Retreats Close to Philadelphia for couples, spirituality, meditation

Are you looking for retreats close to Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey for Yoga, Spirituality and Meditation?

The morning Tai Chi by the steamy Lake at The Omega Institute

There the Omega Institute for those looking for retreats close to Philadelphia. The Omega Institute is particularly close to my heart since this is where I met my now-hunky, hottie hubby about 4 years ago. Omega, another non-profit, is located in Rhinebeck, NY, a few hours outside of NYC. Interesting factoid, Rhinebeck is also where Chelsea Clinton got married. Michael and I first met in the cafeteria. I was in a foul mood, not wanting to interact, just wanted to be a recluse and focus on my spiritual growth program that I was taking that weekend. I think it was called ” Living Courageously”.

We had an uneventful first meeting. We just talked about the usual subjects that people that don’t know each other well talk about like where we are from, where we work and why we came to Omega. I was actually recovering from a bad breakup and didn’t want to disclose that to this stranger so I was fairly tight-lipped in our first few conversations.

We kept running into each other at Omega…. just walking around the beautiful grounds or at the cafeteria. Before one of the Saturday night concerts we ended up just snuggling on a hammock while watching the fireflies light up the moonlight sky. It was quite a memorable first “date”. I wonder how many people can say that just were on a hammock snuggling while watching fireflies on their first date.

Founded in 1977, Omega is a center for wellness, spiritual and personal growth. Omega offers a bunch of educational experiences that inspire an integrated approach to personal, spiritual and social change. It is located beautiful Hudson Valley. If you are in NYC, then I recommend traveling by train since the train will have such a stunning view of the Hudson.

Omega has been a pioneer in exploring, teaching, and embracing new ideas, focusing on health and wellness, personal spiritual growth, and self-awareness. According to their website, Omega offers, “A journey of personal growth and spiritual development also contributes to the wholeness and balance of the larger community and beyond. At Omega, we like to say we are changing the world one person at a time.”

There are a few places that I would recommend. The Himalayan Institute is probably the closest. The Himalayan Institute is located in northeastern Pennsylvania, 6 miles north of the town of Honesdale in the heart of the rolling hills of the Poconos. New York City and Philadelphia area bout 3 – 4 hours drive by car. (Add an extra hour driving time during rush hour.) The total air/ground trip may be faster and less expensive to the New York airports than to the Scranton airport. It’s kind of near the corner of Pennsylvania where New Jersey and New York state are.

The Himalayan Institute has program for yoga, meditation, spirituality, and holistic health. It’s actually a non-profit, international organization and it’s mission is dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. It has spiritual heritage that unites East and West with spirituality and science, and ancient wisdom and modern technology. There are a few programs on it’s website that you can also peruse if you can’t make the trek out there.

There are quite a few programs that are free if you are a Premium member which costs $300 a year. If you live within 2-3 hours of the Institute and can make room in your calender every few months then it is probably worth it to just become a premium member.

They have all kinds of educational programs and services and you can actually live at the Institute for a short or long term study. A yoga teacher that taught at one of the studios I also taught at, lived at the Himalayan Institute after her divorce to study yoga and meditation. It was quite a transformative and cleansing experience. You can also just come for a day workshop or weekend workshop and there are a fair amount of online and also correspondence courses.

Their goals is to offer programs that reflect,” The art of joyful living lies at the core of the Institute’s teachings. All of our programs lead to this common goal – living a peaceful and happy life.”

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Retreats Close to Philadelphia for Yoga, Spirituality and Meditation