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 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
Please follow this link for registration and an interview.
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.
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
4.85 out of 5.0 average rating
5.0
Verified
A Great Retreat Experience
The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The grounds are so tranquil and beautiful and the facilities were very clean. My only suggestion for improvement is to provide a more private dressing area after taking a shower.
Many of the attendees I spoke with felt the same way. Thank you!
5.0
Verified
Quiet, peaceful, relaxing and rejuvenating
Menla is a wonderful location to attend a retreat or create your own retreat. The forest location is rejuvenating all on its own, but then you add in the delicious food, kind staff, and relaxing bedrooms, and you certainly can find yourself unwinding. I signed up for a yoga retreat, not knowing the instructors or anyone in the class. Most attendees in my retreat were already friends or followers of the instructors, but that didn't affect the quality of the experience for me. You can be a solo retreatant and have an amazing experience there. I also was concerned about the shared bathroom experience as the rooms with private baths were all sold out, but it was never an issue and the bathrooms were pristine. Lastly, I also scheduled spa services and found the practitioner to be very skilled and professional. The spa is a lovely place to spend the day drinking tea, reading books, lounging, and enjoying the small sauna areas. The 10-headed shower was delightful! If you are looking for a beautiful and natural setting, Menla is the perfect place to go!
5.0
Verified
A wonderful week
A magical time in the Catskills! The grounds were stunning, the facilities were great and the food was very, very good. Also, the staff were friendly and helpful. I loved my time there. The only disappointment was the spa, in that I had two appointments cancelled. I understand that staffing issues happen but I felt the level of service was not comparable to the rest of the facility although I did go on a guided hike and it was great.
5.0
Verified
ASKing age for roombooking
I was there with a retreat. When booking, it asks for my age and my preference (female or male) for my bathroommate, since I am in a single room and share a bathroom with another person. I chose to share with a female. First, I shared the bathroom with a couple. I didn't realize I would be sharing my bathroom with two other people, and that one of them would be male. At one point, as I was leaving the bathroom, I accidentally ran right into the male with just a towel on. Because of personal reasons, this was very challenging . Second, asking for a person's age when booking a room should be optional, or not asked at all. I can see that I was profiled and was in housing with people around my age and order. This could have been totally by coincidence.
Overall, I found the property and the experience to be wonderful. All the staff are truly loving and caring. Thank you!
5.0
Verified
Amazingly tranquil space for a retreat with great amenities
Just got home from another amazing retreat at Menla.
The lecture hall is such a great space and the audio / visual people do such an amazing job of stage managing the room with multiple cameras and mics that it makes for a great educational tool to be able to go back to such a well produced recording after. The room is large, with comfortable seating and environment.
The food in the dining hall in the Main Inn building is vegetarian and is awesome, even for omnivores like myself - didn't miss the meat at all for the week.
My room this time was in the same building as the lecture hall and was very nicely done and comfortable with an armoire, queen bed, desk and chair. My previous room had a sink and mirror, this one did not. But that was fine. Previous room in another building shared a bathroom with one other room, this one shared a bathroom with 10 other rooms, but it was a multi person bathroom with two shower stalls, two sinks and one toilet stall for men. So with a mix of genders in the rooms, you only share with about half the rooms. It worked out well. Finally, I used the recommended car service to go to and from the resort and it worked out great. The only issue with that is that the roads around campus are gravel and so if you get dropped at the Inn and walk to the Convention Center like I did with a roller bag, that can be a longish, bumpy walk while most people would be driving. No biggie, just something to keep in mind.
The spa is also amazing. The retreat I was at gave you ample free time to explore the resort and surrounding areas for hikes, etc. I got two awesome massages and the steam room and sauna in the men's room were very nice along with an automated shower that had several massage settings to choose from as well.
All in all, a great educational experience at Menla with one of my favorite Buddhist teachers, with great accommodations, great food, and great people in a beautiful setting in the Catskill Mountains of New York.
Select your options
Available Dates
November 19 - 22, 2026
Select a Room
Economy Premium Single - Shared Bath
$848.00
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
$737.00
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)
$707.00
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
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