375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States
May 28 - Jun 4, 2026
About this Retreat
Dr. Robert Svoboda was the first Westerner to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. During and after his formal Ayurvedic training, he was tutored in Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Tantra and other forms of classical Indian lore by his mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda. He is the author of twelve books including Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution and the Aghora series, which discusses his experiences with his mentor during the years 1975 – 1983.
In 1972 he earned a B.S. from the University of Oklahoma in Chemistry with a minor in French. After being ritually initiated into the Pokot tribe of northern Kenya as its first white member in June 1973 he moved to India, where he lived from 1973-80 and 1982-86, receiving his Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (Ayurvedacharya) from the University of Poona in 1980. In his final year of study at the Tilak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya he won all but one of the University of Poona’s awards for academic excellence in Ayurveda, including the Ram Narayan Sharma Gold Medal.
In the years since 1986 Dr. Svoboda has traveled extensively, spending three months per year on average in India. He often speaks on Ayurveda, Jyotish, Tantra and allied subjects in locales across the world.
Krishna Das is a Grammy-nominated chant artist and has sung with people all around the world for over 35 years. His music offers the practice of chanting mantras– mostly in the Indian tradition, with some Buddhist and Gospel infusions. By sharing his life experiences on the path in his book Chants of a Lifetime, and workshops with people around the world, participants have found a way to integrate spiritual practices in their lives in a better way with some peace of mind. In 2018, Krishna Das released his 16th album “Peace of my Heart.” Learn more at www.krishnadas.com
Suggested Book & Recordings by Krishna Das
Chants of a Lifetime (Book), Kirtan Wallah (Music), Breath of The Heart (Music), Live Ananda (Music), Pilgrim Heart (Music), One Track Heart (Music), Heart As Wide As The World (Music) & Live Workshop from Menla (Audio).
To Learn More About Krishna Das please visit: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Nina Rao learned traditional chants from her grandfather in a village in south India when she was nine years old. The chants quietly stayed with her until she rediscovered chanting with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. For many years Nina has been Krishna Das business manager and assistant, and accompanies him musically. In 2007, she recorded the track ‘Nina Chalisa’ on Krishna Das’ CD “Flow of Grace” and in January 2013, she released her debut double-CD album, “Antarayaami – Knower of All Hearts“. She released her second album “Anubhav” in 2018. You can find her interviews on a number of podcasts, online courses, and documentary films on Bhakti Yoga, kirtan, and chanting the Hanuman Chalisa. She is also a podcast host on the Be Here Now Network. Nina regularly leads retreats, kirtan, and chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa, in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York and beyond. She is also founder and active chairwoman of
SavingWildTigers.org. For more information visit
NinaRaoChant.com
Dorje Lopön Chandra Easton is a teacher, author, and translator of Tibetan Buddhism. She has taught Buddhism and Yoga around the world since 2001 and co-translated Sublime Dharma: A Compilation of Two Texts on the Great Perfection, published in 2012. In 2015, she was given the title of senior lead teacher, Dorje Lopön (Varjāchārya), by Lama Tsultrim Allione and Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche. She is on the Tara Mandala Board of Trustees and the Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Council, which addresses the under-representation of people from different cultural, racial, sexual orientation, and social backgrounds in the Dharma and at Tara Mandala. She is currently writing a book on the twenty-one Taras in Buddhist Tantra. She lives in Berkeley, CA, and has offered annual retreats at Esalen for 16 years. Visit
ChandraEaston.com to learn more.
Michele Loew is an international yoga teacher & practitioner of Hatha & Tibetan Yogas & the co-founding director of the Vajra Yoga School of Comparative Buddhist & Indic Yogic Studies where sheco-teaches with Professor Robert A.F. Thurman at Menla & abroad.
She has taught, practiced, & studied avidly since 1998, and continues to run her longtime yoga school and beloved studio,
The Yoga Space in Portland, Oregon. She is also on the Board of
Tibet House US and is devoted to supporting His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s mission, as well as preserving Tibetan Culture and Dharma. You can find her often in New York sharing yoga at Tibet House or upstate at Menla Mountain Retreat.
Her love and commitment to the unexcelled yoga tantras of Vajrayana as a path we can take towards perfect enlightenment and the integration of those teachings with the Hatha yogas more broadly practiced today, seeing both as powerful and not separate extensions of one another, infuses her work with great joy & commitment to a more compassionate and awakened world.
She honors the lineage of teachers she comes from and bows to her longtime Hatha & Classical Yoga teacher,
Richard Freeman for elucidating the middle path of love with the utmost clarity and kindness. To
Robert Thurman, her beloved principle teacher in Buddhist science and her root guru His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the deepest bow for empowering her in the anuttara yogas.
Michele teaches regular classes and 200 & 500 YA trainings in Yoga & Yoga Nidra in Portland &; New York, as well as retreats and workshops internationally. Follow her on instagram
@micheleloew
John Campbell has been practicing yoga and meditation for over thirty years. In 2002 he became one of the few instructors worldwide to be recognized as a Certified Teacher by the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore in southern India. He currently runs the Vajra Yoga program for Tibet House in New York City. A scholar of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, he received a PhD in Religion from Columbia University. He has been a Fulbright Fellow and taught at Columbia University and the University of Virginia, where he co-founded the Contemplative Sciences Center. He is a translator of Sanskrit and Tibetan texts from the yogic and tantric traditions of India and Tibet. His recent publications include The Esoteric Community Tantra by Vajradhara with the Illuminating Lamp by Chandrakirti (2020), the first in a series of commentaries on the Guhyasamāja Tantra co-translated with Prof. Robert Thurman. He is A native New Yorker, he lives with his wife, three children, and various cats and dogs in Newburgh, New York.
Robert Thurman is Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University as well as co-founder and President of
Tibet House US and it's
Menla Retreat & Spa. A world-wide lecturer on Tibetan Buddhism, activist for the plight of the Tibetan people, translator of Buddhist texts, and writer of popular Buddhist books. He recently has been awarded the Padma Shri Award, India’s fourth highest civilian honor for achievement in enriching Indian education and literature. His most recent book is the 300 page graphic novel,
Man of Peace: the Illustrated Life Story of the Dalai Lama of Tibet.
Suggested Books & Audio by Robert A.F. Thurman:
Man of Peace: Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama (Book),
Infinite Life: Awakening to Bliss Within (Book),
Anger: The Seven Deadly Sins (Book),
Inner Revolution (Book),
Circling the Sacred Mountain : A Spiritual Adventure Through the Himalayas (Book),
Essential Tibetan Buddhism (Book),
The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Book of Natural Liberation Through Understanding in the Between (Book)
The Jewel Tree of Tibet: The Enlightenment Engine of Tibetan Buddhism (Book),
The Central Philosophy of Tibet (Book),
The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti: A Mahayana Scripture (Book),
Life & Teachings of Tsong Khapa (Book),
Why the Dalai Lama Matters: His Act of Truth as the Solution for China, Tibet, and the World (Book) &
Liberation Upon Hearing in the Between: Living with the Tibetan Book of the Dead (Audio).
To Learn More About Robert A.F. Thurman please visit: Website |
Twitter |
Facebook |
Instagram
Details of this retreat
Join the third reunion of this usually far-flung all-star gathering of teachers and practitioners of Indic yogic sciences and spiritual traditions! This inspiring weeklong immersion, an aspiring annual tradition, brings together Dr. Robert Svoboda, Krishna Das, Nina Rao, Chandra Easton, Michele Loew, John Campbell, and Prof. Robert Thurman for a stand-alone hybrid retreat weaving Ayurveda, Bhakti Yoga, Vajrayoga, and tantric Hatha Yoga.
The Mahasiddha Reunion explores the shared roots and living connections between these traditions through study, practice, discussion, and devotion. Participants leave physically energized, deeply inspired, and connected to a growing community dedicated to spiritual evolution and embodied wisdom.
Mornings focus on integrated Vajrayoga practices led by John Campbell, with breath-centered movement and meditative exploration. Nina Rao and Chandra Easton offer teachings on the sacred feminine, Tara and Devi, along with mantra, kirtan, and devotional practice, while Robert Thurman presents the tantric and “Rājayoga” dimensions of Vajrayoga.
Afternoon sessions feature lively teachings and storytelling led by Svoboda, Thurman, and Krishna Das, drawing from the lives and wisdom of great Indian and Indo-Tibetan mahasiddhas. These include Svoboda’s insights from his decades studying Ayurveda and the Aghori tradition, Krishna Das’s devotional presence inspired by Neem Karoli Baba, and Thurman’s Vajrayana teachings rooted in the lineages of his Tibetan gurus, with special emphasis on female siddhas and the many emanations of Tara, supported by Nina Rao and Chandra Easton
Svoboda and Thurman will also lead special Fire Pujas in the central field of Menla's campus, with all students participating. This puja is a powerful way to heal and energize our planetary mandala and celebrate the eventual triumph of the total liberation and enlightenment of all beings (including ourselves!) in a gorgeous setting.
Space is very limited for the in-person option, so it is best to sign up early for this amazing opportunity to study and practice with some of the best minds and hearts in these fields!
If you can only attend part of the retreat, you may arrange a partial/prorated registration via our Front Desk at frontdesk@menla.org. Please note that we have a two-night stay minimum. Also, we have a few spots reserved in shared housing for those needing partial scholarships. If you are interested in applying for a partial scholarship, please email frontdesk@menla.org.
Schedule:
Thursday, May 28
3 - 6 pm Arrival & Check-in
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Welcome & Opening Discussion (All Faculty)
Friday, May 29
7:30 - 9 am Vajra Yoga Practice (John)
9 - 10 am Breakfast
10:30 am - 12:30 pm Morning Class (Robert S)
1 - 2 pm Lunch
2 - 4 pm Free Time for Spa Appointments, Relaxation, or Self-Study
4 - 6 pm Afternoon Class (Bob T)
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Kirtan with Krishna Das
Saturday, May 30
7:30 - 9 am Vajra Yoga Practice (John)
9 - 10 am Breakfast
10:30 am - 12:30 pm Morning Class on the Sacred Feminine: Discussions on Yogini, Dakini, and the Goddess, Stories & Chant (Nina and with Chandra)
1 - 2 pm Lunch
2 - 4 pm Free Time for Spa Appointments, Relaxation, or Self-Study
4 - 6 pm Fire Puja weather permitting (Robert S)
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Evening Discussion (Bob T, Robert S, KD)
Sunday, May 31
7:30 - 9 am Vajra Yoga Practice (John)
9 - 10 am Breakfast
10:30 am - 12:30 pm Morning Class on Embodying Tara & Chanting (Chandra Easton & Nina Rao)
1 - 2 pm Lunch
1:30 - 4 pm Free Time for Spa Appointments, Relaxation, or Self-Study
4 - 6 pm Afternoon Class (Robert S)
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Kirtan with Krishna Das
Monday, June 1
7:30 - 9 am Gayatri Mantra Veda Class & Recitation (Nina)
9 - 10 am Breakfast
10:30 am - 12:30 pm Morning Class (Robert S)
1 - 2 pm Lunch
1:30 - 3:30 pm Free Time for Spa Appointments, Relaxation, or Self-Study
3:30 - 6 pm Afternoon Storytime and Q&A (KD)
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Evening Discussion (Bob T, Robert S, KD)
Tuesday, June 2
7:30 - 9 am Vajra Yoga Practice (John)
9 - 10 am Breakfast
10:30 am - 12:30 pm Morning Class on Tibetan Medicine and Ayurveda (Bob T & Robert S)
1 - 2 pm Lunch
2 - 4 pm Free Time for Spa Appointments, Relaxation, or Self-Study
4 - 6 pm Afternoon class on Sacred Feminine with Chandra, Nina & Michele
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Kirtan with Krishna Das
Wednesday, June 3
7:30 - 9 am Vajra Yoga Practice (John)
9 - 10 am Breakfast
10:30 am - 12:30 pm Morning Class Michele Loew: 10th century Female Mahasiddha Niguma and her yoga lineage and practices
1 - 2 pm Lunch
1:30 - 2:30 Sound Journey with Arjun
2:45-3:45 Meditation with Chandra Easton
4 - 6 pm Fire Puja 2 weather permitting (Bob T)
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 pm Kirtan with Krishna Das
Thursday, June 4
7 - 11 am Check-out of Rooms
7:30 - 9 am Vajra Yoga Practice (John)
9 - 10 am Breakfast
10:30 - 12:30 pm Closing Discussion (Full Faculty)
1 - 2 pm Lunch & Departure
*Please note that the schedule is subject to change at any time.
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