Vajra Yoga: The Wisdom Therapeutics Retreat
August 6 - 9, 2026
Join us for an experiential retreat exploring the theme of Wisdom Therapeutics through the rejuvenating and restorative body-mind practices of the Hatha Yoga and Indo-Tibetan traditions. In celebration of the late Professor Robert Thurman and his vision of bringing ancient wisdom into contemporary life, this retreat draws on the profound contemplative and healing traditions of the Himalayas. Guided by Vajra Yoga Director Dr. John Campbell and international Tibetan Yoga teacher Liz Sung of Sowa Rigpa Open University and Sowa Rigpa Institute, the retreat offers an immersive exploration of Vajra YogaTM—Tibet House US's approach to yoga and yogic inner science rooted in the wisdom traditions of India and Tibet.
Throughout the four-day retreat, we will engage in daily Hatha and Tibetan Yoga practices that promote deep rejuvenation, embodied awareness, and the balanced flow of subtle energy. Complementing these sessions will be an introduction to Sowa Rigpa, Tibet's traditional holistic medical system. Grounded in the principle of the five elements, Sowa Rigpa integrates diet, lifestyle, herbal medicine, yoga, and contemplative practices to cultivate balance and well-being.
We will explore practical approaches to understanding constitutional typology, seasonal balance, and personalized methods of self-care that can be integrated into everyday life. The daily lectures—based on the Buddha’s teaching of the 4 Noble Truths and Patanjalis’s Yoga Sutra—will provide philosophical context while illuminating the enduring relevance of
these traditions for modern life. Evening sessions offer opportunities to learn and experience the restorative Sowa Rigpa therapies for calming the nervous system and restoring energetic balance.
Throughout the retreat, the emphasis is on translating these ancient systems into lived experience. Participants will gain practical tools to understand their own constitution and energetic patterns, discover practices most suited to their individual needs, and leave with a sustainable foundation for supporting health, resilience, and inner well-being in daily life.
What You Will Experience and Learn:
- Introduction to yogic healing systems from the Buddhist and Pātañjala Yoga traditions
- Foundations of Sowa Rigpa (Traditional Tibetan Medicine) and its approach to health and well-being
- Practical self-care and longevity methods from Sowa Rigpa
- Hatha Yoga and Tibetan Yoga practices for the physical body and subtle energy system
- Restorative Tibetan Medicine therapies and healing sessions
- Lineage-based meditation practices for cultivating awareness and inner balance
THIS PAGE IS FOR ONLINE/VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE REGISTRATION. TO REGISTER FOR IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
John Campbell
John Campbell is a Dharma and yoga teacher, Mysore yoga school graduate, initiate of senior Tibetan Lamas, and graduate of Columbia University Buddhist Studies. He is a senior Certified teacher in the Ashtanga Yoga lineage of southern India, and a practitioner-teacher of Tibetan internal yogas.
A scholar of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, he received a PhD in Religion from Columbia University, and has been the recipient of numerous scholarly awards for his research on the history of tantric Buddhist yoga systems India. After two decades teaching in academia, he now focuses on translation, regularly collaborating with his mentor Prof. Robert A. F. Thurman key tantric Buddhist works of the Nalanda University tradition from Sanskrit and Tibetan. He serves as a core faculty member with the Vajra Yoga center for the study and practice of Indo-Tibetan yogic sciences based at Tibet House US in New York City. A native New Yorker, he lives in Newburgh, NY with his wife, children, and assorted animal friends.
Liz Sung
Liz Sung is a practitioner of the Yuthok Nyingthig—the Vajrayana lineage integrated with Traditional Tibetan Medicine—under the guidance of her main teacher and lineage holder, Dr. Nida Chenagtsang. Influenced by her Korean heritage and Mahayana Buddhist roots, she began her Dharma training in the Gelug tradition under her first teacher.
As Yoga Director of the Sowa Rigpa Institute, Liz develops educational programs that integrate Tibetan Medicine with Tibetan Yoga, and teaches internationally. She is a certified Sowa Rigpa Practitioner with certifications in Hatha yoga, trauma-informed yoga, and meditation, and brings over a decade of embodied movement training with an emphasis on alignment.
Liz is a coordinator for the international community of Yuthok Nyingthig and Sowa Rigpa centers through Sowa Rigpa Open University, and co-creates Tanaduk Garden, an initiative with Dr. Nida dedicated to sharing the rich herbal and spiritual wisdom of Tibetan Medicine. She is founder of SAMAYA, a meditation lifestyle brand.
