5.0
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return to the heart
I had another wonderful weekend retreat with Irina Devi at Menla - one of my favorite retreat places !
The Myth and Mystery of Sacred Geometry and the Healing Nature of Mandalas: A Holotropic Breathwork Workshop
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The Myth and Mystery of Sacred Geometry and the Healing Nature of Mandalas: A Holotropic Breathwork Workshop
4.8056 reviews
375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States
April 4 - 8, 2027
About this Retreat
Dr. Laurane McGlynn, PsyD is a clinical psychologist who integrates mind/body medicine, psychotherapy, mindfulness, meditation, Holotropic Breathwork, nature- based practices and functional medicine to support healing and transformation. She holds doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy and Masters degrees in Counseling Psychology and Child and Adolescent Therapy.
Dr, McGlynn has devoted the past 25 years to working as a clinical psychologist, helping and supporting others who have been managing psychological and medical issues. She specializes in working with individuals with trauma, chronic medical illnesses and cancer but her work spans the whole spectrum of human experience.
She has advanced training and certifications in mindfulness-based stress reduction, somatic resourcing, Vipassana meditation, Family Systems Therapy, Past-Life Regression and Health Psychology. In 2025, she completed training in Mind/Body medicine from Harvard Medical School. In addition, she is currently enrolled in a Masters program in Integrative Medicine.
Laurane has earned licensure as a psychologist in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. She is the Director of the A Healing Space - A Center for Integrative Medicine and Wellness in Pennsylvania. She was certified as a Holotropic Breathwork® facilitator in 2015. Laurane received her Holotropic Breathwork training directly from Stan Grof, MD and the late Tav Sparks, former Director of Grof Transpersonal Training. Her work is heart-centered, compassionate, intuitive and empowering.
Dr. McGlynn offers Holotropic Breathwork workshops throughout the United States and Canada to private groups. organizations, educational institutions, spiritual and religious groups, medical schools, psychedelic-assisted therapy program. Publications: Opening Inward: A Collection of poetry from the Inner World of Holotropic Breathwork Paperback – May 3, 2018. Available through Amazon.com.
www.drlauranemcglynn.com
Geoff Fitzpatrick is a certified Holotropic Breathwork facilitator and guest teacher with Grof Transpersonal Training. He has studied psychology in Trinity College Dublin, and is a Graduate of the Milltown Institute of Theology where he studied spiritual enrichment.
Geoff was introduced to Mandalas while studying the pioneering work of Carl G Jung and has spent the past 20 years exploring the intersection of geometry, spirituality and psychology through these symbols. Working with Mandalas has opened Geoff to the profound power Sacred Geometry possesses to influence states of consciousness. He has an active interest in modern consciousness research.
Geoff has been constructing mandalas for 10 years and is driven to promote the transformative potential of these sacred circles. Geoff has hosted over 50 MandalaNature© in-person workshops over the last decade in Ireland. The
construction of sacred sand mandalas during Geoff’s Mandalanature© sessions opens people to a deeper aspect of themselves by blending creativity, geometry, and mindfulness in a unique and special way.
https://sacredgeometryacademy.com/geoff-fitzpatrick
Sarah Hirigoyen, MA is a Holotropic Breathwork® facilitator. Sarah was educated in Paris and London. She received a BSc. in Psychology from City University in London and an MA in Psychotherapy. She has always been fascinated in people and has enjoyed devoting her whole working life to understanding them deeper and better.
Sarah worked in severe mental health and then went on to train in Integrative Psychotherapy, receiving UKCP and BACP accreditation. While working as a therapist she became curious in the enormous healing power of breathwork and expanded states of consciousness. She received her certification as a Holotropic Breathwork facilitator in 2015, and has since then been offering her own workshops with her wonderful spiritual friend Geoff Fitzpatrick. Sarah loves the idea of healing in community and creating a safe space within which healing happens. She hugely credits Holotropic Breathwork and the breathwork community for the breakthroughs and massive upgrades in her life, so it only feels right to bring it to other like-minded people. Sarah has a particular interest in neurodiversity.
Details of this retreat
This workshop will explore how Holotropic Breathwork®, Sacred Geometry and creating a sand mandala can facilitate healing, our desire for transcendence, wholeness and connection to our Divine Nature.
You are invited to join us to experience the remarkable healing potential and therapeutic benefits of Holotropic Breathwork®, a powerful breathwork practice that allows for self-exploration, transformation and healing. With eyes closed and lying on a mat, you will use your own breath and the music in the room to enter an expanded state of consciousness. This state activates the natural inner healing potential of the breather, or “inner healer”, which guides the experience.
Holotropic Breathwork is a tool for bringing unconscious material into conscious awareness. It can serve as a portal into the unconscious, allowing participants to access, process, and release unprocessed memories, trauma, and repressed emotions. For centuries, and across many cultures, expanded states of consciousness have been used as a tool for transformation and healing.
The therapeutic benefits of Holotropic Breathwork® can include release and healing of trauma and grief, improving anxiety and depression, supporting recovery from addiction, higher insights of spiritual understanding, increased connection to self and others, and opening to compassion and love.
In this workshop, you will also have the rare opportunity to explore the Myth and Mystery of Sacred Geometry and participate in the transformative experience of creating a group sand mandala under the guidance of our dynamic Sacred Geometry teacher and Holotropic Breathwork facilitator from Ireland, Geoff Fitzpatrick. Our highly trained and experienced team of clinical psychologist Dr. Laurane McGlynn and psychotherapist and trauma specialist, Sarah Hirigoyen from England, will support and guide you on your Holotropic journey of self-discovery and healing.
In this double breathwork workshop, each person will experience four Holotropic Breathwork® sessions (two as a breather/two as a sitter), an introductory talk on Holotropic Breathwork, an interactive presentation on sacred geometry and the process of creating sand mandalas, creation of a group sand mandala, sound healing session, sharing circles, mandala drawing, an evening dance celebration and a closing healing ritual and ceremony with the sand mandala.
This workshop is open to new breathers, experienced breathers or anyone interested in Holotropic Breathwork, Sacred Geometry or the healing nature of mandalas. To register, please email drmcglynn6@gmail.com
*Contraindications: pregnancy, serious heart conditions, epilepsy, glaucoma, retinal detachment, history of severe mental or emotional disorders, acute infectious disease, and recent injury or surgery.
Schedule:
Sunday, April 4
3 pm Check-in begins
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:15 - 8 pm Opening Circle
8 - 9:30 pm Talk: Introduction to Holotropic Breathwork
Monday, April 5
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:15 am - 12:30 pm Holotropic Breathwork #1 - Please arrive by 9
1 - 2 pm Lunch
2:15 - 5:30 pm Holotropic Breathwork #2
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:15 - 8:45 pm Sharing Circle
8:45 - 9:15 pm Sound Healing Session
Tuesday, April 6 – Mandala Day
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9 am - 12 pm Introduction to Sacred Geometry talk, The Mandala Nature Process, Preparation for the Journey
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 2:00 pm Free Time
2:15 - 5:30 pm Creation of Group Sand Mandala
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Mandala Meditation with Screen Presentation/ Sharing Circle
Wednesday, April 7
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:15 am - 12:30 pm Holotropic Breathwork #3 – Please arrive by 9
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
2: 15 - 5:30 pm Holotropic Breathwork #4
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:15 - 9 pm Sharing Circle
9 - 9:45 pm Dance Celebration
Thursday, April 8
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9 - 9:45 am Integration Talk
10 - 11 am Closing Ceremony with Sand Mandala
11:15 am - 12 pm Closing Circle
12:30 -1:30 pm Lunch
2 pm Departure
*Please note this schedule is subject to change.
You are invited to join us to experience the remarkable healing potential and therapeutic benefits of Holotropic Breathwork®, a powerful breathwork practice that allows for self-exploration, transformation and healing. With eyes closed and lying on a mat, you will use your own breath and the music in the room to enter an expanded state of consciousness. This state activates the natural inner healing potential of the breather, or “inner healer”, which guides the experience.
Holotropic Breathwork is a tool for bringing unconscious material into conscious awareness. It can serve as a portal into the unconscious, allowing participants to access, process, and release unprocessed memories, trauma, and repressed emotions. For centuries, and across many cultures, expanded states of consciousness have been used as a tool for transformation and healing.
The therapeutic benefits of Holotropic Breathwork® can include release and healing of trauma and grief, improving anxiety and depression, supporting recovery from addiction, higher insights of spiritual understanding, increased connection to self and others, and opening to compassion and love.
In this workshop, you will also have the rare opportunity to explore the Myth and Mystery of Sacred Geometry and participate in the transformative experience of creating a group sand mandala under the guidance of our dynamic Sacred Geometry teacher and Holotropic Breathwork facilitator from Ireland, Geoff Fitzpatrick. Our highly trained and experienced team of clinical psychologist Dr. Laurane McGlynn and psychotherapist and trauma specialist, Sarah Hirigoyen from England, will support and guide you on your Holotropic journey of self-discovery and healing.
In this double breathwork workshop, each person will experience four Holotropic Breathwork® sessions (two as a breather/two as a sitter), an introductory talk on Holotropic Breathwork, an interactive presentation on sacred geometry and the process of creating sand mandalas, creation of a group sand mandala, sound healing session, sharing circles, mandala drawing, an evening dance celebration and a closing healing ritual and ceremony with the sand mandala.
This workshop is open to new breathers, experienced breathers or anyone interested in Holotropic Breathwork, Sacred Geometry or the healing nature of mandalas. To register, please email drmcglynn6@gmail.com
*Contraindications: pregnancy, serious heart conditions, epilepsy, glaucoma, retinal detachment, history of severe mental or emotional disorders, acute infectious disease, and recent injury or surgery.
Schedule:
Sunday, April 4
3 pm Check-in begins
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:15 - 8 pm Opening Circle
8 - 9:30 pm Talk: Introduction to Holotropic Breathwork
Monday, April 5
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:15 am - 12:30 pm Holotropic Breathwork #1 - Please arrive by 9
1 - 2 pm Lunch
2:15 - 5:30 pm Holotropic Breathwork #2
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:15 - 8:45 pm Sharing Circle
8:45 - 9:15 pm Sound Healing Session
Tuesday, April 6 – Mandala Day
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9 am - 12 pm Introduction to Sacred Geometry talk, The Mandala Nature Process, Preparation for the Journey
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 2:00 pm Free Time
2:15 - 5:30 pm Creation of Group Sand Mandala
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Mandala Meditation with Screen Presentation/ Sharing Circle
Wednesday, April 7
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:15 am - 12:30 pm Holotropic Breathwork #3 – Please arrive by 9
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
2: 15 - 5:30 pm Holotropic Breathwork #4
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:15 - 9 pm Sharing Circle
9 - 9:45 pm Dance Celebration
Thursday, April 8
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9 - 9:45 am Integration Talk
10 - 11 am Closing Ceremony with Sand Mandala
11:15 am - 12 pm Closing Circle
12:30 -1:30 pm Lunch
2 pm 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 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
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
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
Verified
5.0
Verified
Impeccable kitchen...beautiful surroundings
The lovely girl who cleaned my room, Amy, literally MADE my entire trip. She was so kind.
The scenery is magnificent, the landscape supreme, the food was AMAZING, cleanliness was top notch.
Everybody at Menla was extremely helpful and nice, with the exception of one person who shall remain nameless.
The scenery is magnificent, the landscape supreme, the food was AMAZING, cleanliness was top notch.
Everybody at Menla was extremely helpful and nice, with the exception of one person who shall remain nameless.
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!
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.
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.
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