5.0
Verified
return to the heart
I had another wonderful weekend retreat with Irina Devi at Menla - one of my favorite retreat places !
Wake Up Sleepy Buddha: The Buddhist Path in Practice
Cameron's Staff Pick
Top Rated
Wake Up Sleepy Buddha: The Buddhist Path in Practice
4.8056 reviews
375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States
February 4 - 7, 2027
About this Retreat
Your Guides
Noel Coakley has over 30 years of experience as a dharma teacher and practitioner, primarily as a student of Yungdrung Bön and Tibetan Buddhist and lineages.
For the past 14 years, he has worked as a licensed psychotherapist, specializing in integrating contemplative practice with Western psychology.
Noel’s work focuses on making authentic Buddhist practices accessible without diluting their depth, creating a welcoming entry point for those who feel called to practice but unsure where to begin beyond mindfulness.
His teaching style blends:
- Traditional Buddhist and Yungdrung Bön perspectives
- Trauma-informed Western psychology
- Direct, experiential meditation instruction
- Plainspoken, relational language
Details of this retreat
This retreat introduces core Buddhist practices beyond mindfulness in a way that is accessible, experiential, and rooted in traditional wisdom. It is welcome to both newer meditators and those with an established practiced who are looking for a clear orientation or refresher.
The retreat offers a grounded, experiential introduction to the broader Buddhist path, emphasizing direct practice, integration into daily life, and trust in our innate capacity for awareness and compassion - our buddha nature. Rather than focusing on doctrine, scholarship, or religious identity, the teaching remain rooted in traditional sources while meeting the realities of contemporary life.
Participants will explore a survey of integrated practices drawn from across the Buddhist spectrum, including contemplation, concentration, compassion, and insight. These practices are presented in contemporary language while honoring their traditional roots and interrelationship.
This retreat offers a clear, grounded bridge between introductory mindfulness and the living heart of Buddhist practice.
This retreat is well-suited for meditators, therapists, helpers, and anyone seeking depth without dogma, and a clear bridge between mindfulness and the living heart of Buddhist practice.
Schedule:
Thursday, February 4
3 - 6 pm Arrival & Check In
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Welcome Session -Brief overview of Buddhist Path
Motivation/Intention & Precious Opportunity Contemplations
Discussion and direct practice
Dedication of Merit discussion
Friday, February 5
7 - 7:30 am Optional Early Practice Session: Introduction to Tsa Lung Trulkhor (optional morning practice)
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am -12 pm - Morning Session: Elaborate overview of Buddhist Path and Practices
Introduction of Refuge, Generating Bodhicitta
Introduce concept of Unconditional Love via cross section of Modern Attachment
12:30 -1:30 pm Lunch
2 - 5:30 pm - Afternoon Session: Basic Mindfulness
Advances Concentration through the Stages of Asanga’s Elephant Path
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm - Evening Session: Introduction of Tantric Visualization Practices
Introduction of Guru Yoga & direct practice
Saturday, February 6
7 - 7:30 am Optional Early Practice Session: Tsa Lung Trulkhor Practice Session (optional morning practice)
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am -12 pm - Morning Session: Introduction of Emptiness/Insight Practices
Contemplations Meditations
Emptiness of Self Direct Investigation Practice
Revisit Mindfulness
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
2 - 5:30 pm - Afternoon Session: Emptiness of Thought
Emptiness of Sensory Experiences
Emptiness of Emotional Experiences
Practicing Mindfulness with the Field of Awareness itself as the object)
All phenomena as empty practice
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm - Evening Session: Revisit afternoon insight practices
Sunday, February 7
7 - 7:30 am Optional Early Practice Session
Tsa Lung Trulkhor Practice Session (optional morning practice)
7 - 11 am Check out of rooms
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am -12 pm - Closing Session: Review of program
Bringing all practices together
Program closing
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch & Departure
*Please note this schedule is subject to change.
The retreat offers a grounded, experiential introduction to the broader Buddhist path, emphasizing direct practice, integration into daily life, and trust in our innate capacity for awareness and compassion - our buddha nature. Rather than focusing on doctrine, scholarship, or religious identity, the teaching remain rooted in traditional sources while meeting the realities of contemporary life.
Participants will explore a survey of integrated practices drawn from across the Buddhist spectrum, including contemplation, concentration, compassion, and insight. These practices are presented in contemporary language while honoring their traditional roots and interrelationship.
This retreat offers a clear, grounded bridge between introductory mindfulness and the living heart of Buddhist practice.
This retreat is well-suited for meditators, therapists, helpers, and anyone seeking depth without dogma, and a clear bridge between mindfulness and the living heart of Buddhist practice.
Schedule:
Thursday, February 4
3 - 6 pm Arrival & Check In
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm Welcome Session -Brief overview of Buddhist Path
Motivation/Intention & Precious Opportunity Contemplations
Discussion and direct practice
Dedication of Merit discussion
Friday, February 5
7 - 7:30 am Optional Early Practice Session: Introduction to Tsa Lung Trulkhor (optional morning practice)
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am -12 pm - Morning Session: Elaborate overview of Buddhist Path and Practices
Introduction of Refuge, Generating Bodhicitta
Introduce concept of Unconditional Love via cross section of Modern Attachment
12:30 -1:30 pm Lunch
2 - 5:30 pm - Afternoon Session: Basic Mindfulness
Advances Concentration through the Stages of Asanga’s Elephant Path
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm - Evening Session: Introduction of Tantric Visualization Practices
Introduction of Guru Yoga & direct practice
Saturday, February 6
7 - 7:30 am Optional Early Practice Session: Tsa Lung Trulkhor Practice Session (optional morning practice)
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am -12 pm - Morning Session: Introduction of Emptiness/Insight Practices
Contemplations Meditations
Emptiness of Self Direct Investigation Practice
Revisit Mindfulness
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
2 - 5:30 pm - Afternoon Session: Emptiness of Thought
Emptiness of Sensory Experiences
Emptiness of Emotional Experiences
Practicing Mindfulness with the Field of Awareness itself as the object)
All phenomena as empty practice
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9 pm - Evening Session: Revisit afternoon insight practices
Sunday, February 7
7 - 7:30 am Optional Early Practice Session
Tsa Lung Trulkhor Practice Session (optional morning practice)
7 - 11 am Check out of rooms
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am -12 pm - Closing Session: Review of program
Bringing all practices together
Program closing
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch & 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
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
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.
