Menla is a 330-acre private nature reserve. Sitting at the head of a breathtaking glacial valley, it’s one of the most beautiful parts of the Catskills. Stay in a range of deluxe accommodations or shared cabins set in fragrant woods and gardens with murmuring streams and trails nearby.
Experience Menla’s unique wellness facilities. From our Dewa Spa to fully equipped yoga and movement spaces, fitness room, and hiking trails, there’s so much to do. Explore the surrounding Catskill Forest Preserve with guided hikes, river rafting, swimming, horseback riding, and more!
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.
Our Nalanda Conference Center is perfect for conferences, group meetings, large movement and yoga programs, and weddings. Built in 2001, this two-story building includes a Main Hall, the Devi Practice Room, Nalanda Cafe & Bookstore, men’s and women’s bathrooms (including showers for campers), and a large downstairs breakout room. Handicap accessible.
The Main Hall offers a peaceful environment with views into the surrounding forest on three sides. The Main Hall is 3600 square feet (92′ x 44′), with a 270 person capacity, and includes free high-speed wifi, floor-to-ceiling windows, ceiling fans, and comfortable seating.
Featuring a stunning exhibit by world-renowned photographer Steve McCurry, our Devi Room provides a more intimate class or meeting experience. At 990 square feet (45′ x 22′), this space can accommodate up to 40 people for non-movement based classes.
Designed with Iyengar wall ropes and featuring views of our garden and forests, our Ahimsa Yoga Studio is the perfect space for yoga, meditation or movement workshops, or mid-sized meetings. At 1760 square feet (64′ x 40′), this space accommodates up to 75 people theater style and has men’s and women’s bathrooms. The floor is bamboo, and the large windows on three sides allow the morning and evening sun to light the room naturally.
For smaller groups, our beautiful Sanctuary is ideal, with its unique septagonal architecture and enormous bay windows facing the southern mountain ridge. At 784 square feet (apprx 28′ x 28′), the Sanctuary has a 35 person capacity. Constructed specifically for contemplative workshops and meditation, this space does not have running water or bathrooms.
This charming 200-year-old building can be used as a primary meeting space or for receptions and social events. With its high vaulted ceilings, the Barn has excellent acoustics and is the perfect space for groups incorporating music or sound healing. At 1680 square feet (40′ x 29′), this space accommodates up to 75 people theater-style and includes one unisex bathroom.
Conveniently located near the front desk, the semi-circular Lhasa Meeting Room is a great space for smaller, more self-contained programs when it’s not being used for guest dining. At 750 square feet (30′ x 25′), this space can seat up to 50 people and features a large retractable projector screen.
This private room underneath the Main Hall is an ideally situated breakout space and can also be used as a meeting space for smaller groups. 860 square feet (40′ x 21.5′) with a capacity of 50 people theater style, this room is usually used for dorm-style housing. Men’s and women’s bathrooms with showers are located just down the hall.
A beautiful meditation where harmonic vibrations are created by singing bowls, gongs, and other resonant instruments. While you sit or lie down, a bath of sound waves stimulates your alpha and theta brain waves which are associated with a deep meditative state. Sound healing synchronizes your brain and body, releases stress, and enhances inner peace and relaxation.
For pricing, please contact us at booking@menla.org.
Whether your students are novices or seasoned practitioners, choose from a variety of yoga styles. The ancient asana practice of yoga is based on unifying your breath with your body to improve mental, physical, and spiritual health. Choose from several different styles:
Hatha Yoga consists of slow-moving yoga postures designed to improve flexibility and strength. It concludes with a relaxed meditation and pranayama breathing to calm your mind.
Yoga Nidra is a gentle guided meditation leads you inward by starting with your body and mind and progressing through the dream state into a lucid sleep state.
Tibetan Five Rites Yoga is a series of movements known to Tibetans as the Fountain of Youth.
Nejang Longevity Yoga consists of gentle, yet effective practices recommended by Tibetan physicians to help promote health and longevity.
If there is a style of yoga we don’t list here but which you are interested in, let us know, and we may have an instructor who can teach that style as well.
For pricing, please contact us at booking@menla.org.
Regular meditation is proven to benefit cognitive function, increase concentration, reduce stress, boost feelings of happiness, and lead to physiological benefits. Regular quiet-time helps foster inner peace and increased self-awareness, helping you live a more balanced and empowered life. Learn basic meditation techniques and have an opportunity to ask questions to help you learn how to meditate more effectively.
For pricing, please contact us at booking@menla.org.
Enjoy a sparkling wood fire in one of our stone fire pits, a classic Catskills experience. Have fun with your group for a couple of hours after dark in the glow of a nice wood fire, listening to the sounds of nature. At least 48 hrs advanced notice usually needed, weather permitting of course.
For pricing, please contact our Group Booking Manager at booking@menla.org.
Need a projector or sound system with mics and speakers? Rent our equipment for the day or for your whole retreat. We have portable sound systems with mics and speakers for our smaller meeting spaces, and the Conference Center Main Hall has a full mixing board and all the accoutrements. We also have two LCD Projectors with screens to let you show your powerpoint presentation, a movie, or simply inspiring images.
For pricing, please contact us at booking@menla.org.
Have Menla provide coffee and tea service in your designated meeting room from morning until evening. Tea and coffee are available in the Lhasa Inn with meals, but some groups are passionate about their tea and coffee and like them to be available throughout the day during classes and breaks.
For pricing, please contact us at booking@menla.org.
Treat your group to one of our discount spa packages for massage and other bodywork.
Group Massage Package: Book 15 or more massages for your group and enjoy 10% off all 15 massages. Please give us at least 3 weeks to try to arrange this.
Signature Packages for Groups: Book 5 or more Signature Spa Packages for your group and enjoy 10% off each.
Custom Packages: If you are looking for us to create a custom experience tailored towards your group that doesn’t fit into the above options, please contact the Spa for further assistance.
Please note, the Dewa Spa is normally closed on Tuesdays (and Wednesdays certain times of the year). However, if you are interested in booking treatments outside of our normal hours, we can try to arrange something with at least 3 massage bookings and advance notice of 7 days or more.
Treat your group to a guided hike on one of our enchanted trails and reap the many benefits of forest bathing. Short easy hikes (1-2hrs) and longer intermediate-difficult hikes (3-4hrs) are available. Your hike may include interesting conversations, stories about local lore, and observations of the geology, flora and fauna of our eco-system. The Catskills are among the oldest mountains in the world – they have much to teach for those who stop to listen.
For pricing, please contact us at booking@menla.org.
Learn about our bio-region and how nature and humans have interfaced in this secluded valley. The Pantherkill Valley, our home, has been used by spiritual communities for centuries and sits atop the oldest known meteor impact crater. The restorative ecology work we have been doing at Menla will be discussed. This is at an easy pace, around the property.
For pricing, please contact us at booking@menla.org.
Learn about the work that goes on behind the scenes to bring you Menla’s food and flowers! Our vegetable gardens are a source of food, flowers, herbs, medicinal plants, and pure beauty. We also have several beds around the property which are cultivated for our use. Working in harmony with nature, we create gardens which improve our soils, provide habitat for beneficial critters, and are fully organic.
For pricing, please contact us at booking@menla.org.
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