A comprehensive online program in three parts, focused on Senior Health, Geriatric & Palliative Care, and Life’s Final Transition, thoughtfully designed for elders and caregivers.
According to Tibetan medicine, old age is a distinctive phase for our body, energy, and mind. As we age, the elements within us—earth, water, fire, and wind—undergo natural shifts. These changes can affect our physical health, energy levels, and mental clarity. For instance, as the element wind naturally increases, we experience a decline in physical strength and possibly mental restlessness or instability, sleep disorders, anxiety, and fear. Understanding how these elements interact within us and influence our well-being can guide us in adjusting our lifestyle, diet, and practices to maintain the body’s vitality and the clarity of the mind for as long as possible.
While modern Western societal structures may not revere elders as they once did, and aging is often viewed with fear and apprehension, it is essential to recognize the value of senior individuals as integral members of our families and communities.
By understanding the natural changes that occur during this stage, we can care for our elders with respect and compassion, supporting them in maintaining their vitality and well-being and helping them during the final transition with space and peace.
Meet Our Educators
Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo
Dr. Phuntsog received her advanced degree from the prestigious Lhasa University School of Traditional Medicine in 1988. She dedicated numerous years to serving as a Tibetan Medicine practitioner in Eastern Tibet.
Her remarkable work included collaboration with A.S.I.A., the non-profit organization initiated by Professor Namkhai Norbu. Her contributions involved establishing hospitals and training centers in the remote regions of Sichuan Province and Chamdo Prefecture.
In 2007, she co-founded the American Tibetan Medical Association (ATMA), a national organization in the United States dedicated to representing and advancing the Tibetan medical profession.
Since 2012, Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo has assumed the role of International Director of the Shang Shung School of Tibetan Medicine with programs across the United States, Russia, and Europe.
Ilaria Faccioli
Ilaria Faccioli is a Professional Counselor with training in Gestalt Psychotherapy, Enneatype Psychology, and Systemic-Family Therapy.
She has been a student of Professor Namkhai Norbu since 2008. She holds authorization as an instructor of Yantra Yoga and Tibetan Yoga for kids.
In 2015, she began collaborating with the Shang Shung Institute, organizing events related to Tibetan Medicine and the Tibetan Language in Tenerife, where she currently resides.
In 2018, she assumed the role of Executive Director of the Tibetan Medicine department in Tenerife for the International ATIYOGA Foundation.
In 2024, she completed a certified training on “Contemplative accompaniment to dying and grieving with Nirakara Institute, Madrid
Dr. Gerry Steinberg
Dr. Gerry is a physician trained in Internal Medicine with over 45 years of experience.
He started as a Primary Care doctor in a small town in Western Massachusetts and then became involved with a local rehabilitation center caring for those with a variety of recent illnesses from strokes to severe physical trauma, and later with traumatic brain injuries.
Over the last 30 years he was working in skilled nursing facilities, treating acute illnesses in the elderly people who would return home, as well as providing primary care for the frail elders who were residents of the facilities.
Naomi Zeitz
Naomi Zeitz has been a teacher of Yantra Yoga, the Tibetan Yoga of
movement, in the Dzogchen lineage of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu since
2008. Naomi taught Yantra Yoga internationally since then, from the US to Canada, Israel, Italy, Spain, Russia, Australia, and Argentina.
She
specializes in working with people of all ages and physical conditions.
In the last years, Naomi has been actively teaching Yantra Yoga in the Chair
and did some training in Kumar Kumari, Tibetan Yoga for Children, with
international instructor Laura Evangelisti, although she is not an official
instructor of the method for children.
Naomi was also trained in Respira
with international instructor Fabio Andrico and has been teaching it since
2013.
Aric Parker
Aric started his journey in Tibetan Buddhism 20 years ago,
and received a Master’s Degree in Religious Studies in Indo-Tibetan
Buddhism with Tibetan and Sanskrit languages from Naropa
University, and is a graduate of the Shang Shung Tibetan
Medicine Program. Aric currently works as a Hospital Chaplain for
Boulder Community Health, where he focuses on Trauma and
Palliative Chaplaincy. Over the past five years training and
working in the field of chaplaincy, Aric has developed insights into
how to hold patients and families through crisis, serious illness,
expected and unexpected end-of-life circumstances. At present
Aric organizes and leads the Colorado Shijay and Chöd Sangha
under the blessing of his teachers, the late Lama Wangdu
Rinpoche and Lama Kunsang Thongdo Dojee. He lives in
Boulder, Colorado, with his wife Leela, and children Jaya and
Caelan.
Who is This Workshop Designed For?
We are very excited to invite you to our new program dedicated to elders and their journey.
This workshop is for seniors who are seeking to improve their well-being and enjoy life as much as possible, as well as caregivers - professional or not - who support senior people in their families or communities.
This program is done in three parts that will take place over three months.
Part 1: Senior’s Health
Part 2: Caregiving for Elders: Geriatrics and Palliative Care
Part 3. Embracing Death: Grief and Care in Final Transition
Three -Parts Program
Part I: Senior Health
- With Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo and Naomi Zeitz:
- Format: Online
- Resources: recordings will be accessible indefinitely at the educational platform
- Learn Tibetan Medicine’s perspective on what happens when we age and receive practical advice on diet & lifestyle that will help you or your loved ones care for your body, energy, and mind, and stay healthy longer while enjoying life.
- Learn and practice simple yet very effective breathing exercises that will help harmonize your energy, strengthen your body, and bring clarity to your mind.
Part II: Caregiving for elders: Geriatrics & Palliative Care
- With:Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo and Dr. Gerry Steinberg
- Format: Online
- Resources: recordings will be accessible indefinitely at the educational platform
Learn or deepen your knowledge about how to care for elders, especially when they are in more vulnerable states and experience serious health conditions. Receive advice from Tibetan Medicine and Western Medicine perspectives from two brilliant professionals in their fields.
Part III: Embracing Death: Grief and Care in Final Transition
- With Dr. Phuntsog, Aric Parker, and Ilaria Faccioli
- Format: online
- Resources: recordings will be accessible indefinitely at the educational platform
Discover what happens to our body, energy, and mind in our final transition according to Tibetan Medicine and Tibetan Buddhism, learn how to hold space for grief and those who are grieving, and how to care for those who are dying, as well as their loved ones.
Please register according to your place of residence or preferred language. Thank you for your cooperation!
Please register according to your preferred language.
Join our waiting list, and we’ll notify you as soon as registration opens!
Cancellation and Refund Policy: If you need to cancel your course booking, you have 14 calendar days from the date of receiving your confirmation, as long as the course hasn’t started yet. During this period, you’re eligible for a full refund, with a deduction for bank fees (ranging from 5% to 10%, depending on your country). Once this 14-day window has passed, if you cancel, you can still receive a refund of the course price, minus a 20% cancellation fee. Refunds will be processed within 5-10 working days, depending on your financial institution.
Real People, Real Experiences
"With much gratitude, I would like to recommend the unique nine-week course on the Elder's Journey.
With great care, our beloved Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo guided us through the different stages our elders face as their strength gradually wanes.
Supported by the precious knowledge of experts—each in their specific field—we were able to gain a holistic understanding of what we will all experience at some point: whether through illness or simply the natural weakening of the body, and how to accompany others through this process, as caregivers, doctors, nurses, social workers, family members, or friends.
Dr. Phuntsog and her team gave us both the tools and the courage to accompany elders with open hearts and deep understanding, in the face of impermanence. As someone who works as a carer, I feel nourished by the insights and wisdom shared about aging, as well as by the poetry and heartfelt experiences that Ilaria so generously offered.
These lessons offer hope that we might all grow to become experts in human kindness."
With great care, our beloved Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo guided us through the different stages our elders face as their strength gradually wanes.
Supported by the precious knowledge of experts—each in their specific field—we were able to gain a holistic understanding of what we will all experience at some point: whether through illness or simply the natural weakening of the body, and how to accompany others through this process, as caregivers, doctors, nurses, social workers, family members, or friends.
Dr. Phuntsog and her team gave us both the tools and the courage to accompany elders with open hearts and deep understanding, in the face of impermanence. As someone who works as a carer, I feel nourished by the insights and wisdom shared about aging, as well as by the poetry and heartfelt experiences that Ilaria so generously offered.
These lessons offer hope that we might all grow to become experts in human kindness."
Verena Von Kalinowski
Caregiver
