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Peru Sabbatical, 2007
In June of 2007, 22 people, primarily from the metro-DC area, traveled as a group on a Radical Sabbatical to Machu Picchu, Peru and the Sacred Valley, now receiving title as one of the seventh wonders of the world.
New age-style sacred travel or metaphysical touring is a growing facet of tourism, especially in countries like Peru with strong ancient-civilizations. The group had an adventurous spiritual focus where everyone came together to improve their understanding of themselves in the world. This Peru Radical Sabbatical heightened the wisdom of its participants by incorporating daily yoga practices . The journey included an “intensive” program of restfulness, stillness, yoga and meditative practices that access greater balance, clarity, creativity, courage, gratitude, understanding and fearlessness that initiates a discovery of wisdom to each one's personal authenticity. Traveling and immersing as a group in a timeless culture and bountiful ecology provides a unique and exclusive experience for observing new dimensions of life and discover a certain truth of information that collectively raises our consciousness of who we can “be”.
"The Open minds and open hearts of our organizers (Lynn Gardner & Denise Lapides) safely enabled the individuals in our group to be as spiritually and emotionally courageous as we desired". “The most valuable experiences on RS Peru: witnessing the beauty of the Andes, marveling at the creation of Willka T'ika by Carol, participating in Quechuan ceremonies and daily yoga sessions, and meeting an array of interesting women.” Donna 8/2007 “Radical Sabbatical has something for everyone. There is travel, friendship, and personal journeying with the aid of wonderful guides and teachers.” “It's hard to pick one thing, but if I did, it would be seeing the beautiful landscape Peru has to offer, especially the awe- inspiring mountains. I learned that my life is really a blessing and I'm going to mellow out and enjoy the spiritual ride without waiting for something amazing to happen.” “Lynn designs explorations into sacred places that allow deep exploration within and without. The explorer need only be prepared for the unexpected coming from either and know that it will be enlightening and uplifting whatever it is.” "The radical sabbatical to Peru was a holistic experience, not just a vacation. The teachings, the yoga practice, the location, the people, even the food all had a spiritual component, it was exactly what I was looking for."
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Peru is a place of great power and magic. The pureness of the high altitude of the Andes, the energies that come from the land itself, the warm indigenous people, and the incredible mysteries left by the Incas combine to change the visitor’s perspective forever. The yoga portion of the trip was led by Denise Lapides, renowned yoga instructor. The group enhanced the spiritual energies through early morning yoga and afternoon meditation circles in the heart of Machu Picchu. 
The Peru Radical Sabbatical is a group opportunity where there is a great exploration of each one's unique truth and destiny through world wide travel. By exploring and experiencing diversity in landscape, people and cultural practices, travelers expand their own wisdom and true nature. The traveler’s return home with their own “autonomy” and sense of “adventure”.
“Through the meditation and spiritual experiences we had, I discovered that things I thought were my problems were really symptoms of something else. Something terribly simple - an erroneous judgment put on me by another which somehow I came to believe to be true. I asked Lynn what to do once I had my Ah Ha and she told me nothing... it will resolve itself. And she was right. While I always have fun, I was rarely happy. Now I am truly happy for the first time in 20 years and oh by the way, I've lost 15 pounds. Guess once my spirit was lighter the body decided to follow suit! My friends have even commented on the change in me.” 