It's a cold, damp, rainy day. You're chilled to the bone, and nothing seems to warm you up - not coffee or tea, or cocoa or toasty wool socks. C'est la vie, you think - and then remember that you've got a bit of magic in your closet, and pull out the new Gesar travel blanket/meditation shawl from Sunrise Pashmina. 

It's hygge at its finest.

NOTE! Just for our Wandering Educators, Sunrise Pashmina is offering a 40% discount until Feb. 20, 2021. Click here for the details.

Why is this Gesar pashmina magic? 

The Magnitude

Generous of dimension (90 by 45 inches, 228 by 114 cm.), the travel shawl is large enough to cover you completely during a flight, a blizzard, or curled up in a bookstore, reading. You can drape it, hang it, swoosh it, wrap it, or let the soft woven pashmina fall naturally.

The Material

The shawl is hand-woven of finest pashmina (cashmere), double-ply weft and warp, subtly patterned in a chashm-e-bulbul (eye of the bulbul bird) diamond-weave jacquard.

Want to know more about Pashmina? Read our Complete Guide to Shopping for Pashmina in Kathmandu.

The Hues

Travel around the world in Emerald Green, Shamanic Crimson, Cosmic Blue, Imperial Purple, Monastic Saffron, Power Black, or French Roast (for you fellow coffee lovers). Vibrant, colorful, reminiscent of prayer flags, these shawls will bring you warmth in cooler seasons, and a light breeze during warmer ones.

The Cultural Traditions

Sunrise Pashmina notes that "Gesar of Ling is the eponymous hero of the great Tibetan oral epic. Usually depicted with red cape, riding his flying horse, Gesar is the spiritual and physical protector of his people." And check out that cape! The Gesar travel blanket/meditation shawl is an ode to Nepalese tradition and culture - which, as international educators, makes me happy to learn about - and share.

The Family Business

We've worked for years with Sunrise Pashmina owners Seth Sicroff, our Nepal Editor, and his wife, Empar Sicroff. Director of the Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal project of Mountain Legacy (www.hillarymedal.com; www.mountainlegacy.org), Seth is committed to sharing the culture of Nepal, as well as the importance of participatory tourism and ecotravel in Nepal.  These days he is serving as an unpaid consultant to his friend Dr. Dhananjay Regmi, CEO of the Nepal Tourism Board. We're proud to share Sunrise Pashmina's products - they are incredible, and are authentic, premium luxury pashmina made by people who care. 

Another reason we support Sunrise Pashmina? Their mission: 

Sunrise Pashmina is a global project. Freedom, happiness, and prosperity are not local affects: to the extent that they are not available anywhere in the world, our own are necessarily diminished, even if we are unaware of the connections.

We believe in the value of travel and adventure. The world would be a safer, and happier place if more people did a bit of globe-trotting. Sunrise Pashmina grew out of our efforts to promote backpacking tourism in Nepal. If you happen to be going there, please contact us for suggestions. We'll even tell you where to get the same shawls we sell, at local prices (as opposed to tourist prices).

The Feel

When you find a bit of cloud, you want to wrap yourself up and never emerge from your soft cocoon. Such is the case with the Gesar Pashmina Travel Blanket/Meditation Shawl. It's large, allowing you to cosy up inside, whether you're on a flight (this is the first thing you should pack in your carryon), at a cafe with friends, at the symphony (where those cold breezes seem to hit you first), at your favorite local bookstore finding presents for loved ones (and yourself), or at home, curled up in a chair, reading. 

Sounds like magic? It is. We love it.

Note: Sunrise Pashmina has offered our Wandering Educators a special discount on your new Gesar Pashmina Travel Blanket/Meditation Shawl. Click here to learn more. 

Photos taken on location in Kalamazoo, Michigan, at the Kalamazoo Public Library and at Bookbug, our favorite bookstore (thank you!).

Note: this article was originally published in 2017, and updated in 2021.