375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States
Apr 29 - May 3, 2026
About this Retreat
David Nichtern is the founder and CEO of Dharma Moon - a mindfulness-based education platform and global community. He is a senior teacher in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. This tradition combines a contemporary, secular approach to meditation with the ancient practices and philosophies of Tibetan Buddhism. David is also a four-time Emmy winner and two-time Grammy nominee, and a successful entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience integrating spiritual practice and everyday living. He is the author of Awakening From The Daydream: Reimagining The Buddha’s Wheel of Life and Creativity, Spirituality & Making A Buck on Wisdom Publications. To learn more, visit: https://www.dharmamoon.com
René is the Community Director for Dharma Moon. They are a certified mindfulness meditation teacher and death doula, they studied comparative religion and gender studies, and they earned their black belt at 17. René’s career has a long and extensive history of advocacy, with a focus on collaboration with, support of, and focus on: at-risk youth; queer communities and people; intimate partner violence/sexual assault prevention and intervention; and grief and crisis counseling. René is passionate about making meditation and dharma teachings radically accessible and has personally used meditation to transform their relationship with their own anxiety and chronic health issues. Outside of work, they're likely to be knitting while trapped under a cat listening to podcasts.
Noel Coakley is a psychotherapist, meditation teacher and former elementary school special educator. He has studied Tibetan Buddhism since 1997 and the Bön tradition since 2013. He is a father, husband, and friend to a dog named Clementine. Noel is the director of the Boston Center of Contemplative Practice, a senior teacher of Dharma Moon, and co-presenter of the Metta (Loving-Kindness) Meditation Teacher Training. Noel is dedicated to the accessibility of the dharma and its application in modern culture.
Susan Layden is a senior teacher with Dharma Moon, serving as the coordinator of the 100 hr Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training program. She has been a close senior student of David Nichtern for over 10 years. She received her 100 hr meditation certificate from David Nichtern and Kaia Yoga. She is an experienced yoga and meditation teacher. She is a 500hr E-RYT and a YACEP (continuing education provider with Yoga Alliance) and holds a 100 hr certification from Little Flower Yoga to teach mindfulness and yoga to children. Susan is a 4th degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido. She has studied and taught under Grandmaster Ik Jo Kang for over 20 years. She is registered under Tae Kwon Do Jidokwan in Korea. She is the mother to three precious adult daughters. Susan is committed to her practices, her family, and giving back to her community. She has been in recovery for over 30 years.
Brittaney Valentino is an E-RYT 500, YACEP and mindfulness meditation teacher and owner of Rooted Nest LLC, a yoga and meditation company based in Wilmington, DE. She is also the co-founder of Embodied Mind LLC, a mindfulness-based consulting company. Along with offering online and in-person classes nationwide, she also moonlights as a senior teacher and the Programs Coordinator at Dharma Moon Incorporated, an online mindfulness-based learning platform and global community under the direction of her mentor, senior Buddhist teacher David Nichtern. When not teaching or practicing, she enjoys making memories with her family by traveling, being in the woods, hanging out by lakes, cooking, and gardening.
Seth Freedman is Dharma Moon's Marketing and Communications Director. A long time student of meditation, he has worked in the field of mindfulness and meditation for over a decade and has built online platforms, created programming, and run marketing for many of the leading teachers and organizations today. His past clients include Calm, Google, Open Meditation, New York Insight, Institute for Mindful Leadership, New York Zen Center, Lama Rod Owens, and many others.
Eric has been practicing mindfulness for over a decade and graduated from Dharma Moon's Mindfulnes Meditation Teacher Training in 2024 after many years of private study with Ethan Nichtern. He also completed Dharma Moon's two year Year Long Buddhist Studies course, which has shaped his life and practice in meaningful ways. Originally from Chicago, Eric is an actor and also serves as the Co-Owner and Artistic Director at Blackbox Acting, a school that aims to prepare artists for their careers through a holistic approach. Eric is passionate about helping artists foster genuine connections with themselves and their work while encouraging vulnerability and bravery. He hopes to support others in developing a mindful and healthy relationship with their craft, whether that craft is art or the complex journey of existence.
Details of this retreat
Presented by Dharma Moon
In the rush of daily life, it’s easy for meditation practice to get squeezed into the margins — a few minutes here, a half hour there. But something profound happens when we step away from the constant pull of our schedules and devote ourselves fully to practice.
In the arc of any practitioner’s journey, periods of sustained, focused practice are vital — they deepen understanding, strengthen mindfulness, and renew inspiration. They allow the mind to settle beyond surface chatter, the heart to open more fully, and insight to deepen in ways that shorter sessions seldom do.
This year, Dharma Moon’s 3rd Annual Meditation Retreat at the Menla Institute will focus on the foundations of the path itself, exploring the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as taught in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, one of Buddhism’s central texts. We’ll take a fresh look at these essential teachings, offering beginners a clear foundation and giving experienced meditators the chance to refresh and deepen their practice. Together we’ll explore:
Mindfulness of Body — breath, posture, movement, and the changing nature of the body
Mindfulness of Feelings — recognizing experiences as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral without being swept away
Mindfulness of Mind — noticing the qualities of consciousness, whether restless or calm, contracted or open
Mindfulness of Phenomena — observing patterns of thought and experience, including key teachings on the Five Hindrances and the Seven Factors of Awakening
These foundations offer a complete framework for cultivating awareness and provide a complete map for observing reality—body, feelings, mind, and mental phenomena.
To support this work, the retreat will also include optional yoga classes as well as a meditation posture clinic led by Dharma Moon teacher Susan Layden, offering guidance on how to sit comfortably and sustainably for longer practice sessions.
Surrounded by the natural beauty of the Catskill Mountains, this retreat will be an opportune chance to step away from the busyness of daily life and immerse yourself in practice, amazing food, and community.
Led by David Nichtern and the Dharma Moon teaching team, we’ll explore mindfulness, compassion, and clarity through extended practice sessions, teachings, periods of silence, and - creating space to reconnect with our minds and hearts beyond the habitual framework of our day to day roller derby.
Appropriate for both new and seasoned practitioners, the retreat is an opportunity to reconnect with practice in a supportive community. We hope you can join us!
Schedule
Wednesday, April 29th
3 - 6 pm Arrival and Check-in
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Welcome Session with Presenter & Support Staff
Thursday, April 30th
6 - 7am Optional All-Levels Yoga Class
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Morning Meditation Session with Mindfulness of Body Presentation
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
2:30 pm - 5:30 pm Afternoon Meditation Session (silent sitting and walking meditation)
6- 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Evening Meditation Session with Posture Clinic
Friday, May 1st
6 - 7am Optional All-Levels Yoga Class
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Morning Meditation Session with Mindfulness of Feelings Presentation
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
2:30 pm - 5:30 pm Afternoon Meditation Session (silent sitting and walking meditation)
6- 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Evening Meditation Session with Presenter led Q&A and Group Discussion
Saturday, May 2nd
6 - 7am Optional All-Levels Yoga Class
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Morning Meditation Session with Mindfulness of Mind Presentation
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
2:30 pm - 5:30 pm Afternoon Meditation Session (silent sitting and walking meditation)
6- 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Evening Meditation Session with Presenter led Q&A and Group Discussion
Sunday, May 3rd
6 - 7am Optional All-Levels Yoga Class
8 - 9 am Breakfast
10am - 12pm Morning Meditation Session with Mindfulness of Phenomena / Reentering the World Presentation
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch & Departure
*Please note this schedule is subject to change.
What Past Retreat Participants Are Saying
This retreat was a powerful and inspiring way to deepen my practice, reify the meaning and value of the work, and make my practice more frequent. It also has deepened my sense of community and been a wonderful form of connection. I left revitalized and ready to do great things! - Derrick
Honestly the retreat was one of the best experiences I’ve had. It was incredible to practice and connect with folks in such a meaningful way! - Pat C
This was my very first meditation retreat, and honestly, it’s been incredibly meaningful. It gave me the chance to really deepen my own practice and feel more connected to the Dharma Moon community in a way I hadn’t experienced before. I’ve told my friends that coming here was the single best thing I’ve done for myself this year—and I truly mean that. - Mike S
It was so special to be together in person and being able to connect on a deeper level with other attendees. There was something so pure and blissful about being in a community grounded in practice and compassion. I experienced actual grief when it was time to leave but I also felt inspired to participate in and create an in-person sangha back home. I found the teachings from David to be profound and extraordinarily helpful for navigating the world.
I was able to see myself and to understand meditation deeper than ever. Spending 5 days in such a wonderful environment purified me. - Tetsuro O
The heart connections I made were profound and transformative. The time spent in meditation and learning in a true communal context lifted me out of my habitual life of anxiety and disconnection as I have been on zoom and isolated for so long for so many things. It has had a lasting effect and one I'd like to repeat at least once a year at Menla. - Cynthia D
It was a lovely time to connect with teachers, make new friends, be in nature, have some solitude, practice yoga and meditation in community, dance, and learn/experience wind horse meditation. - DB
The people, teachings, container, conversations, connections (with people and nature) - uniquely touched my heart.
I loved it! Thank you for organizing such a wonderful and heart forward retreat. The dance party was great too ; )
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