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The Great Sound Escape: A Winter Retreat for Hibernation with Sound Healing, Mantra, Meditation, Movement, Intention Setting, and Vision Board Creation

Name: The Great Sound Escape: A Winter Retreat for Hibernation with Sound Healing, Mantra, Meditation, Movement, Intention Setting, and Vision Board Creation
Start: 2026-12-11
End: 2026-12-13
Location: Menla
Rating: 4.81

4.81106 reviews

Phoenicia, NY 12464, USA

December 11 - 13, 2026

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Lisa

Michele

Lisa Annese

Lisa Annese is an author, motivational speaker, teacher, sound therapist and owner of The Space by Lisa Annese, a spiritual healing and retreat center in Wyckoff, NJ. As a divorced woman, single mother and hearing loss advocate (supporting the needs of her son who has permanent hearing loss), she has chosen to dark into light in her own life, embrace challenges as lessons, and forever change the narrative of her future and that of her family. In her first book, I Am Light, Lisa openly shares stories from her path about finding her own light as an opportunity to educate and help others to do the same for themselves. Learn more about Lisa’s service offerings, retreats, workshops, events and more at lisaannese.com or on Instagram @ lisaannese.

Michele Marason

Michele Marason is a sound healing practitioner, energy worker, and founder of Maratash Vibrations, a holistic wellness practice based in Oradell, New Jersey. Through sound baths, private healing sessions, meditation, and intentional wellness experiences/retreats, Michele creates supportive spaces for relaxation, energetic balance, and self-discovery. Her healing journey began in 2010 when her young daughter was diagnosed with a rare and very serious illness. During that time, Michele was introduced to energy healing and experienced firsthand its profound impact on her daughter and family. What began as a search for support became a transformative spiritual awakening that inspired her path as an energy and sound practitioner. In 2025, while navigating both a breast cancer diagnosis and a corporate restructuring, Michele felt called more deeply toward her soul’s purpose and founded Maratash Vibrations to help others reconnect, or more deeply connect, with themselves through sound, energy, intention, meditation and self-love. Michele’s training includes Jikiden Reiki, The Silva Method, Tibetan Singing Bowls, Crystal Singing Bowls, Tuning Forks, Gong and Sound Meditation Training, Crystal Healing Practices and hospice/end-of-life caregiving. Learn more at Maratash Vibrations or on Instagram at @maratashvibrations.

Details of this retreat

Join Lisa Annese and Michele Marason for a weekend of deep reflection, surrender and a safe sanctuary to hibernate as 2026 comes to completion. Through Tibetan sound healing, mantra, meditation, yoga and sacred ceremony, participants will be guided to honor with gratitude the journey lived thus far and plant blessings of intention as our journey evolves into 2027. Throughout the weekend, Tibetan singing bowls, gongs, tuning forks, mantra practices, and vibrational sound healing will help restore harmony, balance and clear the chakras and energetic blocks allowing our intentions to flow naturally. We will hibernate with deeper intention and self-awareness, remembering who we are and our purpose. Guided by the path of spirit and love, we will plant seeds in your heart to receive abundant blessings for the new year. The retreat will also include Kundalini yoga, meditation, a cacao ceremony, intention setting, affirmations and free time to enjoy the grounds at Menla, creating a sacred space for reflection, release, and deep connection with yourself and the participants sharing this experience.

“Hibernation is not disappearing. It is preparing." - Unknown

Schedule:

Friday, December 11

3 - 6 pm Guest Check In
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9:30 pm Opening Circle and New Moon Sound Bath Meditation with Cacao (Yoga Studio)

Saturday, December 12

7:15 - 7:45 am Early Morning Mantra Practice (Yoga Studio)
8 - 9 am Breakfast

9:30 - 10:30 am Kundalini Yoga, Meditation & Gong Bath

10:30 - 11 am Intention Setting Meditation & Journal Exercise

11 am - 12:15 pm Vision Board Creation
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 6 pm Free Time(Private Treatments with Lisa and Michele, Spa Treatments, Garden, Reading, Hiking, Explore Menla)
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9:30 pm Group Discussion & Sound Bath Meditation (Yoga Studio)
7:30 - 9:30 pm Tea Ceremony after Sound Bath Meditation

Sunday, December 13

7 - 11 am Check-out of Rooms
7:15 - 7:45 am Early Morning Mantra Practice (Yoga Studio)
8 - 9 am Breakfast

9:30 - 11:30 am Chakra Balancing Meditation with Sound Healing

11:30 am - 12:30 pm Closing Circle & Affirmations
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
12:30 - 2 pm Free Time / Departure

*Please note this schedule is subject to change.

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.

Commuter

Commuters Menla Encourages Members of the Community to Participate in Our Wonderful Programs! Includes Meals, Public Phone, Public Computer, and Wi-Fi Internet Available in Lhasa Inn. Accommodations Fee Includes All Meals.

Customer Reviews

4.81 out of 5.0 average rating

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.

Robert • Oct 22, 2026

5.0

Verified

Beautiful & Restful

Menla is quiet, beautiful and restful. The staff are warm and on their task - calm, focused and helpful, in the background, making it all happen in their caring, focused way. It’s a gorgeous valley location with walking paths between buildings. Facilities are elegantly simple and well designed. Food is tasty, plentiful and simple. Highly recommend.

Connie • Oct 21, 2026

5.0

Verified

Extraordinary

I have been hosting retreats at Menla for five years, and I am already planning next year’s.

As a retreat leader, I feel completely cared for here. My needs are met, and so are the needs of every woman I bring. That care allows me to give my whole attention to what I am here to do: holding the space, the ritual, and the women who come.

Menla has become a true home for this work. I am deeply grateful, and I look forward to returning year after year.

The Great Sound Escape: A Winter Retreat for Hibernation with Sound Healing, Mantra, Meditation, Movement, Intention Setting, and Vision Board Creation

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Lisa Annese

Michele Marason

Details of this retreat

Getting Here