Embrace the Transition

Tibetan Dragon Year to Tibetan Snake Year 

Join us for a unique and transformative experience as we bid farewell to the Tibetan Dragon Year 2151 and embrace the incoming Snake Year 2152. The Tibetan New Year falls on Friday, 28th February 2025. 

In the Buddhist tradition, snakes are flexible and elastic, symbolizing that when facing adverse events in our lives, we should respond skilfully and gracefully. Snake can also shed their skin and be reborn, reminding us to constantly transform our habits through practice, grow, and evolve. A snake protected the Buddha’s meditation from a violent storm by transforming into a canopy. Likewise, we should also guard our minds from disturbing physical and mental storms. We should be flexible like snakes when to be relaxed and when to be tense to move forward no matter what circumstances we face.

Date & Time: Saturday,  February 22,  2025 

• Natural Healing with Breathing for Tummo 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

• Hundred Handprint Chöd Healing 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Molding Intention: Set the stage for positive change with intentions for the well-being of all sentient beings. May happiness prevail and suffering dissipate as we enter the Snake Year.

Breathing for Tummo: Embark on a new journey through learning yogic breathing, an art of breathwork, to delve into the secrets of Tummo, the wisdom heat that heals innumerable ailments. Let us uncover the power of the ancient Tibetan four breathing techniques: controlled inhalation, filling up, channelization, and exhalation.

Hundred Handprint Chöd Healing: Discover the ancient Tibetan Chöd healing, a tantric ritual rooted in wisdom and compassion. Immerse yourself in the sacred sounds and experiences, releasing attachments to the past and future.

Dedication: Close the session with a heartfelt dedication, extending the positive energy cultivated to all beings for their liberation and lasting happiness.

Topics Covered:

1. How important is the intention

2. The power of breathwork

3. Tummofor physical and mental health 

4. Chöd - the cutting ego

5. Machig Labdrön - the pioneer of chöd

6. Receiving chöd teachings

7. Deities of chöd

8. Importance of mantras

9. Chöd dance

10. Chöd healing for physical and mental wellness

11. 100 Handprint Chöd Healing 

12. Dedication to universal happiness

Don't miss this chance to participate in a holistic celebration of the Tibetan calendar transition. Embrace the Snake Year with intention, wisdom, and healing, as we honor the ancient traditions of Tibet while integrating the teachings carried forward in modern times—wisdom that continues to be embodied and shared by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This gathering bridges the past and present, offering a space for reflection, renewal, and the deep spiritual practices that have guided Tibetan culture for centuries.

Dr. Chok Tenzin Monlam is an accomplished teacher who has dedicated his career to the continuance of Tibetan Buddhist culture and language in modern society. A practicing academic, teacher, and healer, he teaches a wide range of modalities, from Tibetan language to Tibetan yoga, meditation, and Buddhist science and philosophy.

Ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, he studied and practiced as a Tibetan monk for ten years. Having advanced his studies through institutions for two decades, Dr. Chok has obtained multiple degrees in Buddhist and Tibetan studies, including his PhD from the University of Delhi. He has studied and trained for decades in Buddhist studies, Tibetan yoga, healing, and meditation under the direction of many teachers of the major and minor Tibetan Buddhist traditions. He served as the Head of the Research and Translation Department at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamshala for 13 years, until he relocated to the United States in 2019.

An author, translator, and certified language instructor, Dr. Chok has written two books on how to learn the Tibetan language, written and translated more than 36 books and many articles, and has taught both Tibetan and English language courses in affiliation with multiple learning institutions. His passion, however, lies in Tibetan yoga and meditation. The Tibetan style of yogic practice is exceedingly rare, and few people are qualified to teach it today. Dr. Chok is qualified to teach yoga in this Tibetan tradition, as well as being certified in the Indian tradition. To share the health benefits of Tibetan yoga to the body, energy, and mind, he has taught prolifically in India, the United States, and over a dozen other countries.

Dr. Chok is also qualified in and practices healing modalities inclusive of Chöd, pranic healing, mantra healing, and more. Since the pandemic, Dr. Chok has taught virtual courses all over the globe. He currently teaches Tibetan Yoga and Meditation at the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art in Staten Island, NY, Tibet Center, Chicago, Tibet House, Frankfurt, Germany, Nimes Association and is an instructor in the Brooklyn Public Library’s biannual University Open Air program, Dr. Chok offers diverse and inclusive teaching series on Tibetan yoga, meditation, healing, and Buddhist science and philosophy in partnership with multiple organizations. 

This special event is offered free to the public thanks to the generous support of the Department of Cultural Affairs, as part of the program Global Resonance: Voices for Unity in a Contemporary Society. We are grateful for their sponsorship, which allows us to share these ancient Tibetan practices with the community, fostering connection, healing, and cultural appreciation.