(sPIrItUal retreats, continued from previous page)
changing experience or plan for one. People who take
part in the Omega experience leave feeling rejuvenated,
enriched and better prepared to return to the rigors of
everyday life.”
Omega’s mission is two-fold: to spread the idea of
community and promote wellness and personal growth.
The list of offered workshops seems endless and the
catalog of upcoming offerings runs well over 100
pages. While the Grail and Omega differ in size, both
international organizations attract people from around
the globe while also placing emphasis on women
studies. The Grail conducts programs in conjunction
with the Women’s Institute for Social Transformation
and Omega promotes women’s wisdom in special
workshops that feature facilitators like Gloria Steinham
and Maya Angelou.
Nurturing Spirit, mind, Body and Purse
Pampering the body can also be a part of the retreat
experience.
“You can…come to simply rest and relax and
perhaps enjoy a wide-range of services that benefit overall
wellbeing,” Chrissa says of Omega’s Wellness Center
offerings, which include massage, holistic treatments,
body therapies and skin care. “Our guests are nourished
on all levels, from eating nutritious, wholesome foods, to
experiencing a truly supportive community.”
Since accommodations are usually sparse, area retreat
spaces tend to offer plans to fit most budgets, Choose
from camping out, dormitory style, or a guesthouse.
There are single person cabins and rooms as well. Meal
plans may or may not be included. For instance, at the
Grail, no meals are provided, but there’s a full kitchen,
or guests can drive into town to try a local restaurant.
The Omega has a large dining hall, a kitchen staff to
cook up the vegetarian offerings, with considerations
made for those with special dietary needs.
Best of all, taking a spiritual retreat doesn’t mean
that the fun ends when the retreat is over.
“After the retreat, in our everyday life, we need to
find ways of ‘retreating’ as often as we can,” Simonetta
says. “A spiritual practice—prayer, meditation,
contemplation but also creating art or gardening or any
other activity we love and we can do mindfully—is a
great help for re-centering ourselves on who we really
are and what is really important to do and achieve in
our life. In other words, in the same way we feed the
body, if we want to keep it as healthy as possible, we
have to remember to feed the soul as often as we can.”
Here are just a few of the area retreat centers in and
around the Orange, Ulster and Dutchess counties:
10 I Tri-County Woman July/August 2009
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