375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States
August 27 - 30, 2026
About this Retreat
Lynn Schauwecker has spent more than 25 years immersed in healing paths rooted in Indigenous traditions and in collaborative partnerships with Indigenous communities worldwide. Her work deepened in 2003 during her time in the Amazon rainforest, where she apprenticed with Grandmother Maria Alice Campos Freire of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers and trained in Florais da Amazônia, a system of Amazonian flower essences that supports emotional balance, spiritual insight, and energetic healing.
She is trained in Compassionate Inquiry, the trauma-informed therapeutic modality developed by Dr. Gabor Maté, and offers CI-based sessions alongside her work in somatic, spiritual, and nature-based traditions. For many years, Lynn has also led sweat lodges passed down to her by Native American elders.
In addition to her healing practice, Lynn has dedicated more than two decades to Tibet House US and currently serves as Managing Director of Menla Retreat & Dewa Spa. She is also the co-founder of the Floresta Project, a nonprofit supporting Amazonian Indigenous communities through cultural preservation, traditional healing practices, and sustainable, community-led initiatives.
Jennifer Muir is a Tibetan Tones practitioner, contemplative caregiver and a keeper of sacred space.
She has worked for many years supporting those struggling with addiction and mental health issues. More recently she has embarked on a path of working with death and dying as an end of life doula and chaplain. Jennifer utilizes the healing vibrations of medical/spa grade Tibetan bowls and other healing instruments both on and off the body. She works with groups and individuals to create space so that each client may access their body’s innate healing wisdom. Through both training and her own lived experience of healing, Jennifer brings her gifts of empathy and intuition to provide a unique healing treatment.
Alison Sinatra has been teaching yoga and facilitating healing retreats and spaces for women for over 25 years. Her work supports people in remembering their connection to Spirit.
Drawing on her studies with North and South American Indigenous traditions, Alison weaves prayer, ritual, embodiment, and lightheartedness into all that she offers.
She recently completed Dr. Gabor Maté’s year-long Compassionate Inquiry training, a deep immersion in trauma, addiction, somatic dialogue, and inner-child work. Alison is also a current student in The Portal, a six-month Gabor Maté–inspired program supporting pregnancy and postpartum through consciousness and trauma-informed care.
Details of this retreat
Menla invites you to step away from the demands of everyday life and enter a sacred space of reflection, healing, and renewal. Nestled among the forests, mountains, and pristine natural beauty of the Catskills, this retreat offers an opportunity to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and deepen your relationship with the natural world.
Held on Menla's sacred land, the weekend is designed to support a journey inward through time in nature, healing circles, sound healing, and a traditional sweat lodge ceremony. Together, these experiences create space to quiet the noise of daily life, open the heart, and reconnect with the wisdom, clarity, and resilience that reside within.
Gathering in a circle, we will cultivate authentic connection, deep listening, and meaningful reflection within a supportive group. The surrounding mountains, forests, streams, and open skies become part of the experience, inviting us to remember our innate connection to the Earth, to one another, and to ourselves.
Throughout the weekend, there will be ample time for rest, solitude, journaling, walks on the land, nourishing meals, and optional treatments at the Dewa Spa, allowing for deep integration, restoration, and renewal.
Whether you are seeking healing, clarity, personal insight, or simply a chance to pause and reset, this retreat offers a welcoming space to reconnect with nature, cultivate inner stillness, and journey more deeply into yourself.
Schedule:
Thursday, August 27
3 - 6 pm Arrival and Check-in
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 8:30 pm Welcome Circle
Friday, August 28
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Yoga with Alison Sinatra
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 4:30 pm Free time for Relaxation and Spa
4:30 - 6 Afternoon Circle
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 Evening of rest, relaxation and journaling.
Saturday, August 29
7am morning fast and lodge preparation
8 - 12 Sweatlodge
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1 - 4:30 Free time for Relaxation
4:30 - 6 Afternoon Circle
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 Sound Healing Journey with Jennifer Muir
Sunday, August 30
7 - 11 am Check-out of Rooms - (Please check out by 9:30am before the morning program begins)
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Guided Hike with Brendan
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch & Departure
*Please note that this schedule is subject to change at any time.
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