Embodied Heart Sutra (Non-residential workshop)

My partner and I enjoyed our first time at Pure Land Farms. We took a class there and learned so much. The class was paced well with movement and differently learning modalities. The instructors were so informative and open to questions as well as very calming. Our cohort of students were kind, sensitive and each on a personal mission of self discovery. We signed up for the January class and mu partner is going to schedule a 1 on 1 with one of the practitioners there for an assessment abd treatment. We both can see ourselves becoming regular attendees here.

I spent an afternoon at Pure Land Farms in a Tibetan self-healing session and found the experience calm, grounded, and genuinely welcoming. The land itself makes it easy to slow down and arrive.

The instructors, Dr. Bryan Watrous and Julia Mariko Shannon, were relaxed, highly knowledgeable, and created a safe container for people of many different backgrounds and levels of experience. The guidance felt steady and spacious rather than rigid or prescriptive.

I left feeling settled and clear. I shared a longer reflection on the experience here:

https://journeythroughmeditation.com/blog-meditation/2025/12/15/pure-land-farms-an-afternoon-of-tibetan-self-healing

I cannot say enough how much Pure Land Farms is a place of deeply profound meaning for me. To study with Dr. Nida and all the teachers who offer their wisdom and knowledge is an experience that is enriching and inspiring.
Dr Nida is the most incredible vibrant joyful and brilliant teacher. He is a multidimensional teacher of innate intelligence brilliance humor & compassion - he distills the essence of complex ancient teachings in the clearest & most practical way. I basically want to take any classes he is teaching and I hope to be able to take the foundational Sowa Rigpa training next year. All the teachers I have experienced in person or CHRISTIANA, Liz and Drukhmo , Dr. Brian , Bair, and the visiting lamas have enhanced so many aspects of my life with their presence, teachings & offerings.
All the Sangha people I come into contact with there are wonderful humans doing sincere & incredible work in the world and I feel that wherever Dr. Nida goes and wherever CHRISTIANA is they create such a container for magic and goodness and Gardens of bounty .
I highly highly recommend Pure Land Farms and feel very blessed to live locally - so thankful to be a part of this incredible sangha.

At least twice a year since 2022 I have gone to PURELAND FARMS in Topanga seeking refuge from the storms of life. Like a hidden hamlet of rejuvenation nestled in golden Southern California hills, you can find a quiet place and just be or you can engage with other retreatants whose journey's will inspire you to new heights. The yurts, the food, the spirits of the land and the courteous and knowledgeable staff all combine in a frictionless way making for not just a get away but an experience - a heart centered feeling of returning home. Whenever Dr. Nida is there you can definitely count on an epic time!! Personal retreats are also available too, and having done that twice, I can say it is truly sublime.