5.0
Verified
return to the heart
I had another wonderful weekend retreat with Irina Devi at Menla - one of my favorite retreat places !
Embodied Awakening: Coming Home to the Wisdom of the Body
Cameron's Staff Pick
Top Rated
Embodied Awakening: Coming Home to the Wisdom of the Body
4.8056 reviews
375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States
September 15 - 20, 2026
About this Retreat
Your Guides
Qigong Master | Wisdom Teacher | Founder, The Chi Center
Master Mingtong Gu brings together two profound wisdom traditions: Tibetan Buddhist contemplative practice and classical Chinese Qigong.
Trained in the Dzogchen tradition with His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, Gyatrul Rinpoche, Buluk Tulku, and Yangthang Tulku Rinpoche, he also studied extensively at China's Medicine-less Qigong Hospital under Grandmaster Pang Ming, MD, where he mastered Wisdom Healing Qigong.
His own healing journey - from decades of chronic asthma and scoliosis following childhood trauma during China's Cultural Revolution - revealed the transformative power of embodied practice. At age 60, after a dramatic fall that should have been catastrophic, he discovered what he had been teaching: the body as conscious intelligence, not obstacle.
For over 30 years, Master Mingtong has guided tens of thousands through embodied awakening. Named Qigong Master of the Year by the World Congress for Qigong, he has taught at Omega Institute, Esalen, and Kripalu, and leads The Chi Center's global movement.
His work integrates Tibetan wisdom view with Taoist energy cultivation, creating pathways for sustainable healing and authentic leadership.
Details of this retreat
A Living Exploration of the Four Noble Truths Through the Body
When wisdom lives in the mind and leaves the body, even the most dedicated healers begin to feel tired.
You may recognize this quietly.
You serve. You hold space. You offer clarity, care, and guidance.
And somewhere beneath your skill, training, and devotion, the body has been asked to endure rather than lead.
This retreat is an invitation to come home—not to a belief, a role, or a new framework, but into original, embodied intelligence.
At Menla, on land dedicated to healing and contemplative practice, we explore the Four Noble Truths as a lived, bodily experience - through movement, sound, and meditation.
This is not philosophy. This is remembrance.
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS - LIVED, NOT STUDIED
In classical teaching, the Four Noble Truths describe suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the path.
In this retreat, they are experienced through the body.
The Truth of Suffering lives as the quiet cost of separation - from body, breath, and felt presence. Many healers and leaders know this intimately: chronic tension, diminished vitality, clarity without nourishment.
The Truth of Cause reveals itself when intelligence leaves the body. When service is carried by effort rather than coherence. When leadership lives in responsibility rather than presence.
The Truth of Cessation emerges when the body is re-inhabited. Energy returns. Listening deepens. Healing unfolds naturally - without force.
The Truth of the Path is not multiple techniques or self-improvement. It is one unified practice: movement that restores inhabitation, sound that returns the body to wholeness, meditation that stabilizes essence and clarity.
This is the path of embodied return.
WHO THIS RETREAT SERVES
This retreat is for you if you are:
A healer, teacher, clinician, or caregiver
A spiritual practitioner with years of experience
A leader whose clarity is strong and whose body feels tired
Someone who holds others and is ready to be held by life again
This retreat serves those who already know a great deal - and are ready to live their wisdom without depletion.
THE PRACTICE FIELD
Throughout the retreat, you will be guided through:
Gentle, embodied movement to soften chronic contraction and re-enter the body
Sound practices to restore resonance, circulation, and wholeness
Meditation to anchor clarity, essence, and inner stability
Each practice supports the others. Nothing is added. What is already whole is remembered.
A SHARED OFFERING
This retreat is co-created and co-promoted by The Chi Center and Menla.
Two lineages meet in mutual respect: Tibetan contemplative wisdom and Taoist embodied awakening.
They meet where all true healing occurs—in the human body.
WHAT YOU MAY LEAVE WITH
Participants often describe:
A renewed sense of vitality without effort
A quieter, steadier authority
Greater trust in the body's intelligence
A felt integration of healing and leadership
Practices that support sustainable service in daily life
Not as outcomes to chase. As natural expressions of return.
AN INVITATION
If you feel the call to lead and serve from wholeness rather than endurance,
If your body is asking to be included in your wisdom,
If you are ready to let presence carry what effort once held—
You are welcome here.
Schedule:
Tuesday, September 15
3 - 6 pm Arrival and Check-in
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 8:30 pm Opening Session
Wednesday, September 16 - Saturday, September 19
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9 am - 12:30 pm Session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
2 - 5:30 pm Session
6 - 7 pm Dinner
Sunday, September 20
7 - 11 am Check-out
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9 am - 12:30 pm Closing Session
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch and Departure
*Please note this schedule is subject to change.
When wisdom lives in the mind and leaves the body, even the most dedicated healers begin to feel tired.
You may recognize this quietly.
You serve. You hold space. You offer clarity, care, and guidance.
And somewhere beneath your skill, training, and devotion, the body has been asked to endure rather than lead.
This retreat is an invitation to come home—not to a belief, a role, or a new framework, but into original, embodied intelligence.
At Menla, on land dedicated to healing and contemplative practice, we explore the Four Noble Truths as a lived, bodily experience - through movement, sound, and meditation.
This is not philosophy. This is remembrance.
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS - LIVED, NOT STUDIED
In classical teaching, the Four Noble Truths describe suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the path.
In this retreat, they are experienced through the body.
The Truth of Suffering lives as the quiet cost of separation - from body, breath, and felt presence. Many healers and leaders know this intimately: chronic tension, diminished vitality, clarity without nourishment.
The Truth of Cause reveals itself when intelligence leaves the body. When service is carried by effort rather than coherence. When leadership lives in responsibility rather than presence.
The Truth of Cessation emerges when the body is re-inhabited. Energy returns. Listening deepens. Healing unfolds naturally - without force.
The Truth of the Path is not multiple techniques or self-improvement. It is one unified practice: movement that restores inhabitation, sound that returns the body to wholeness, meditation that stabilizes essence and clarity.
This is the path of embodied return.
WHO THIS RETREAT SERVES
This retreat is for you if you are:
A healer, teacher, clinician, or caregiver
A spiritual practitioner with years of experience
A leader whose clarity is strong and whose body feels tired
Someone who holds others and is ready to be held by life again
This retreat serves those who already know a great deal - and are ready to live their wisdom without depletion.
THE PRACTICE FIELD
Throughout the retreat, you will be guided through:
Gentle, embodied movement to soften chronic contraction and re-enter the body
Sound practices to restore resonance, circulation, and wholeness
Meditation to anchor clarity, essence, and inner stability
Each practice supports the others. Nothing is added. What is already whole is remembered.
A SHARED OFFERING
This retreat is co-created and co-promoted by The Chi Center and Menla.
Two lineages meet in mutual respect: Tibetan contemplative wisdom and Taoist embodied awakening.
They meet where all true healing occurs—in the human body.
WHAT YOU MAY LEAVE WITH
Participants often describe:
A renewed sense of vitality without effort
A quieter, steadier authority
Greater trust in the body's intelligence
A felt integration of healing and leadership
Practices that support sustainable service in daily life
Not as outcomes to chase. As natural expressions of return.
AN INVITATION
If you feel the call to lead and serve from wholeness rather than endurance,
If your body is asking to be included in your wisdom,
If you are ready to let presence carry what effort once held—
You are welcome here.
Schedule:
Tuesday, September 15
3 - 6 pm Arrival and Check-in
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 8:30 pm Opening Session
Wednesday, September 16 - Saturday, September 19
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9 am - 12:30 pm Session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
2 - 5:30 pm Session
6 - 7 pm Dinner
Sunday, September 20
7 - 11 am Check-out
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9 am - 12:30 pm Closing Session
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch and Departure
*Please note this schedule is subject to change.
Getting Here
Menla, 375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States
Accommodation
Deluxe Queen
Deluxe Queen Room with Queen Bed and Private Bathroom
Free Phone and Hi-Speed Wifi Internet Access Available
Air Conditioning
All Rooms in Lhasa are Handicap-Accessible, Including Four Rooms with Wheelchair Accessible Showers.
Deluxe Queen Rooms are Available in Lhasa Inn and Kathmandu House
* Please note that rates include meals and accommodations
Deluxe Double (Shared Room)
Deluxe Double Room with Two Full Size Beds and Private Bathroom
Free Phone and Hi-Speed Wifi Internet Access Available
Air Conditioning
All Rooms in Lhasa are Handicap-Accessible, Including Four Rooms with Wheelchair Accessible Showers.
Deluxe Double Rooms with Private Bathrooms are Located in the Lhasa Inn
* Please note rates include meals and accommodations.
This booking is for one bed in a double shared room: We May Assign You a Roommate if You Do Not Register with One.
Standard Single - Shared Bath
Menla Private Queen Room with Queen Bed and Shared Bathroom
Public Phone and Hi-Speed Wifi Internet Access Available
This lodging type is not ADA Compliant
Private Queen Rooms with Shared Bathroom are Available in Thimpu House, Panther Cottage and Potala House
* Please note that rates include meals and accommodations
Standard Double Full - Shared bath (Shared Room)
Deluxe Double Room with Two Full Beds and Shared Bathroom
Free Phone and Hi-Speed Wifi Internet Access Available
Air Conditioning
This lodging type is not ADA Compliant. Please note that due to the stairs we recommend that guests with mobility issues book other accommodations.
Deluxe Double Rooms with Shared Bathrooms are Located in Thimphu
* Please note rates include meals and accommodations.
This booking is for one bed in a double shared room: We May Assign You a Roommate if You Do Not Register with One.
Economy Premium Single - Shared Bath
Standard Premium Single Room with a Queen or Full Bed and Shared Bathroom
Up to 10 guests share two large bathrooms. Each bathroom has two shower stalls and two toilets.
A phone is not available but high-speed WiFi is available in the room
Phone Access Available in Upper Level Of Conference Center. All calls are free of charge
This Lodging Type is not ADA Compliant.
* Please note rates include meals and accommodations.
Economy Single - Shared Bath
Standard Single Room with a Twin Bed and Shared Bathroom
Bathroom is Shared with One to Six Other Guests on Your Floor.
A phone is not available but high-speed WiFi is available in the room
Phone Access Available in Nearby Conference Center and also Lhasa in Business Center. All calls are free of charge.
This Lodging Type is not ADA Compliant.
* Please note rates include meals and accommodations.
Economy Double - Shared Bath (Shared Room)
Standard Double with Twin Beds and Shared Bathroom
The bathroom is Shared with other rooms on the same floor.
High-speed Wi-Fi is available in the room.
Phone Access Available in Nearby Conference Center and also Lhasa in Business Center. All calls are free of charge.
This Lodging Type is not ADA Compliant.
* Please note that rates include meals and accommodations
* Please note: this is an open door policy room, meaning there are no keys to lock the door (we have lockers you can use at Lhasa if needed)
* This booking is for one bed in a double shared room: We May Assign You Roommates if You Do Not Register with others
Economy Quad - Shared Bath (Shared Room)
Standard Quad Room with Quad Twin Beds and Shared Bathroom
Accommodations Fee Includes All Meals.
High speed Wi-Fi is available in the room.
Phone Access Available in Nearby Conference Center and also Lhasa in Business Center. All calls are free of charge.
This Lodging Type is not ADA Compliant.
* Please note that rates include meals and accommodations
* Please note: this is an open door policy room, meaning there are no keys to lock the door (we have lockers you can use at Lhasa if needed)
* This booking is for one bed in a quad shared room: We May Assign You Roommates if You Do Not Register with others.
Customer Reviews
Verified
5.0
Verified
Impeccable kitchen...beautiful surroundings
The lovely girl who cleaned my room, Amy, literally MADE my entire trip. She was so kind.
The scenery is magnificent, the landscape supreme, the food was AMAZING, cleanliness was top notch.
Everybody at Menla was extremely helpful and nice, with the exception of one person who shall remain nameless.
The scenery is magnificent, the landscape supreme, the food was AMAZING, cleanliness was top notch.
Everybody at Menla was extremely helpful and nice, with the exception of one person who shall remain nameless.
4.0
Verified
This is a special place
I attended Menla for a Therapist Ketamine retreat. There were approximately 35 attendees and 8-10 faculty. The buildings and the grounds are stunning and do what they set out to do..... force you to relax! The conference center offered so much space and ability for smaller groups to break out. I was fortunate enough to stay in a deluxe room which had stunning and peaceful decor and a very comfortable bed.
The Menla staff was welcoming and helpful.
I was disappointed with the meals. I live in the SF Bay area and am fortunate to have access to very high quality and thoughtful vegetarian food. I found the meals to be Okay but not delicious. I should mention that our group didn't have breakfast. I did appreciate the creative beverage offerings and constant access to fresh fruit - the apples were yummy!
The Menla staff was welcoming and helpful.
I was disappointed with the meals. I live in the SF Bay area and am fortunate to have access to very high quality and thoughtful vegetarian food. I found the meals to be Okay but not delicious. I should mention that our group didn't have breakfast. I did appreciate the creative beverage offerings and constant access to fresh fruit - the apples were yummy!
3.0
Verified
Nice place, kind staff, pricey, food was not good, not enough
The cabin was comfortable, and the shared areas were nice. The food, however, was extremely limited—mostly beans and vegetables, essentially a $2 meal with no meat or chicken. After one hour of being served, most of the food was gone and not replenished, so arriving around 1 p.m. meant finding almost nothing left. Beans can also trigger gas and discomfort, and the Indian dishes were too spicy, causing bloating. For the price of the stay, the meals felt inadequate.
Staff should wait until meetings are finished before moving items or making accommodations. The trail signs were also confusing and unclear; improving them would make a big difference.
Staff should wait until meetings are finished before moving items or making accommodations. The trail signs were also confusing and unclear; improving them would make a big difference.
5.0
Verified
Breathing in the Heart of Nature
I've visited the center twice, in June 2025 and June 2026, and both times I found it restful, peaceful, and a place to feel at one with nature, with many opportunities to swim, walk, and hike without leaving the center. It's a great place for meditation, reflection, care, and nourishing food. I had a spa session with Nitty, a Reiki practitioner with over 30 years of experience, and it was better than expected. While there, I saw many animals and birds, and a woman using the Cornell University bird app was able to identify 37 species in one sitting on the patio of the main building. The staff is very friendly, and the spa center with a swimming pool is the most luxuriously built of all the buildings. The biggest luxury I've found in Menla is silence.
Last Chance
