MENLA FACULTY

Menla-sponsored retreats are led by engaging faculty with expertise in a variety of subjects and include world-renowned authorities in the fields of Buddhism, yoga, devotional chanting, psychology, shamanism, and more.

Tibet House US/Menla President Robert Thurman co-leads annual retreats at Menla throughout the year with friends and fellow teachers, including Sharon Salzberg, Krishna Das, Mark Epstein, Richard Freeman, Nida Chenagtsang, and Isa Gucciardi. Topics covered change from year to year, and each retreat includes discussions, lectures, guided meditations, yoga, Q&A, and time to access faculty during meals and breaks.

All Personal Getaway classes and certain Menla retreats are led by knowledgeable Menla staff and local experts, with special emphasis on facilitating custom experiences based on your particular needs and preferences.

The faculty featured below only include annual Menla retreat faculty.

Robert Thurman

Robert Thurman is Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University as well as Co-Founder and President of Tibet House US/Menla in service of HH Dalai Lama & the people of Tibet. A close friend of the Dalai Lama’s for over 50 years, he is a leading world-wide...

Sharon Salzberg

Sharon Salzberg is a central figure in the field of meditation, a world-renowned teacher and New York Times bestselling author. She has played a crucial role in bringing meditation and mindfulness practices to the West and into mainstream culture since 1974, when she first beg...

Mark Epstein, M.D.

Mark Epstein, M.D. is a psychiatrist in New York City and the author of a number of books about the interface of Buddhism & psychotherapy, including Thoughts without a Thinker, Going to Pieces without Falling Apart, Going on Being, Open to Desire, Psychotherapy without the S...

Richard Freeman

A student of yoga since 1968 and is one of America’s foremost teachers of yoga. He has studied various traditions in Asia which he incorporates into the Ashtanga yoga practice as taught by his principal teacher, K. Pattabhi Jois. Richard is an avid student of both Western a...

Krishna Das

Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star,” layering traditional kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation. With a remarkably soulful voice KD has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming the be...

Dr. Nida Chenagtsang

Dr. Nida was born in Amdo, in Eastern Tibet. Interested in the traditional healing science of his people, he began his early medical studies at the local Tibetan Medicine hospital. Later he gained scholarship entry to Lhasa Tibetan Medical University, where he completed his medic...

Eric Rosenbush

Eric has devoted his life to the study of the traditional sciences of Asia, their botanical treasures, ancient texts and living transmissions. For over 20 years, he has studied with masters of Tibetan, Chinese, and Ayurvedic medicines, and currently maintains a clinical practice ...

Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.

Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D., holds degrees and certificates in trans-personal psychology, cultural and linguistic anthropology, comparative religion, hypnotherapy, and transformational healing. She has spent over 30 years studying spiritual, therapeutic, and meditative techniques from a...

Carolyn Christie

Carolyn began her study of both Buddhism and yoga in 1987 while working for the Peace Corp in Thailand. In 1998 she was initiated into the Kalachakra Tantra by H.H. the XIV Dalai Lama in India and began studying with Khen Rinpoche Lobsang Tharchin in New York. She presently studi...

Brooke Myers

Brooke began the study of yoga in her 20s as a member of an experimental theatre company. She studied Iyengar Yoga with the late Mary Dunn and with the Iyengar family. She is a founding member of The Iyengar Institute of NY, and has a wide knowledge of yoga for special needs. ...

Dr. Valerie Mason-John

Dr. Valerie Mason-John M.A (Hon. Doc) is President of the Buddhist Recovery Network (BRN), an international organization to help promote Buddhist Recovery. She is an award winning author and a co-founder of Eight Step Recovery: Using The Buddha’s Teachings to Overcome Addic...

Kevin Griffin

Kevin Griffin is an internationally respected Buddhist teacher and author known for his innovative work connecting dharma and recovery, especially through his 2004 book One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps. He has been a Buddhist practitioner for over thirty-five y...

“Menla sits on an energy vortex that is said to be the oldest known meteor crater in the world, and you can feel it. Maybe it’s electromagnetic, or maybe it’s the amazing energy of the people here, but Menla is a powerful and nurturing place that draws you like a giant magnet…. Menla is a deeply spiritual, restorative place, where you can reconnect with your higher self, ponder life’s true meaning.”

Rona Berg, Organic Spa

“Menla is deep in my heart… It’s a profoundly spiritual space, a little slice of Tibet right in the middle of nowhere. Pure mountain air, a walk in the woods, a deep tissue massage, a lounge in the infrared sauna… a morning seemed like a long luxurious weekend. I can’t wait to get back for some the best spa treatments I have ever had. An upstate mountain escape is essential for surviving the pace of NYC life.”

Clodagh of Clodagh Design

“It’s such an amazing and spiritual location–I came back feeling rejuvenated and recharged… It was so very special knowing the place belongs to the Dalai Lama! I loved our room. My favorite things were that there was no TV in the room, the beds were so comfortable, and it was so quiet and relaxing there with the windows opened. The grounds were amazing…”

Magda

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