute and Vajradhatu seminaries. He did undergraduate studies at The Naropa Institute. Following many years of training Brian completed the traditional Tibetan three-year retreat. He has studied, practiced and taught mindfulness in business, centers for well-being, and holiday retreats for over 35 years. Brian was born in Connecticut and has lived in Europe since 2000. He loves cooking, running, accordion, Italia, yoga and travel.

Shannon has been practicing yoga for ten years. She is a certified Yoga Alliance Teacher and has completed the 200 hour Conscious Living Yoga Teacher Training at Yyoga Brussels. She continues to learn through courses and workshops worldwide and through her students. She teaches Hatha Flow, Yin and Restorative Yoga. Shannon has a keen interest in Yoga Therapy to work with physical limitations and improving the quality of life of the elderly.

Shannon ensures that no stone is left unturned in caring for guests. She looks after the details of your daily schedule and keeps a bird’s eye view of everyone’s well-being. She sets the highest standards for the menu and meal service. Her sophisticated eye for design and elegance ensures your enjoyment. Shannon believes that such an environment goes hand-in-hand with the transformative practices of yoga and meditation.

Shannon also shares with you extraordinary guidance on the meditation journey. Oftentimes the instruction needs a woman’s wisdom and understanding when dealing with personal issues. You will fully relax knowing you are in good hands.

Shannon lives and breathes style, travel and wellbeing. In 2008 she undertook a one month meditation retreat which led her to search for secret places that bring together nature, wellbeing and style. Bringing all her passions together to help create Mindfulness Journeys has been a dream come true. Combing the globe, Shannon loves finding locations that have a spirit and wholeness that make it possible to connect with yourself.

Shannon practices yoga daily, teaches meditation and deepens her path with Shambhala International. Born and raised in South Africa, Shannon lived in London, New York and France working in fashion, styling, interiors, luxury travel and meditation. She worked for Browns, Joseph, National Geographic Expeditions, Singita Luxury Safaris and Shambhala Europe to name a few. Although based in Brussels she is regularly spotted exploring the globe.

Karen Bennett has been practicing yoga since 1996. With over ten years of teaching experience, Karen appreciates the need for the practice of yoga to evolve and change as we move through life. She offers a practice that supports body and mind as it is now, with modifications and progressions as necessary. She loves all things health and well-being, and is also a fully qualified massage therapist with ten years experience.

Day 1: Arrival Heho – Pindaya – Kalaw (L/D)

Mingalarbar! Welcome to Heho, Myanmar. You are greeted by your guide at Heho airport (or your hotel). From Heho airport transfer to Pindaya in your private vehicle (approximately 45 minutes), an attractive drive up into the hills and across the Shan Plateau, through fields of mountain rice. Visit magnificent Pindaya Caves, set in a limestone ridge overlooking a picturesque lake, where thousands of different types of Buddha images are on display in the various cave chambers. Afterwards, continue to a local workshop where Shan paper and parasols are made. Lunch at local restaurant.

From Pindaya, drive to the former British hill station of Kalaw (approximately 1 hour 15 minutes) a charming town featuring British-style bungalows set in leafy surroundings.

Check-in at Kalaw Hill Lodge and enjoy welcome drink.

Healthy welcome dinner at the hotel.

Day 2: Kalaw – Yoga & Meditation (B/L/D)

07:00 – 09:00: Sunrise Yoga and Meditation with Shannon and Brian.

09:00 – 10:00: Vegetarian breakfast.

10:00 – 13:00: Free at your own leisure to explore and enjoy the beauty of Kalaw.

Relax, enjoy a SPA treatment, discover the surrounding area on foot or by bike, explore surrounded villages and learn about the lifestyle of the Danu people, visit the vegetable garden on the property, learn about traditional farming methods, explore nat (spirit) shrines nearby and feel inspired by the beliefs of the local people, meet with the farmers, enjoy one of the optional excursions.

13:00 – 14:00: Vegetarian lunch.

14:00 – 17:00: Free at your own leisure to explore and enjoy the beauty of Kalaw.

17:00 – 19:00: Guided Meditation and Sound Healing with Brian and Shannon.

19:30 – 20:30: Vegetarian dinner.

After dinner escape to your personal sanctuary for a peaceful sleep.

Day 3: Kalaw – Yoga & Meditation (B/L/D)

07:00 – 09:00: Sunrise Yoga and Meditation with Shannon and Brian.

09:00 – 10:00: Vegetarian breakfast.

10:00 – 13:00: Free at your own leisure to explore and enjoy the beauty of Kalaw.

Relax, enjoy a SPA treatment, discover the surrounding area on foot or by bike, explore surrounded villages and learn about the lifestyle of the Danu people, visit the vegetable garden on the property, learn about traditional farming methods, explore nat (spirit) shrines nearby and feel inspired by the beliefs of the local people, meet with the farmers, enjoy one of the optional excursions.

13:00 – 14:00: Vegetarian lunch.

14:00 – 17:00: Free at your own leisure to explore and enjoy the beauty of Kalaw.

17:00 – 19:00: Guided Meditation and Sound Healing with Brian and Shannon.

19:30 – 20:30: Vegetarian dinner.

After dinner escape to your personal sanctuary for a peaceful sleep.

Day 4: Kalaw – Yoga & Meditation (B/L/D)

07:00 – 09:00: Sunrise Yoga and Meditation with Shannon and Brian.

09:00 – 10:00: Vegetarian breakfast.

10:00 – 13:00: Free at your own leisure to explore and enjoy the beauty of Kalaw.

Relax, enjoy a SPA treatment, discover the surrounding area on foot or by bike, explore surrounded villages and learn about the lifestyle of the Danu people, visit the vegetable garden on the property, learn about traditional farming methods, explore nat (spirit) shrines nearby and feel inspired by the beliefs of the local people, meet with the farmers, enjoy one of the optional excursions.

13:00 – 14:00: Vegetarian lunch.

14:00 – 17:00: Free at your own leisure to explore and enjoy the beauty of Kalaw.

17:00 – 19:00: Guided Meditation and Sound Healing with Brian and Shannon.

19:30 – 20:30: Vegetarian dinner.

After dinner escape to your personal sanctuary for a peaceful sleep.

Day 5: 2D/1N Trekking to Inle Lake – Day 1 (B/L/D)

Early morning, walk to the market to meet your trekking guide and buy all the provision for your forthcoming 2 days trek. By Tuk Tuk drive in about 30 minutes to the starting point, Lamine Village (Toung Yoe tribe). From here we walk in about 1 hour to Pin Nwe and Paw Ke Village (Pa Oo Ethnic Group) where you will learn about the local trade (weaving). You will also spend some time with a local family and have a cup of green tea. Continue trekking for about 1.5 hour to Khone Hla Village (Da Nu Tribe). We will stop here for some freshly prepared lunch at a local house. After lunch we continue with the trek passing some paddy fields. From here it is a further 2.5 hours walk to Pe Tu Pork (Pa Oo Tribe), a picturesque village of the Pa Oh people where you’ll dinner and enjoy a local homestay.

Total walking hours: 5/6 hours.

Day 6: 2D/1N Trekking to Inle Lake – Day 2 (B/L/D)

After breakfast, we will start the day with a 25 minutes trek to Hti Thain (Pa Oo Village) and visit a monastery along the way.

Continue for a further 45 minutes to Kyut Su (Pa Oo Village) where you can see how bamboo baskets are being made. Another 15 minutes’ walk will bring us to Nan Yoke Village where you will learn about the local herbs. From Nan Yoke Village we enjoy a pleasant stroll for about 2 hours to the boat station (jetty) and have lunch at a small family run restaurant. After lunch, we board our boat and drive to Pristine Lotus Spa Resort on the lake.

Total walking hours: 3.5 – 4 hours.

19:30 – 20:30: Vegetarian dinner.

After dinner escape to your personal sanctuary for a peaceful sleep.

Day 7: Inle Lake – Yoga & Meditation (B/L/D)

07:00 – 09:00: Sunrise Yoga and Meditation with Shannon and Brian.

09:00 – 10:00: Vegetarian breakfast.

10:00 – 13:00: Free at your own leisure. Relax, enjoy the swimming pool, SPA treatment, the in-house activities, optional excursions are available.

13:00 – 14:00: Vegetarian lunch.

14:00 – 17:00: Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda – Traditional Workshops – Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery

After lunch, travel by long-tailed boat across the lake to the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, home to five gold leaf-covered Buddha figures, and the holiest religious site in southern Shan State. We also visit the boat construction workshop at Nampan village and stop to see some traditional handicrafts - silk weaving on wooden handlooms in Inpawkhon village, a cheroot-maker's workshop and a blacksmith's forge. Continue by boat to visit Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries on the lake, where you can see exquisite Buddha statues which are more than 200 years old. Return to your hotel by boat as the sun lowers and the light softens over the lake.

17:00 – 19:00: Guided Meditation and Sound Healing with Brian and Shannon.

19:30 – 20:30: Vegetarian dinner.

After dinner escape to your personal sanctuary for a peaceful sleep.

Day 8: Inle Lake – Yoga & Meditation (B/L/D)

07:00 – 09:00: Sunrise Yoga and Meditation with Shannon and Brian.

09:00 – 10:00: Vegetarian breakfast.

10:00 – 13:00: Local Market & Paukpar Village.

If it coincides with your visit you will explore one of the 5 rotating markets in the area; a fascinating insight into the lifestyle of the Pa-O, Danu and Intha people who visit these markets to buy and sell.

Next, see the famous leg rowers and the typical floating gardens where fruits and vegetables are grown, and learn about local methods of fishing and village life. A highlight may be a visit to the traditional village of Paukpar, with neat rows of bamboo houses. If possible we will stop and visit a family for Shan tea.

Vegetarian lunch will be served at a local Intha House.

14:00 – 17:00: Free at your own leisure. Relax, enjoy the swimming pool, SPA treatment, the in-house activities, optional excursions are available.

17:00 – 19:00: Guided Meditation and Sound Healing with Brian and Shannon.

19:30 – 20:30: Vegetarian dinner.

After dinner escape to your personal sanctuary for a peaceful sleep.

Day 9: Inle Lake – Yoga & Meditation (B/L/D)

07:00 – 09:00: Sunrise Yoga and Meditation with Shannon and Brian.

09:00 – 10:00: Vegetarian breakfast.

10:00 – 14:00: Indein - Sae Ma Village.

After breakfast, travel by long-tailed boat across the lake to Indein, at the western end of Inle, for one of the most scenic trips on the Lake. Passing through the busy village of Ywama, the largest on the Lake, with many channels and tall teak houses on stilts; enter a long, often tree-lined canal, either side of which farmers cultivate their land against the backdrop of the Shan Hills. Disembark at the jetty and walk for 15 minutes through Indein village to reach the 14th - 18th century pagoda ruins of Nyaung Ohak. Many pagodas here remain charmingly unrenovated, with plants and even small trees growing out of them, making the area very atmospheric. A covered walkway popular with souvenir stallholders leads up to Shwe Inn Thein Paya, a complex of weather-beaten 17th - 18th century zedi; some newly reconstructed.

Continue on foot to a village nearby where several crops are grown in traditional ways. Walk in an easy pace along one of the many creeks passing through rice fields to the village of Sae Ma. Visit the primary school of the village where you have the possibility to meet the children and teachers to observe their way of learning and teaching (during break time on school days only).

13:00 – 14:00: Vegetarian lunch at local restaurant.

14:00 – 17:00: Free at your own leisure. Relax, enjoy the swimming pool, SPA treatment, the in-house activities, optional excursions are available.

17:00 – 19:00: Guided Meditation and Sound Healing with Brian and Shannon.

19:30 – 21:00: Festive farewell dinner full surprises.

Day 10: Inle Lake – Heho – Departure (B)

After breakfast, free at leisure until we head to the airport for your flight back home and say goodbye after an amazing time in Myanmar or extend your stay in Myanmar with a direct flight to Thandwe, near Ngapali Beach.

Ngapali Beach is a tropical paradise of pristine sand, clear blue waters and groves of picturesque coconut palms. Over 10km of white sand beach runs along the Bay of Bengal, with a smattering of only a dozen or so resorts to create a sense of seclusion and hidden discovery. The limited development and small number of visitors means the beach never feels crowded, a dream come true for lovers of the sun, sea and sand. Besides the usual sunbathing and swimming, leisure activities include snorkeling, sailing, scenic walks and bike trips. Far away from tourist crowds, Ngapali Beach is still a truly undiscovered paradise. The long beach is dotted with charming boutique style resorts built in local materials, the architecture blending harmoniously with the natural surroundings. There are no high rises, no noisy roads, no booming discotheques, no jet-skis and no packed rows of oiled bodies baking in the sun. The stretch of white sand, natural beauty of the blue sea, swaying palm trees and quiet privacy are guaranteed ingredients of an exquisite beach holiday.

Gina focuses on listening to the body and exploring how to find the perfect Yoga practise for each person. Her style is grounded, clear and informative, uplifting and nurturing. Her teaching style is based on Hatha & Yin Yoga. She was described by the prestigious "Queen of Retreats" in 2016 as the non-woo woo girl next door. Gina has practised for over 20 years and lives and teaches Yoga in the UK and Europe. She qualified with distinction as a teacher in 2008, and is a member of the Independent Yoga Network in the UK.

Kostas solved most of his past health challenges with just the application of macrobiotic principles. A superb chef, he is happy to share his understanding with others. Macrobiotics is his life path. Having studied at the Kushi Institute of Europe, he spends his time cooking for yoga retreats and events that promote mindful living. He gives private and group cooking lessons and seminars, focusing on each individual’s needs. He is a member of the team Oneproject.gr, introducing the macrobiotic nutrition and philosophy to Greece through seminars, lectures and macrobiotic products. He loves swimming, walking and reading just about everything. He practises vipassana meditation.