Your Guides
Who is The Spiritual Pilgrim?
It We are committed practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism and students of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche of Ka Nying Shedrup Ling in Nepal. Together we have been sharing our love of the Nepal and the Dharma with interested folks since 2010. It’s a privilege to do this work and we’re excited about the possibility of sharing it with you!
Cory Bryant, Pilgrimage Leader/Guide
Hi, I’m Cory - I enjoy many things, but three that top the list are travel, yoga, and Buddhism. Fortunately for me (and hopefully you too!) I have the great good fortune to bring these three things together in order to offer you the chance to experience it with me.
In 2009 I was teaching a yoga class at Flow Yoga Center in Washington, DC and after the class a woman appointed me. Her name was/is Marni and she started this whole thing (thank you Marni - we love you!). She asked if I would like to be the yoga teacher on a trip to Nepal. I said yes on the spot and in 2010 we went on the first Yoga Nepal adventure together. It changed the course of my life.
Fast forward nine years and I’ve resigned my position with the U.S. FDA and moved to Nashville to open a Yoga Shala Nashville. In the interim I returned to Nepal four more times to co-lead this pilgrimage – each time taking on a bigger role. Then covid happened and Marni offered the business to me. After postponing for two years I finally returned in 2022 after what turned out to be, rather unexpectedly, a five year hiatus. Now, here we are in 2023 and growing!
James Hopkins, Guide
In 2004 James retired from his job as a stockbroker and checked into a Buddhist monastery near the Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu, and has been living there ever since: Studying philosophy & language at the monastery, traveling around the world as a Tibetan lama's assistant, running a social project in an encampment of street beggars, teaching leadership & management skills to reincarnated lamas, leading international yoga tours, and trying to make sense of it all with a pen & paper.
Sarah McTee, Guide
Sarah currently lives in Honolulu, Hawaii where she splits her time between working as a part time consultant for nonprofits, teaching yoga, and enjoying adventures in the ocean. Sarah discovered Jivamukti Yoga in 2006 while living in Washington, D.C. After years of practicing under Jill Abelson and Cory Bryant she was inspired to attend Jivamukti Yoga teacher training in 2011, and has been teaching in that style ever since. Recently, Sarah has augmented her yoga practice and instruction with the study of massage therapy and Reiki. Having experienced the emotional and physical healing made possible through yoga, she hopes to create a space for others to live life fully and with an open heart.
Bidur Ghimire, Guide
A native Nepali, Bidur is our man on the ground. He’s like a living Buddha — one of the nicest, most loving people you’ll ever meet. We’ve been working together on these trips since 2010 and he’s there for us every step of the way!