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YOGIC LIFESTYLE RETREAT: A Weekend Immersion into Yoga, Meditation, Ayurveda, Nature

Name: YOGIC LIFESTYLE RETREAT: A Weekend Immersion into Yoga, Meditation, Ayurveda, Nature
Start: 2026-11-12
End: 2026-11-15
Location: Menla
Rating: 4.81

4.81107 reviews

Phoenicia, NY 12464, USA

November 12 - 15, 2026

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Sue

Details of this retreat

Weekend Immersion into Yoga, Meditation, Ayurveda, Nature
In a world spinning faster than our nervous systems can track, what does it actually mean to be well?
The ancient traditions of Meditation, Yoga and its sister science of Ayurveda offer ancient wisdom to our modern lifestyle - practices that balance, heal and transform mind and body to uplevel your health, reduce stress, strengthen your immune system and soothe your spirit. Learn how to integrate these practices into your life. More than a retreat or escape from life, this is about remembering how to fully and vibrantly live it. You will emerge inspired and renewed.
Join Sue Bonanno—yoga teacher of 25+ years, founder of Soulspace Meditation & Wellbeing, and Certified Ayurveda Instructor for an immersive introduction to the yogic lifestyle. Together we will follow the rhythms of nature, engage in foundational yogic and meditative practices, eat nourishing food and rest deeply. We will exist among the mountains and trees on sacred land in the serenity of Menla’s 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. Deluxe accommodations and a world-class spa add comfort and ease.
This 3-night experience includes:
Yoga: Energizing vinyasa flow sessions to awaken the body, alongside candlelight restorative and yoga nidra practices to deeply relax and restore.
Meditation: Silent mantra and mudra meditation to steady the mind, expand awareness, and cultivate inner stillness.
Ayurveda: Detoxification & Rejuvenation: Learn practical, time-tested tools to balance your system through daily rituals, sensory awareness, and alignment with nature’s rhythms.
Sound Healing: Experience the subtle yet powerful effects of breathwork and crystal alchemy bowl sound bath to regulate the nervous system and harmonize your energy.
Nourishment:Enjoy vibrant, organic meals, designed to support vitality, paired with inspiring views, warm fires, and a peaceful, grounding environment.
In-Depth Teachings: Explore the foundations of yogic philosophy, including the 8-limbed path, along with accessible teachings on yoga, meditation and Ayurveda that you can carry into daily life.
Connection & Integration: Spend unstructured time walking in nature, hiking a trail, journaling, resting, enjoying an herbal tea or optional spa treatments (booked separately). Evenings invite deep, restorative sleep in cozy, tranquil accommodations.

Schedule
Thursday November 12

3 - 6 pm Arrival and Check-in
4:30 - 5:30 pm Opening Group Session
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Evening Session

Friday November 13
7am Meditation

8 - 9 am Breakfast
10 am - 12 pm Morning Session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 5 pm Free time
5 - 6 pm Afternoon Session
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Evening Session

Saturday, November 14

7am Meditation
8 - 9 am Breakfast
10 am - 12 pm Morning Session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 4 pm Free time
4 - 5:45 pm Afternoon Session
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Evening Session

Sunday, November 15

7 - 11 am Check-out of Rooms
7 am Meditation
8 - 9 am Breakfast
10 am - 12 pm Group Session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch & Departure

*Please note that the schedule is subject to change at any time.

Getting Here

Menla, Phoenicia, NY 12464, USA

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.

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.

Customer Reviews

4.81 out of 5.0 average rating

Nancy • Oct 29, 2026

5.0

Verified

Cultivating Joy- A Ketamine Assisted Mindfulness Retreat

What a fabulous location and place for this amazing retreat at Menla! The food was great, the grounds were gorgeous and the buildings/ facilities evoked a feeling of peace, honor and tranquility. There is a feeling of spacious stillness at Menla. Look forward to returning.

Anonymous • Oct 28, 2026

5.0

Verified

5 Stars for an Incredible Weekend!

We had a fantastic time at the Autumn Reset yoga retreat at Menla in October! The grounds are beautiful, the trails are perfect, the food was incredible, and the yoga space was stunning. The staff was super attentive and helpful. Our only feedback for next time is to be more timely with the bus pick-up (one of the other students waited at the bus stop for 25 minutes) and we wish there were some comfy indoor spaces to read and enjoy down time that weren't just the dining hall tables. Overall an A+ weekend and can't wait to do it again - we will be back!!! Thank you Menla!

Anonymous • Oct 27, 2026

2.0

Verified

Beautiful but…

I do love the setting & atmosphere at Menla. There’s magic in the air. After 2 previous visits where I stayed in Dragon (which was dumpy) I paid more this time around for Naranda. It was a lovely room, much nicer than Dragon. There is a tiny mirror in an awkward inaccessible place. A larger mirror in a more accessible place would be appreciated. The bathroom stalls could use improvement! One does not lock at all and the way the doors are designed makes it impossible to know whether to push or pull them and they slam loudly when they shut, jarringly so. This could be easily fixed! The showers are extremely small and it’s very easy to freeze or scald yourself if your elbow accidentally hits the temperature lever. The coffee is TERRIBLE! I had a glimpse of the bag and it’s NOT organic or fair trade which is what we are lead to believe. The food is mostly delicious but inconsistent. On our last evening the risotto was extremely undercooked and sometimes things ran out. Lastly, another retreat was happening at the same time and several of my colleagues had no place to sit to eat their dinner as all the seats were taken. No bueno!

Dominique • Oct 24, 2026

5.0

Verified

Let’s Talk about appropriation

My stay at Menla was beautiful as the center itself, staff and guest are just lovely. The scenery and energy is amazing. Craig (fire keeper) and Jill (water pourer ) supported by Ericka ( song keeper) sweat lodge is legitimate and wonderful.

However , I attended the Wisdom Warrior retreat more than once , where the leader Kareema should get one star or less. She uses names like Iylana Vanzant and others big named people to demonstrate her so called authority in knowing what she is doing. Turns out Iylana and her had a falling out.

She pretends to be oh so spiritual when all she does is appropriate. When you go to her retreats she’s expects you to work like setting up etc. She poorly plans the retreat and actually it really is not much of a retreat because her co-partner also had a falling out with Kareema and she did most of the retreat prior where it was fine much better.

Kareema picking up the coordinating , designing and more of the retreat herself demonstrated just how much she does not know what she’s doing. Total incompetence.

Furthermore she throws tantrums when she do not go her way and she is perceived by me to be manipulative and verbally and emotionally abusive. Especially when her poorly planned retreat gets someone sick. She has no saftey measures in place and no one available to support her in necessary situations . Her retreats from my experience is Not a safe space at all.

She’s about to make a professional documentary using yet another persons skills for her credit, on the wisdom warriors where it will be used to mislead people on how experienced she is and what a “Queen” she thinks she is personally.

During the retreat she actually told a head staff what she wanted and that she was going to get other staff to do it because this lead staff told her no.

I felt Menla deserves 5 stars itself but wisdom warrior retreat is a façade meaning, I felt I should state the facts as I see them so people do not blindly believe the documentary or any publicity she used to collect peoples money. That’s what she’s really about cash to cash business so she doesn’t have to claim it probably ?

Anonymous • Oct 23, 2026

2.0

Verified

Not very embodied

Although the description of this retreat emphasized an experiential focus, the first evening and subsequent morning sessions were nearly all theory, with lots of verbalization of concepts, with very little actual body & sensation focus. There were a guided meditation & a body scan, and a brief intro to qigong, but no exercises to facilitate somatic awareness & discernment. And the didactic material was scattered, lots of seemingly random spiritual axioms and theories put forth, some anecdotes, and an incomplete (without any actual experience occurring) description of how to recognize and deal with “incompleted” feelings or emotions, the basis for this theory of (somehow) completing them, and living a sane, happy & fulfilled life.. Instead, it sounds to me like a lot of tumbling around with and coming to some compromise for control with our ego…and again, the sessions were nearly all theoretical, intellectual. Where’s the body? I wondered, and withdrew from the workshop after the first session of the second day, finding the material & presentation not worthwhile.

YOGIC LIFESTYLE RETREAT: A Weekend Immersion into Yoga, Meditation, Ayurveda, Nature

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Sue Bonanno

Details of this retreat

Getting Here