Cameron's Staff Pick

Rooted and Free: Iyengar Yoga for the Body and Mind

Name: Rooted and Free: Iyengar Yoga for the Body and Mind
Start: 2026-04-09
End: 2026-04-12
Location: Menla
Rating: 4.8

4.805 reviews

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

April 9 - 12, 2026

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Jessica

Details of this retreat

Join Jessica for a four day Iyengar Yoga retreat.

This retreat offers sessions to nourish many levels of our being from the powerfully physical to the quiet space within. Each yoga asana session will build upon the previous session logically and sequentially. Each evening has an optional session to quieten your mind for the night. In between, Menla offers a magical array of mountain walks, nourishing food, supportive company, and the quietness of your own self care.

Spring is where our roots bring up new shoots in the form of new possibilities, new learning, new understandings, into a new season of life. Iyengar Yoga uses yoga postures (asana), breath practices (pranayama) and meditations to cultivate our self awareness and discover our roots - our place on this earth. Iyengar Yoga gives actions we can use in our postures. These actions are our “roots” of understanding ourselves as they bring awareness to how the body and mind connect. Self awareness creates a fundamental change in our ways of thinking and being and helps us orient our thoughts to come from a different place with less stress, and more present-ness. Through practice, our roots of self awareness become stable and strong, we are able to grow, with a special kind of freedom that comes from knowing where we are - our place in space, so we can breathe more freely into the wider space that exists around us.

Jessica is a senior level Iyengar Yoga teacher with 27 years of teaching experience. She teaches in the Hudson Valley, in the North East, and abroad in the UK and Europe. Jessica works with methodical detail that builds awareness of movement and form. Her classes are playful, challenging, and healing. She is well practiced in Iyengar Yoga therapy as an effective tool to help injuries and other conditions. This is her fifth year hosting a retreat at Menla.

Thursday April 9th

4:30 - 6 pm Welcome and Yoga class
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 8:30 pm Restorative practice (optional)

Friday April 10th

8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Yoga class
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
3:30 - 5:45 pm Yoga class
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 8:30 pm Evening pranayama practice (optional)

Saturday April 11th

8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12pm Yoga class
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
3:30 pm - 5:45pm Yoga class
7:30 - 8:30 pm Meditation (optional)

Sunday April 12th

8 - 9 am Breakfast
9 - 11am Check Out of Rooms
9:30 am - 12 pm Yoga class
12 - 12.30pm Q and A
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch and Departure

*Please note that this schedule is subject to change at any time.

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

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

Jarrett • Oct 22, 2025

5.0

Verified

Invaluable retreat

In the beautiful valley of Menla, Dr James supports learning such profound inner yogas that are honestly priceless. His depth of experience and ability to speak to it is profound and impactful. Every time I’ve learned and trained with James I come off feeling continued inner conviction and confidence. Especially in approaching and navigating the space of difficult emotions. I will continue to train and attend retreats when I can.

Raj • Oct 22, 2025

5.0

Verified

The Reconnection Retreat; Nuturing the soul through the 5 elements of nature

As the retreat leader of this particular retreat I want to express how Divine the setting was. There is a natural levity on the property that can’t be explained , only felt.

All of the thoughtful spaces were just so amazing to hold presence for those magical “ Menla moments” that seem to organically occur there.

The staff is beyond accommodating. The food delighted the senses and nourished our bodies. The housing accommodations felt warm and welcoming like a sweet embrace that lingers in the memories.

I still find my face with a random smile through the days after as my thoughts drift back again and agin to the place called Menla.

Carmelina • Oct 22, 2025

5.0

Verified

Reconnection Retreat

Menla is such a magical place. This retreat weekend was pure magic. Everything from the mountains, the air, the food, the people, the energy felt so grounding and healing. You can literally feel the peace the moment you arrive.

I reconnected with myself in a way I really needed. The sound of the river, the trails, the beautiful spaces… it’s like time slows down there. The rooms were cozy, the food was delicious (and made with so much love), and the whole vibe was just nourishing for the soul.

If you ever get the chance to visit Menla or join a retreat there do it. It’s one of those experiences that stays with you long after you leave. The spirit of Naga the Dragon was with me even before arriving there.

Anonymous • Oct 03, 2023

4.0

Verified

Weekend retreat stay

The property is on a beautiful, peaceful location.
Nature is all around and sometimes a little too close but you are literally surrounded by woods.

The food was really good and I liked the buffet style and fruit basket.

The gift shop although small had a nice selection of items and I purchased a few fun items.

Since the dining area was on the opposite side of the site from the convention center, a lot of students drove back and forth on the property. I chose the walking paths to get around.

Marie • Apr 18, 2022

5.0

Verified

Lovely

I had a fascinating and enlightening experience during an “Energy squared Reiki,” class at Menlo this past week. The grounds, rooms, facilities amenities and spa at Menla were all beautiful, clean, and peaceful. The food was delicious and nourishing. I can say only good things about both Menla and the program I attended, and would wholeheartedly recommend both.

Rooted and Free: Iyengar Yoga for the Body and Mind

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Jessica Becker

Details of this retreat

Getting Here