T
he narrow winding road takes you
high above the town of Cornwall-
on-Hudson under the shadow of tall
trees and protected by the massive Storm King
Mountain. During the climb, the world grows
small and insignificant—even cell phones lose
service.
Soon you’ll spot the simple wooden sign
at number 119 Duncan Lane that reads, “The
Grail”—a retreat house on 43 country acres.
There are no phones or television, only woods,
greenery and comforting silence. As Grail
Retreat Center manager Simonetta Romano
will warmly greet you and walk you around the
grounds, it will become clear that stepping back
from our demands of daily life and all the beeps
and tweets that come with it is so important.
“A retreat is an opportunity to re-focus our energy and attention on ourselves,”
Simonetta says, “A spiritual retreat offers the opportunity to focus on and nourish
the part of ourselves that is longing and searching for meaning and purpose, as
well as God, the divine, the transcendent or whatever name we give to the higher
consciousness.”
Retreats can take many forms, including a solitary time spent in true quiet
reflection with no people and no staff to interrupt. Or, they can include workshops in
yoga, meditation, prayer or creating works of art, drawing, painting or even flying on a
trapeze. “There are as many ways of structuring a retreat as there are spiritual
paths,” Simonetta explains. “What we can get out of it depends on
what we are looking for and how much we are willing to engage
ourselves in the journey that is presented to us.”
Across the river and a little further north, is The Omega
Institute, a sprawling 195 acre oasis that media relations
manager Chrissa Pullicino describes as “a place where
people from all walks of life come for reasons big
and small: simple rest and relaxation, to process a life-
(continued on next page)
Photo:
Courtesy of
o
mega Institute for
Previous page: The Grail Mansion in
h
olistic Studies
Cornwall-on-Hudson
Above: Inside the Hermitage at The Grail
Left: Cottages at The Omega Institute
www.tricountywoman.com I 9
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