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The Intimacy Project: A Three-Retreat Journey with Emergence

Name: The Intimacy Project: A Three-Retreat Journey with Emergence
Start: 2026-11-19
End: 2026-11-22
Location: Menla
Rating: 4.82

4.8260 reviews

375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States

November 19 - 22, 2026

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Melissa

Sanjay

Melissa Kaplan

Melissa Kaplan, MPA, AACEP, is a somatic practitioner and spiritual activist. She is a Senior Faculty member at the Institute of Core Energetics and Embodied Relationship Mentor based in New York City and Upstate New York. In her private practice with individuals, couples and groups, she believes that eros is the awakening force that transforms our defenses, our negative beliefs, distorted feelings, and disconnection from animism. Her group work is emergent, relational and emphasizes intimacy across difference. She works with trauma that is held in the body in order to increase our capacity for pleasure and ground in our true selves so that we may step into our most expansive and rooted emotional leadership. She teaches self-intimacy through body, spirit, emotion, and connection to land. Melissa is an alumna of Harvard Business School with a focus on Executive Leadership and holds a master’s degree in Public Administration. Melissa was an international CEO for more than a decade and brings her extensive cross-cultural experience into her practice. She is an author and graduate of the Orphan Wisdom School.

Sanjay K. Evran

Sanjay is Armenian, born and raised in Toronto, Canada, and currently lives in the Hudson Valley, New York. He is a Somatic Therapist in private practice since 2016. Trained in Bioenergetics and Core Energetics, both body-based psychotherapy modalities. He also trained at the Radical Aliveness Institute, which specializes in systemic complexity and group work. He is currently an Associate Faculty member and serves on the Ethics Committee at the Institute of Core Energetics in New York. He teaches internationally as a Junior Faculty Member at the Netherlands Institute of Core Energetics.

Details of this retreat

Intimacy on all levels — with self, with others, with all beings

Sanjay and Melissa are launching the next level of their Emergence Group: The Intimacy Project. Three residential intensives in the Hudson Valley, NY, over a period of seven months. One committed group of humans who want to go deep into themselves, and with each other. Small group practices in between retreats to deepen the work and the connection between group members.

Intimacy = in-to-me-see. In our modern culture, the word intimacy is often associated with a romantic situation or couple. Sanjay and Melissa are using this word differently. To them, intimacy is the proximity you have in any given moment with your present-moment experience — with yourself, with any other person, and with the world that surrounds us. This is what they intend to cultivate, with a group of willing humans who want to know themselves and break through their own self-imposed barriers.

Returning again and again as a circle builds the trust needed to go to places unknown — exactly where something more true begins to emerge. As leaders, Sanjay and Melissa bring specific themes for the group to explore, staying responsive to where the group's own intelligence wants to go.

The group will draw on a rich toolkit to guide this exploration — Core Energetics, Radical Aliveness, Bioenergetics, Family Constellations, and Circling. Each modality offers its own doorway into presence: some work through the body, some through direct relational encounter, some through the ancestral patterns we carry from our families of origin. Together, they offer a full-spectrum practice for meeting what's real.

Please follow this link for registration and an interview.

Schedule:

Thursday, November 19

3 - 6 pm Arrival, Check-In, and Registration
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7 - 9 pm Opening Session

Friday, November 20

8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Morning Session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
2 - 5:30 pm Afternoon Session
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7 - 9 pm Participant Led Evening Activities (Optional)

Saturday, November 21

8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Morning Session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
2 - 5:30 pm Afternoon Session
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7 - 9 pm Participant Led Evening Activities (Optional)

Sunday, November 22

7 - 11 am Check-Out of Rooms
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Morning Session
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
2 - 4 pm Final Session and Departure

*Please note this schedule is subject to change.

Getting Here

Menla, 375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States

Accommodation

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.

Standard Double Twin - Shared bath (Shared Room)

Deluxe Double Room with Two Twin 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.

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.

Economy Single - Shared Bath

Standard Single Room with a Twin Bed and Shared Bathroom Bathroom is Shared with One to Six Other Guests on Your Floor. A phone is not available but high-speed WiFi is available in the room Phone Access Available in Nearby Conference Center and also Lhasa in Business Center. All calls are free of charge. This Lodging Type is not ADA Compliant. * Please note rates include meals and accommodations.

Economy Double - Shared Bath (Shared Room)

Standard Double with Twin Beds and Shared Bathroom The bathroom is Shared with other rooms on the same floor. High-speed Wi-Fi is available in the room. Phone Access Available in Nearby Conference Center and also Lhasa in Business Center. All calls are free of charge. This Lodging Type is not ADA Compliant. * Please note that rates include meals and accommodations * Please note: this is an open door policy room, meaning there are no keys to lock the door (we have lockers you can use at Lhasa if needed) * This booking is for one bed in a double shared room: We May Assign You Roommates if You Do Not Register with others

Customer Reviews

4.82 out of 5.0 average rating

Dr. • Aug 03, 2026

5.0

Verified

This place, this space, this experience

I am a man of the ear,th my love for this amazing planet and our connection to her is without lines, borders, walls. I am so pleased to experience the beautiful space that is Menla. Equally as beautiful is the staff that serviced our work.

Anonymous • Jul 29, 2026

5.0

Verified

Amazing weekend in Catskills

Truly a magical and relaxing place. staff was very lovely, and food was very delicious and soulful. truly surpassed my expectations, and we came back very calm and relaxed.

Andrei • Jul 29, 2026

5.0

Verified

Amazing experience!

I had the opportunity to spend last weekend at Menla, and it was truly an incredible experience. From the moment I arrived, I felt welcomed and cared for. The staff and facilitators were kind, professional, and genuinely dedicated to creating a peaceful and supportive environment.

The location is absolutely beautiful, surrounded by nature, making it the perfect place to disconnect from everyday stress and reconnect with yourself. The accommodations were comfortable, the food was EXCELLENT , and every detail seemed thoughtfully planned.

Everyone I met,from the staff to the other guests,helped create a warm and uplifting atmosphere. I left feeling refreshed, inspired, and grateful for the experience.

I highly recommend Menla to anyone looking for a place to relax, reflect, heal, and reconnect. Thank you to everyone who made this weekend so memorable. I can’t wait to come back!

Anonymous • Jul 22, 2026

5.0

Verified

Living magic

The land, people and community, nature, food, dance, breath work, spa , and so much more! I can’t believe I get to be alive and experience magic and peace like this in these chaotic moments in the world.

Janet • Jul 08, 2026

5.0

Verified

return to the heart

I had another wonderful weekend retreat with Irina Devi at Menla - one of my favorite retreat places !

The Intimacy Project: A Three-Retreat Journey with Emergence

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Melissa Kaplan

Sanjay K. Evran

Details of this retreat

Getting Here

Accommodation

Standard Double Full - Shared bath (Shared Room)

Standard Double Twin - Shared bath (Shared Room)

Economy Premium Single - Shared Bath

Economy Single - Shared Bath

Economy Double - Shared Bath (Shared Room)

This place, this space, this experience

Amazing weekend in Catskills

Amazing experience!

Living magic

return to the heart

Standard Double Full - Shared bath (Shared Room)

Standard Double Twin - Shared bath (Shared Room)

Economy Premium Single - Shared Bath

Economy Single - Shared Bath

Economy Double - Shared Bath (Shared Room)

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