A trip to ‘Shangri-La’

In a land easily referred to as "Shangri-la," the wild country, its creatures and the people live in a unique harmony which is alien to most of the Western world. The small nation of Bhutan (south of Tibet and north of India) is nestled in the remote and rugged Himalayan Mountains of Asia and stands firm on spiritual principles. After all, even the King declares that gross national happiness is more important than gross national product.

"Happiness takes precedence over economic prosperity in our national development process," he said.

What can an American learn from Bhutanese simplicity? Can people experience happiness even though they forego modern conveniences and do much of their work by hand?

Karen Latvala, a Certified Life Coach from Colorado, learned firsthand of their life and brought away with her an understanding we can all benefit from.

"Compassion and peace is a way of life," she stated, having decided to visit Bhutan because people she knew who had visited there raved about how it was the most unique place they had ever been. Latvala visited Bhutan with her husband and two adult daughters.

"We wanted to go there before the culture gets too diluted with outside influences."

The Bhutan government has a controlled tourism policy to maintain the culture, traditions and keep the environment pristine (over 70 percent of Bhutan is forested). It is a place which has been visited by pilgrims over the centuries including saints, mystics and scholars.

As a world-traveler, Latvala has visited countries throughout Europe, South America, Central America, Asia, and Australia and New Zealand. Upon landing on the airstrip in Bhutan, she was greeted by steep, green mountains, a lack of industrial areas surrounding the airport and friendly faces of people dressed in their traditional costumes welcoming her, she said.

And the serenity and affability extended beyond the airport. Adults, as well as children, possessed a unique tranquility as they were quietly spoken. She never heard anyone raise their voice or seem angry or impatient.

"The people are friendly, peaceful and happy," she said, adding that people "don't seem to be hurrying everywhere."

The government, whose policy places the happiness of the individual as its priority, is at harmony with the people's will, and Latvala came away with the experience of seeing how spiritual practice is interwoven with family life and with government.

As a Certified Life Coach, Latvala's mission is to really help people dig deeper into themselves to find what it is that makes them feel alive. And when asked what makes her feel alive, Latvala responded by saying "Helping others; seeing the world in a brighter light than it's normally presented [and] finding joy in every small thing I do."

Her trip to Bhutan has deepened her perceptions as to what makes people happy and it doesn't have to be as part of a society with all kinds of material goods.

The Bhutanese, she added, live in a very basic way and can derive their contentment about life from just doing their daily work and relating to their families.

"That is what I take into my own self and keep looking at what's really important to me, what's the simpler way to look at things," she admitted.

That is not so say Latvala rejects the technological advances we have in America—quite the contrary. Happiness and modernization don't have to be mutually exclusive; it can all be integrated, she said.

The Bhutanese live in close connection to the land and all its inhabitants; they live with a sense of gratitude and contemplation. They don't hurry. They experience. They are happy. They have peace. And it's something each of us can experience in our daily lives if only we bring mindfulness and introspection to all we do.

Following this trip, she feels reflective with a sense that there is something yet to unfold for her from the experience.

She encourages each of us to open ourselves to more happiness by firstly, stopping and pausing and secondly, being grateful for what we have.

The pursuit and experience of happiness, as Bhutan illustrates, can be both an individual goal, as well as the goal of an entire society. It's not just a utopian or ideological idea; it's an attainable way of life if the majority chooses to make it a priority.