Share your thoughts on your connection between conservation and your faith, religion, or spirituality

Consider contributing to this program – this is a good opportunity to articulate your views on this topic, both for yourself and for others! See Share Your Thoughts.

Watch a video, on what the WWF is doing to bridge the worlds of faith and conservation:

Delika Chungyalpa, Director of the WWF Sacred Earth Program:

Related Posts:

• Sacred Groves, Ecological Saviours? The Story from Sikkim–India
• Shielding the Mountains, on the efforts of Tibetan environmentalists to overcome challenges of environmental conservation on the Tibetan Plateau
• Neysol – An Ancient Buddhist Text on the Environment

World Wildlife Fund Pages

• American Youth Take a Stand for the Environment

The post Contribute to the WWF – The Relationship Between Conservation and Religion/Faith/Spirituality appeared first on Himalayan Connections.

New Gap Year Website – Click the Image!

Our Gap Year Program has a new website, and we are proud to show it off!

New Himalayan Gap Year Website

The site is simple and to the point, and highlights various facets of our program in a series of image galleries.

The main Himalayan Connections site still hosts all of the details of our gap year program. However, the new site is easier to navigate, and gives a ‘big picture’ of what the program is like.

We hope you enjoy it!

The post Himalayan Gap Year Has a New Website! appeared first on Himalayan Connections.

Himalayan Gap Year Website

Next, we are seeking 2 or 3 more students for our fall gap program in the Himalaya of northeast India. Thank you in advance for sending our information to any students whose plans for next fall are not yet finalized.

Also, we have posted three new articles on our website:

• What Students Should Know About our Program
• What Parents Should Know  About our Program
• What Counselors and Consultants Should Know About our Program

Please get to know us! And of course, we are always eager to speak by phone and answer any questions.

A variety of posts that may be of interest are listed below. Thanks so much, and have a great summer!

Best wishes,

Kathy Ballek, Director
Himalayan Connections
720-310-0235

The post Himalayan Connections News – June 2013 appeared first on Himalayan Connections.

First, check out our gap year website, Himalayan Gap Year.

Next, explore, Why Sikkim?

Browse our program modules, which explain about

• Village and adventure trekking, Yoga and meditation, Homestays, Volunteer work in schools, and Media projects

We are a small program and we live with a local family in a small hotel. See,

• About Us, Student Testimonials, and our Student Blog, written by students
• Contact us, and we will put you in touch with former students

Spiritual and  contemplative questions.are of  interest to many of our participnts. See our

• Archives: Yoga and Meditation
• Archives: Mindful Travel

We are committed to ecologically minded travel policies, and support for ecotourism that benefits local peoples, cultures, and the environment. See -

• Responsible Tourism Policy
• Archives: The Environment

We have a large database of resource pages on the Himalaya, which are full of practical and informative tips and information. Contact us an we will provide complimentary access (or sign up for a free membership).

Remember to investigate, to call program offices, to call former students, and get all of your questions answered! Every program is unique, and we trust you will find what you are searching for!

The post HC Gap Program – What Students Should Know appeared first on Himalayan Connections.

See our new Gap Year Website – Click the Image

This post provides background for guidance counselors, educational consultants, gap year consultants, and student advisors. 

Please browse the other two posts in this series and feel free to share them with interested students and families:

• HC Gap Program – What Students Should Know
• HC Gap Program – What Parents Should Know

Here is what sets Himalayan Connections apart from other programs. We are

• Small and authentic – see About Us
• Community based – we travel locally, but not nationally – see Why Sikkim? 
• Flexible and accomodating to students’ needs – this is possible because we are small and community-based – see our Program Modules

What kind of student will benefit from our programs? Students who are

• Ecologically and environmentally minded – we live and travel in a biodiversity hotspot – local communities practice ecological stewardship, and we aspire to responsible travel practices – see Responsible Tourism Policy
• Spiritual, contemplative, or reflective - we explore various local religions: Buddhism, Hindusm, and Christianity, and yoga and mindfulness meditation are part of our program – see Yoga and Meditation
• Physically active - trekking and village homestays are parts of our program.
• Communicative – we value relationships, both within the program and especially with local community members. We help students in local schools as part of our pen pal program.
•  Academically challenged – components of our program may benefit academically challenged students – see Learning Difficulties and the Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation: An Unusual Gap Year Opportunity

We accept applications through Aug. 15.

Please see the listing of gap year consultants on our site - if you are one, and are not on the list, please let us know.

The resources section on our site is extensive, and covers travel, the Himalaya, academic resources, media project info, etc. Contact us and we will send you a complimentary username and password.

Thanks for your support – please call us at any time!

The post HC Gap Program – What Counselors Should Know appeared first on Himalayan Connections.

Our Extended Family

Parents are often concerned about safety, staffing, and the integrity of gap year programs.

Helpful information is in:

• What Students Should Know About Us, especially About Us and Why Sikkim?
• What Counselors and Consultants should Know About Us

See our Travel, Health, and Safety pages; we provide a pre-departure orientation, pickup in Delhi, and our on-site safety orientation involves our entire staff. We assist students who wish to travel together on international flights.

To speak with a past parent of our program, please contact us and we will set that up for you.

If you have questions about the value of gap year, see

• Why take a Gap Year?
• Gap Year Resources Page
• Browse our Gap Year News archives

You may wish to check with gap year consultants; we are in touch with most of them, and we have listed them on our site.

We have an extensive list of resource pages on our site, related to travel, the Himalaya, academic resources, student activities, etc. Please contact us for login information.

Finally, please don’t hesitate to contact us at any time – your questions and concerns are important to us!

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from The Tibetan Blog of Living and Dying – more resources are on this page!

The post A Simple Meditation Practice – Instructions from a Tibetan Master appeared first on Himalayan Connections.

Introducing Phuntsok Lingstang, the on-site coordinator and instructor for the Himalayan Connections program. With a degree and background in Education, Phuntsok introduces our students to local customs, etiquette, and Nepali language. She is our coordinator for pen pal programs and assists in setting up homestay opportunities. Her dynamic ability to work with people from different cultures stems from her working with western high school and college programs for many years.

Phuntsok was raised to Tibetan parents in Gangtok. Her father was the Director of the Sports & Youth Affairs Department in the Government of Sikkim for many years. Phuntsok and her husband Gyatso both take an active role in raising their daughter Khandro (see the photo below). Phuntsok is a nurturing and kindred spirit who brings warmth and caring to students, and students feel genuinely respected and cared for.  She takes pride in introducing our students to a new culture and lovingly provides then a home away from home.

The post Community Spotlight – Phuntsok Lingstang, HC Instructor appeared first on Himalayan Connections.

I first thought of travel in terms of going places, in order to see them and then move on. I regarded the journey to see them a process to be endured, rather than a meaningful part of travel itself. With time and experience, however, I now travel to gain a heightened sense of presence. The anxiety of the journey reflects this just as much, if not more so, than its endpoint.

I am fortunate that generally I am able to afford transportation that offers more challenges in terms of boredom than physical discomfort. As a result, I’ve come to understand that what makes many journeys unpleasant is having to be fully present within them, rather than having an enjoyable distraction (such as a book or conversation partner). I’ve realized that it’s not usually the journey that‘s unpleasant but rather my reaction to it. If one of the challenges of long haul flights (besides physical discomfort) is indeed monotony, that reflects more on me than the flight.

What makes meditation both challenging and liberating is that it requires practitioners to face ourselves. Deprived of distraction, we are forced to be present. The Thai forest monk Ajahn Chah once explained that “within itself, the mind is already peaceful. That the mind is not peaceful these days is because it follows moods.” This is just as true for travel as meditation. As physical journeys compel us to look inward to a greater degree than we normally would, by virtue of this they also enable us to see more clearly outward.

By traveling with full attention and without expectations, I see the elements of new places I visit more clearly, and when I return home, this heightened vision and presence stay with me.

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Himalayan Connections Gap Year Students with Teachers from Sikkim

Spaces are still available in our Fall 2013 gap year program. The program, located in a spectacular Himalayan region of northeast India, offers trekking, volunteer work in schools, village homestays, yoga and meditation, and a media project – customized to individuals’ interests.

Fall 2013 – Special Projects

• Sustainable Tourism Initiative to develop cultural, economic, and environmental standards for the Himalayan Connections program.
• Mindfulness Meditation - develop life-long skills that enhance academic performance, health, and psychological well-being.

This is an exceptional program for students interested in travel to the Himalaya. Our staff have many years of experience, and we are hosted by a lovely Tibetan family.

Related Links

• Why Sikkim?
• Testimonials
• Himalayan Connections Gap Year Program
• Program Blog, for Students by Students

The post Himalayan Connections News — May, 2013 appeared first on Himalayan Connections.