California
The Magic of Watercolor & Meditation for Relaxation & Joy
Program No. 23721RJ
Enjoy opportunities for sketching and painting at a tranquil California retreat in a beautiful redwood environment. Meditations each day bring inner joy, focus and relaxation.
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We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more
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800-454-5768
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Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
Apr 28 - May 3, 2025
Starting at
1,949Not seeing the date you're looking for?
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This date is available to book as a private experience for your group!
6 days
5 nights
15 meals
5B 5L 5D
1
Check-in, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Soquel, CA
At a Glance
Pack your creativity and escape to the Land of Medicine Buddha, a serene mountain retreat in California’s redwood forest. Suitable for beginners, this course is designed to help you learn to paint in watercolor in a relaxed atmosphere. Step-by-step demonstrations will include: thumbnail sketching, color wheel, color mixing, creating a dynamic value range and techniques such as various washes, wet into wet, glazing, creating textures, dry brush and more. Experience watercolor magic by applying techniques to flowers, skies, landscapes, skies, mandalas etc. Meditations each day bring inner joy, focus and relaxation. Be inspired, have fun and create lovely watercolors!
Activity Level
Easy Going
Short walking distances between accommodation, meeting rooms and dining room. Hilly terrain, uneven ground in places, some stairs or a steep hill & ramps to the dining room and meeting room.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Learn watercolor techniques with step-by-step watercolor demonstrations include color mixing, creating washes, wet-into-wet, glazing and dry brush to create and an array of subjects, such as beautiful skies, landscapes and flowers.
- Study meditation techniques, with mindfulness meditations and visualization, for deep inner peace and relaxation.
- Learn to create watercolor mandalas and thumbnail sketches to develop compositions and values.
General Notes
The Retreat Difference: This unique, often basic and no-frills experience at a Road Scholar Retreat includes opportunities for early morning exercise, interaction with the local community for insight into local life, an authentic farm-to-table or locally sourced meal, and a live performance or event. Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Ingrid Mednis
Ingrid Mednis has taught numerous classes in herbology and frequently leads nature walks. She has been a docent at the University of California, Santa Cruz organic farm project for about 20 years and has worked in Henry Cowell State Park.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Ingrid Mednis
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Ingrid Mednis has taught numerous classes in herbology and frequently leads nature walks. She has been a docent at the University of California, Santa Cruz organic farm project for about 20 years and has worked in Henry Cowell State Park.
Chuck Walbridge
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Chuck Walbridge has been studying Buddhism under Tibetan masters since 1975. He has received teachings from more than 45 Tibetan lineage holders and has completed several retreats. He has taught Buddhist meditation and philosophy for 20 years and has been a favorite instructor in the Road Scholar program for the last 10 years.
Neal Hellman
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Neal Hellman is a nationally acclaimed performer and teacher of the mountain dulcimer who has been active in performing, teaching and recording acoustic music for the past 25 years throughout the U.S., Europe and New Zealand. He is the author of many books on the Appalachian dulcimer, and received an award for his score for the children’s video, “Princess Furball.” As the founder, director and one of the primary artists of the Gourd Music record label, Neal has produced over 35 albums of folk music.
Breige Gormley Walbridge
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Breige Gormley Walbridge has taught Qi Gong classes since 1995 and has a background in Tibetan Buddhism and experience in meditation. She received her certification with the London School of Aromatherapy and has taught aromatherapy classes and workshops using essential oils for home and professional use since 1993. She is also an artist whose paintings appear in international collections. Breige has taught classes in Qi Gong, meditation, aromatherapy and painting for Road Scholar participants at Land of Medicine Buddha since 1998.
Linda Vaughan
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Linda has worked and studied in the health field for 39 years. She studied with Jack La Lanne's personal nutritionist, and went on to earn a Masters and Doctorate in her field. She has studied herbs with Jeanine Pollock, the American School of Herbalism and the East West School of Herbology and trained as a Planetary Herbalist at East West, using herbs and healing from around the world. Linda currently has a private herbal and nutrition practice and offers workshops, lectures, classes and herbal walks.
Breige Walbridge
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Breige Gormley Walbridge has been the Road Scholar program coordinator and group leader at Land of Medicine Buddha since 1999. During this time, she has organized and hosted approximately 200 programs. Breige is known for her warmth, hospitality and organizational skills.
Venerable Yangchen
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Venerable Yangchen is a Tibetan Buddhist nun, who has studied with many Tibetan Buddhist masters. Currently, she leads weekly meditations, facilitates a cancer support group for women, and teaches introductory classes on Buddhist concepts and meditation in the Road Scholar retreats at Land of Medicine Buddha. Venerable Yangchen also leads some meditations at Ocean of Compassion center in San Jose.
Venerable Tenzin Chogkyi
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Venerable Tenzin Chogkyi first became interested in meditation and Buddhism after reading “Be Here Now” and early translations of Buddhist sutras. In 1991, she became a student of Tibetan Buddhism, studying in India and Nepal with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Venerable Tenzin took novice ordination in 2004 with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In 2006 she became a traveling teacher, teaching at various centers around the world, as well as visiting prisons on behalf of the Liberation Prison Project.
Michele Faia
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Michele Faia lives, teaches, and has an Art Studio in California. She attended Cabrillo College and San Jose State University, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in art with an emphasis in Art History. She began her career as a community college art history instructor and also taught Western Art History survey courses, American Art, Art Appreciation, and Film as Art. She now teaches watercolor mandalas. Michele is the author of two books on art: “Art in My Heart” and “Awakened By The Flowers.”
Richard Prinz
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Richard Prinz completed a degree in psychology at UC Berkeley while experiencing the social unrest of the late 1960s. After living in India and Nepal, he met Tibetan Buddhist Lamas in 1974, which led to an interest in their psychology. Returning to California, Richard got involved in building a Tibetan Buddhist retreat center, Vajrapani Institute. While he was director, a visit from the Dalai Lama inspired Richard to go to graduate school, leading to a career in counseling and therapy.
Suggested Reading List
(5 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Magic of Watercolor & Meditation for Relaxation & Joy
Program Number: 23721
Awakening the Kind Heart
The Book of Joy
How to Meditate
Art in My Heart: The Power of Watercolor Mandala Making
Watercolor and Mandalas
The Blooming of a Lotus
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
15 meals (
5B, 5L, 5D
)
7 expert-led lectures
1 expert-led field trip
9 hands-on experiences
1 performance
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
Check-in, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Location:
Soquel, CA
Meals:
D
Stay:
Land of Medicine Buddha
Activity Note
Retreat center check-in from 4:00 p.m. Grounds around retreat center include a 35-foot steep hill or 13 outside stairs to dining room and meeting room.
Dinner:
In the retreat center dining room or outside dining area.
Evening:
Orientation: 7:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. This is a Road Scholar Retreats program. Programming at Retreat locations includes opportunities for light morning exercise, interaction with members of the local community, a farm-to-table meal, and evening entertainment. We will learn from our knowledgeable Group Leader and local experts. Meals in the dining room or outside dining area will be vegetarian and made mainly of local organic ingredients. Filtered drinking water, hot water, tea, coffee and fresh fruit are always available. Wi-Fi is available in the dining area. There is a public phone available, and an office phone for urgent calls. Wi-Fi calls can be made from your phone. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.
Day
2
Meditation class, Watercolor class & Nature Walk
Location:
Soquel, CA
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Land of Medicine Buddha
Activity Note
Nature walk about 2 miles, approximately 1.5 hours; steep inclines.Grounds around retreat center include a 35-foot steep hill or 13 outside stairs to dining room and meeting room.
Breakfast:
In the dining room or outside dining area.
Morning:
We will join our meditation leader for our guided meditation focused on relaxation and inner joy. After a short break, we’ll engage in a watercolor mandala class given by a local artist featuring step-by-step demonstrations, we will learn watercolor techniques and how we can use them to create mandalas. We will practice these techniques with assistance provided by our painting leader.
Lunch:
In the dining room or outside dining area.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we'll have a healthful expert-led nature walk in a majestic redwood forest, learning about redwood ecology, wild herbs, and bird as we appreciate the beauty and peace of our surroundings in this pristine environment. After a short break, we will continue learning watercolor techniques and how we can use them to create mandalas.
Dinner:
In the dining room or outside dining area.
Evening:
Returning to the Gompa, a Buddhist practitioner will lead us around the room while pointing out the array of Tibetan Buddhist symbolism throughout. We will learn about each as we see them, accompanied by educational commentary. Upon seeing it, our exploration will include a rumination on the stunning tradition carried out by Tibetan monks when they create incredibly detailed mandalas made out of colored sand. The process often takes days or even weeks and is an enormous meditative act of patience in itself and usually it ends with a ceremony during which the mandala is ritually destroyed, the sands collected, and then scattered into lakes, rivers, or the ocean. This is a metaphor for the Buddhist concept of impermanence, and a blessing for beings living in the water.
Day
3
Meditation Class & Watercolor Classes, Open Studio
Location:
Soquel, CA
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Land of Medicine Buddha
Activity Note
Minimal walking throughout the day; periods of sitting during meditation and painting classes.Grounds around retreat center include a 35-foot steep hill or 13 outside stairs to dining room and meeting room.
Breakfast:
In the dining room or outside dining area.
Morning:
We will be led through mindfulness meditations and visualization for deep inner peace joy. After a short break, we will continue learning how to use watercolor techniques, which will include color theory, color mixing lessons, sketching and composition.
Lunch:
In the dining room or outside dining area.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we'll have a healthful expert-led nature walk in a majestic redwood forest, learning about redwood ecology, wild herbs, and bird as we appreciate the beauty and peace of our surroundings in this pristine environment After a snack in the dining room, we will continue learning watercolor techniques as we discover how to create beautiful skies and other subjects with wet-into-wet methods.
Dinner:
In the dining room or outside dining area.
Evening:
At Leisure
Day
4
Meditation class and Watercolor classes, Open Studio
Location:
Soquel, CA
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Land of Medicine Buddha
Activity Note
Minimal walking throughout the day; periods of sitting during meditation and painting classes.Grounds around retreat center include a 35-foot steep hill or 13 outside stairs to dining room and meeting room.
Breakfast:
In the dining room or outside dining area.
Morning:
Continuing our series of guided meditations, we’ll focus on calming the mind and deepening awareness of our interconnectedness with our environment and with others,. After a snack in the dining room, we will continue learning watercolor techniques and practicing color mixing and creating washes.
Lunch:
In the dining room or outside dining area.
Afternoon:
We’ll use some open studio time to continue working on our projects and, after a snack in the dining room, we will continue learning watercolor techniques, and painting.
Dinner:
In the dining room or outside dining area.
Evening:
We will then be joined by a local musician who will provide us with a live performance.
Day
5
Meditation class, Watercolor class, Art Appreciation.
Location:
Soquel, CA
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Land of Medicine Buddha
Activity Note
Minimal walking throughout the day; periods of sitting during meditation and painting classes.Grounds around retreat center include a 35-foot steep hill or 13 outside stairs to dining room and meeting room.
Breakfast:
In the dining room or outside dining area.
Morning:
Joining our meditation leader, we’ll continue learning guided meditations for calming the mind, deepening our awareness of the interconnectedness of the environment with ourselves and others. After a short break, we will continue learning watercolor techniques, and painting.
Lunch:
In the dining room or outside dining area.
Afternoon:
We will continue painting, and finish up the projects we have been working on throughout the program. Then enjoy some free time or open studio time to continue with our watercolor paintings.
Dinner:
In the dining room or outside dining area.
Evening:
Display paintings in the Pine room for art appreciation and enjoy our creations
Day
6
Meditation class,Watercolor class, Program Concludes
Location:
Soquel, CA
Meals:
B,L
Activity Note
Grounds around retreat center include a 35-foot steep hill or 13 outside stairs to dining room and meeting room. Retreat Center check-out 11:00 a.m. Luggage may be packed and put in cars or fully packed and left in rooms by the door until after lunch.
Breakfast:
Dining room or outside dining area.
Morning:
Before heading back out into the world this afternoon, we will engage in one more guided meditation in the Gompa, this time focusing on self-compassion and compassion for others. After a short break, we will continue painting, and finish up the projects we have been working on throughout the program.
Lunch:
Dining room or outside dining area. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on another rewarding program in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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MEALS
15 Meals
5 Breakfasts
5 Lunches
5 Dinners
LODGING
Lodgings may differ by date. Select a date to see the lodgings specific to that date.
Showing Lodging For:
- Jul 21, 2025 - Jul 26, 2025
- Apr 28, 2025 - May 03, 2025
- Jul 21, 2025 - Jul 26, 2025
Participant Reviews
Based on 2 Reviews
Sort By:
Worthwhile program in a beautiful setting.
— Review left August 6, 2024
Like its name the “magic” really happened with meditation and water coloring, plus the food.
— Review left August 5, 2024
