Robert Thurman, father of actress Uma Thurman and the first known Westerner to be ordained as a Tibetan Monk by the Dalai Lama, is to lead a retreat at the Menla Tibetan destination spa and retreat near New York.

Menla, the Dalai Lama’s cultural centre in North America, will offer three shamanic retreats in October. All will be hosted by Dr Isa Gucciardi, the founding director and leader of the Sacred Stream, a non-profit organisation and school focused on consciousness studies.

The first retreat – Shamans and Siddhas: meeting at the crossroads of shamanism and tantra with Robert Thurman and Isa Gucciardi – will run from October 3 - 6 2019.

This will explore the historical encounters between Hinduism and Buddhism and offer a spiritual retreat, based on meditation, exposure to nature and a philosophical approach.

Thurman is a well-known scholar and author in the field of Tibetan studies and Tibetan Buddhism. His wife Nena is managing director of Menla and the couple co-founded the Tibet House to celebrate Tibetan culture at the invitation of the Dalai Lama.

The second retreat, Shamanic journey intensive with Dr Isa Gucciardi, will take place on October 6 - 8.

The Shamanic journey method is focused on ‘accessing inner wisdom through a meditative state’ and Menla says it will help those on the retreat to ‘gain insight and healing’.

The third retreat, Shamanic Residency Immersion with Dr Isa Gucciardi, will run from October 8 - 12.

This retreat has been designed to supply the tools to address life challenges and enable retreat-goers to ‘make positive changes, and serve themselves and others more effectively’.

Menla also has its own Tibetan focused spa, the Dewa Spa, which specialises in eastern spa treatments and methods such as the kunye massage, a method derived from Tibetan medical texts using traditional Tibetan herbal oils – sesame, juniper and sandalwood. Western treatments are also available to guests.

Dewa’s facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, Finnish & Infrared saunas, steam rooms, a relaxation lounge, a medicinal garden, and beautiful hiking trails.

Background:

Retreat and spa menu

Shamans and Siddhas: meeting at the crossroads of Shamanism and tantra with Robert Thurman and Isa Gucciardi
This retreat will cost between US$675.00 to US$1,308.00 (£544 to £1054, €612 to €1186.68) per person.

Shamanic journey intensive with Dr Isa Gucciardi
This retreat will cost between US$490.00 to $824.00 per person (£395 to £664, €444 to €747).

Shamanic residency immersion with Dr Isa Gucciardi
This retreat will cost US$980.00 to $1,736.00 per person (£790 to £1340, €889 to €1575).

There’s flexibility in pricing across all three retreats, as guests are offered the chance to purchase a membership of the Tibet House and upgrade their sleeping options.

Spa menu

Menla’s signature Tibetan kunye individual massage – Basic: 90 minutes $215 (£172, €59). Extended: 120 minutes $285 (£228, €258).

Individual Tibetan holistic health evaluation – 60 minutes $175 (£140, €158).

Individual Tibetan herbal bath therapies – 30 minutes $55 to $65 (£44 to £52, €50 to €59).