Colleen Saidman Yee began her yoga journey in 1984 in New York City, initially hesitant but deeply impacted by her first class. After years of pursuing other athletic disciplines, a back surgery in 1994 led her to fully commit to yoga. She completed Jivamukti’s teacher training in 1998 and went on to found Yoga Shanti in Sag Harbor in 1999. Over the years, she has become one of the most recognized figures in modern yoga, earning the title “First Lady of Yoga” from The New York Times and appearing widely across major publications and media. Her 2015 bestselling book, Yoga for Life: A Journey to Inner Peace and Freedom, reflects her ability to weave personal story with practical guidance.
Her work extends beyond the studio into education, media, and integrative wellness. She co-created initiatives blending yoga with healing modalities through UZIT and helped develop Urban Zen’s Integrative Yoga Therapist Program, bringing yoga into healthcare settings worldwide. Alongside her husband, Rodney Yee, she leads teacher trainings and workshops globally, while also contributing to major yoga platforms and wellness programs. Based in Sag Harbor, she continues to teach, write, and evolve her practice, drawing inspiration from her students, her teachers, and most meaningfully, her four children.
Rodney Yee began his yoga journey in the 1980s, initially drawn to the study of the physical body before expanding into the exploration of mind and spirituality. His early interests in gymnastics, philosophy, physical therapy, and dance—including performing with the Oakland Ballet and a Tokyo-based company—shaped a lifelong pursuit of integration and wholeness. He trained extensively in Iyengar Yoga in Berkeley and San Francisco with influential teachers, and in 1987 co-founded Piedmont Yoga Studio. His visibility grew through Yoga Journal and a widely successful series of instructional videos, helping bring yoga into the mainstream.
In 2003, he moved to Sag Harbor, New York, where he now lives and teaches with his partner, Colleen Saidman Yee. Together, they lead classes, workshops, retreats, and teacher trainings around the world, and have collaborated on wellness initiatives that integrate yoga with broader healing practices. His teaching continues to reflect a thoughtful, experiential approach rooted in decades of study and practice.
Details of this retreat
Immerse yourself in a transformative weekend of yoga led by Colleen Saidman Yee and Rodney Yee, where you’ll explore how a consistent practice can help you listen more deeply, pause with intention, and respond to life with clarity and wisdom. Whether your days feel steady or full of unexpected highs and lows, this experience offers practical tools to help you return to center again and again.
Across the weekend, you’ll move through a thoughtful blend of asana, meditation, and pranayama, with sessions designed for all levels and offering a range of intensities—from more dynamic, energizing practices to quieter, restorative ones. As your understanding of these practices deepens, so too will your ability to apply them skillfully in daily life, meeting each moment with greater sensitivity and ease.
In quiet moments of attention to the breath, you may begin to notice how the weathervane of your body points you toward the practices that are most needed. Each session offers sequences chosen to support the full range of inner “weather,” helping you respond with steadiness and sincerity.
Cancellation Policy:
There is a $500 minimum that is nonrefundable at the time of registration.
Up to 45 days prior to the start of the retreat, a 50% refund may be made.
No refunds will be issued within a month of the start date of the retreat.
Schedule:
Friday, October 30
3 - 5 pm Arrival and Check-in
5 - 6 pm Yoga Class
6 - 7 pm Dinner
Saturday, October 31
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 - 12 pm Yoga Class
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 5 pm Free Time
5 - 6 pm Yoga Class
6 - 7 pm Dinner
Sunday, November 1
7 - 9:30 am Check-out of Rooms
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 - 11:30 am Yoga Class
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch & 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 King
Deluxe King Room with King Bed and Private Bathroom
Free Phone and Hi-Speed Wifi Internet Access Available
Air Conditioning
This Space is not ADA compliant.
Deluxe King Rooms are Available only in Kathmandu House
* Please note that rates include meals and accommodations
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.
Customer Reviews
4.80 out of 5.0 average rating
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!
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.
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.
5.0
Verified
Wisdom Path with Isa and Bob
What a time to be at Menla! What a time to be blessed to work with Isa and Laura at the Sacred Stream and to partake in the Wisdom Path at Menla this past weekend. It was not hard to feel Bobs immense energy xoxoxox
Thank you for the beautiful room, the delicious food and the friendliest staff! And thank you for welcoming my two small doggies!! Sending you all lots of love and light, Sherri Serino
5.0
Verified
Such a beautiful setting
Menla is the best retreat location I have been to. (Others are Garrison Institute, Omega, Art of Living in N.C., and Insight Meditation in Barre, MA) It's beautiful, peaceful, has great walking trails. It's beautiful campus to walk across. The lodging is excellent-- great beds, linens, rooms, artwork on wall. And the food is the best I've had-- all vegetarian but with lots of flavor.
Select your options
Available Dates
October 30 - November 1, 2026
Select a Room
Deluxe King
$1,428.00
Deluxe King Room with King Bed and Private Bathroom
Free Phone and Hi-Speed Wifi Internet Access Available
Air Conditioning
This Space is not ADA compliant.
Deluxe King Rooms are Available only in Kathmandu House
* Please note that rates include meals and accommodations
Deluxe Queen
$1,290.00
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)
$1,128.00
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
$1,160.00
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)
$1,086.00
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.