This retreat exceeded my expectations!!!…read more After falling into a serious illness that left me stuck to my bed earlier on 2018. I decided I would look into a retreat and get away as far as I could. As I was searching I found this wonderful woman Salila, whom posted a brief description about her services and different retreats. I knew right then that I should contact her. Our first scheduled call I realized that this retreat was nothing like a regular get away. I instantly felt her genuine heart to help. She is very familiar with retreats and doctors and she was able to matched my needs to the perfect doctor and retreat. Salila also helped me get in contact with Dr. Devraj via video chats on multiple occasions. With his advice I was able to ease my conditions at home since my conditions was worsening and doctors still till this day do not know what I had. In the beginning I was super excited , and at the same time didn't have any idea how I would come up with the travel expenses since I had been out of work for a while and Salila help me to figure out my money situation. She made sure she checked up on me as often as she could with helpful advice. On top of all this Salila took care my flight and booked the air tickets for me so I wouldn't go through the hassle. She also walked me through the visa process, and she scheduled someone to pick me up and drop me off at the airport. Weeks before leaving, I talked to Salila about a friend who was in New Delhi and how I wanted to visit them before leaving back home . She was able to switch out my tickets to include New Delhi and also gave me some important advice about traveling to New Delhi. If this wasn't enough , throughout my 28 days stay at Sitaram Beach Retreat she texted me to make sure all my needs and concerns were met by staff and the doctors. I cannot thank Salila enough for going out of her way and beyond to make my stay as special as it was. I really got a sense of peace and I also want to thank every one who works at Sitaram retreat for making my stay so much better. Words can only express so much which is why I'm leaving some pictures of this awesome retreat here for who ever is inspired to take some well deserved time for self care level 50! It's been 3 months since, and my health is back on track. I would do this all over again through Salila. I recommend Salila to book any flights and retreats to anyone that wants to have a beautiful experience Contact her ASAP

Pancha..what??? Salila and AYURGAMAYA ... the perfect…read moreanswer for a much needed reboot, reset, in my life. Feeling physically and mentally sluggish, foggy brain so to speak. "...if I could just be taken care of for a couple of weeks...unplug, no one to answer to, focus on my inner self to re-balance my body and my mind......." AND enjoy an incredibly interesting part of the world ??? Salila was stellar in organizing a 2 week ayurvedic retreat and beyond. Totally safe, seamless ( stress free) and enjoyable !!!!! First, her close connection with Dr. Vignesh Devraj, the ayurvedic trained doctor at Sitaram , made it possible to have a one-on-one Skype conversation to get first-hand information about Ayurvedic treatments, what to expect, any concerns...so easy to talk to, so knowledgeable. Being trained in clinical pharmacy, everything made perfect sense to me. Next...the magical 2 weeks at Sitaram Ayurvedic Retreat began..with herbal hot oil massages every day, special herbal drinks for immunity boosts, meals to die for, specifically geared for each individual per their treatment regimen....and as I had dreamed of...nothing to do but rest, walk on the beach, do yoga, meditate.....( yes, they have internet..but, really,... UNPLUG..its worth it) After the retreat the journey was SEAMLESS. Salila arranged for transportation, drivers who were great guides with local information and found us AWESOME Homestays (per our request) , cozy, friendly, with fantastic food (instead of high cost hotels ) throughout the rest of the trip. Met incredible locals who treated us like friends, experienced genuine local life feeling completely safe and at ease. I would do it again in a heartbeat!!!!

I have been participating in Jackie's Mind Body Moms yoga class for more than 15 year. It has been…read moreone of the most precious experiences in my entire life. Jackie is a pioneer in creating a yoga group focused on supporting mothers with children of different ages - from new born babies to adults. This focus on motherhood as an everyday life phenomena makes Jackie's teaching unique and vitally important. Jackie is a very gifted teacher! She integrates gentle yoga practices with profound psychological and spiritual messages. This makes her teaching both deep and powerful. Being a part of Jackie's yoga group has provided me with indefensible support for many years. Jackie's professional talent and her personal qualities as a wonderful human being are incomparable. I am very fortunate to be Jackie's devoted student and her follower.

I joined Mind Body Spirit Moms Group after I had my son. I was invited by a good friend of mine to…read morejoin the group after becoming a new mom. I was very hesitant about it at first, as I knew I would be out of my comfort zone. I decided to give it a try because I knew how important it was for me to receive support and guidance. I had gone through a rough pregnancy and became a new single mom. My life had changed dramatically in one year! I went from being single, going in and out of a relationship then becoming pregnant unexpectedly. I had to prepare for this life change quickly and at the same time, deal with all the relationship and family stress issues, not to mention being pregnant for the first time. In the span of 3 weeks, I had had a baby, moved to a different city, and pretty much discontinued my relationship with my son's father. I was overwhelmed and in retrospect, I am not quite sure how I managed! Jackie and the moms group was highly instrumental during my process of loss, grieving, joy, change, motherhood, and taking better care of myself. I feel that it was such a blessing for me to be apart of this group! I can not tell you how much it has changed my life for the good. Since attending the group regularly for the past 2 1/2 years, I have gained so many skills such as: how to regulate my stress levels, deal with anger, cultivate compassionate, become more forgiving individual, learning parenting techniques that cultivate a loving and present nature, and mostly loving and accepting myself for where I am at. Jackie is like a mortal angel...I always joke around about that, but its true! You don't meet people like her often, so I cherish that my life and my sons life has been touched by her. Because of Jackie and the group, I can honestly say that I am a better mom, friend, partner, daughter, sister, and human being. All of the women in the group are genuine, real, raw, and supportive. The amount of strength I have received from being apart of this group is unmeasurable. Life is tough at times, and Jackie's group is a nourishing and peaceful place where you leave feeling resorted and empowered. If you are a mom that is looking for a group that offers support, meditation, connection, and parenting ideas without all the fake, fluffy, and stuffy junk other moms groups can sometimes be about... then check out the Mind Body Spirit Moms Group, it's BAD ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Came here for a work retreat…read more The views of the beach and grounds around the facility are amazing. Access to the beach was right now to the us, plus other beaches were close by. The nuns who manage the place are so kind and friendly. It was a great experience. My only complaints are that the walls between the rooms and to the hallways are very thin. If you are a light sleeper like me it makes it very difficult to sleep. Also, the food the offer is decent. The salad bar is great. Plus access to snacks and various drinks 24/7 are awesome though.

This Sisters are all so kind. The view is Spectacular! The prices are High. I like being in a place…read morethat has the meals included because I'm there to wind down and don't need first class cuisine, just a decent home cooked meal and that's what you get.

The Kopan West Retreat in March was amazing! Staff were super nice and accommodating. Highly…read morerecommend

What a beautiful retreat with Venerable Rene. The setting was very peaceful, deep in the redwood…read moreforest. The food was very good and health. It is a world away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

Kelly is one of the most talented massage therapists that I have found. I have benefited greatly…read morefrom seeing her weekly. After a diagnosis of Fybromialgia I was at a loss of what direction to go. I have a physical job, and need to continue working, but wasn't getting anywhere with Western Medicine solutions. I started seeing Kelly every other week with good results. A friend gave me the gift of weekly massage for 1 month, and that made all the difference. I have since committed to getting a massage weekly, and have been experiencing much greater relief from my Fybro symptoms. Kelly incorporates Ayurvedic healing oils that have helped me immensely.

I came here after a long journey with trying to figure out what was wrong with me feet. Kelly came…read morehighly recommended from a friend. She is such a wonderfully and caring person and truly cares about trying to help you. She sat with me for quite awhile trying to assess me and help me figure out what's going on with my body. She came up with a specialized plan just for me and my body to help me better myself and my health. After our assessment interview she gave me, by far, the best massage I have ever had in my entire life! I traveled 2 1/2 hours to see her and it was worth every minute. I had been seeing different doctors for over a year and Kelly was the one who finally got us headed on the right track to finding out the real problem! She still checks up with me to see how I'm doing and making sure that I'm on the right track. I hope that I can come back soon and see her again. I recommend that anyone go see her for any sort of issue you may have. She really listens to you and truly tries to help you.

This is really a hidden gem up in the hills. I've been here several times amd always have a…read morewonderful experience. On my most recent visit, I went through the stations of the cross. It is a beautiful set up and great for a quiet moment of meditation. The people in the gift shop are helpful in explaining the grounds as well as gift items. Note that it's best to call ahead to check access. Since sometimes there are school events which preclude taking a tour of the grounds.

Nice, decent rooms with a private shower. Tasty variety of…read morefood, usually plentiful. Just one lunch the chicken was severely rationed, so much that even the women were commenting. Not easy to sleep with the noise of students yelling to each other at 11PM Saturday night. And breakfast is at 8:00! From 10PM is supposed to be silent, but no supervision from the group nor is there anyone from the retreat center to enforce.

Cannot say enough good things about Wellstone! My weeks spent there were among the best writing…read moresessions I've ever had. So grateful for the time and space and community!

I am sorry to say what a disappointing experience we had with the Wellstone Estate. We were very…read moreexcited to spend the weekend there for my husband's 40th birthday. When looking at the property online it looked beautiful and perfect for a group of 6 adults and 3 children. The property was listed as a 3 bedroom, 3 bath house plus loft. I spoke with Dave, the owner, in advance and he was very nice and flexible about our stay. We sent in a deposit to hold the property 4 months in advance. As we got closer to the date of our stay I spoke with Dave to verify our stay and the actual beds available, he gave us more details and we realized that we would not actually be renting a house but a couple of smaller cabana type buildings on his property and a room in his house. This was not what we were expecting, we had been planning on a house with a proper kitchen, dining and living area so we could cook and spend time with out friends, turns out most of the common space available to guests is outdoors and while summers are nice in Santa Cruz sometimes they can be chilly or foggy at night. I explained to Dave that this wasn't going to work for us and he said no problem he would send our deposit back. I checked back with him after about 3 weeks when we didn't receive our deposit back, and he said he would have to keep a portion of it because he couldn't rent out the property, I was disappointed but understood and said I would look for our deposit less 10% in the mail. After another month of not receiving my deposit I contacted him again via phone and email to no avail. Basically, the property is misrepresented and Dave did not keep is word. I would be careful when considering renting from him. Again, I am sorry to have to give a bad review but people need to be aware of what they are dealing with.