Don't miss out on a creative weekend!
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Fri, Jun 6, 2025 - Mon, Jun 9, 2025
With trees and flowers waking from their winter slumber and beginning to bloom, spring--especially early June--is a gorgeous time to spend in the Poconos. This 4-day retreat includes daily writing exercises & workshops, daily readings, daily meditations & journaling, a private 1:1 session, daily yoga, and all meals (nine total). A 3-night stay in a delightful retreat center on a 400-acre campus in the beautiful Pocono Mountains is paid separately to the venue directly.
Picture yourself immersed in your writing over four uninterrupted days secluded in a truly lovely retreat site with onsite hiking trails, a meditation shrine, and a wellness center offering massage and Ayurvedic treatments. Enjoy the creative and meditative vibe in the air amongst the stunning views of the Pocono Mountains, and with all your meals deliciously prepared for you onsite, you can solely focus on your work.
For a healthy balance of body, mind, and soul, begin each day with yoga taught by the retreat center's instructors; Then Guided Meditation followed by self-exploration and clarity journaling in a complimentary copy of the Know Yourself Gratitude & Daily Dump Discovery Journal.
Each morning session will start with a writing prompt for a writing exercise, followed by a group share for those who wish to read their work. You also have the option to workshop a writing piece at the retreat.
You can submit a 3000-word writing piece for the workshop four weeks before the retreat. Your host will forward it to all the other attendees for their thorough reading and comments. At the retreat, your work will be discussed at a 30-min workshop, and afterward, written feedback will be shared with you either in hardcopy or by email.
You have the option to meet with your host to focus individual attention on your specific writing questions, your workshop comments, or your writing projects and goals. You can build on the valuable input you heard in the group workshop and receive further guidance and insight into your work from your host. You will have the time and space to go deeper into your stories. This session can be scheduled during the retreat or afterward on Zoom.
Each evening at after-dinner readings, you are welcome to share and showcase what you have been working on during the retreat day or writing you had previously written or even published.
Besides writing, you can also lull away the relaxing afternoon hours by selecting from a long list of other activities, such as taking a yoga class, hiking the onsite trails, meditating in the Sri Vidya Shrine, getting a deep tissue massage at the Wellness Center.
To keep everyone safe, healthy, and comfortable, all staff are fully vaccinated, and it is strongly recommended that all retreat attendees be vaccinated against Covid-19 also.
Enjoy three delicious vegan and vegetarian meals a day.
Yoga classes, meditation at the Shrine, hiking trails. For extra fee, ayurvedic treatments, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and integrative health services at PureRejuv Wellness Center.
Register now to save with Early Bird Discount. Pay only a 15% deposit now to secure your spot. Full payment is not due until May 6, 2025.
Fri, Jun 6, 2025
Check-in – Himalayan Institute reception will show you to your room and give you a tour of the facilities.
Optional – Yoga Class offered by Himalayan Institute
Dinner - Check posted menu for specific offerings. Dinner is the lightest meal of the day and generally consists of soup, fresh salad, a delicious side dish, and fresh fruit.
Writing Retreat Day 1 – Sunrise Room
Sat, Jun 7, 2025
Optional – Yoga Class offered by Himalayan Institute
Breakfast - Check posted menu for specific offerings. Breakfast generally consists of hot cereals (cooked grains), dairy and non-dairy options, homemade yogurt, and fresh fruit.
Writing Retreat Day 2 – Sunrise Room
• Guided Meditation – Manifesting Your Desires
• Writing Exercise 1
• Group Share & Discussion
• Writing Exercise 2
• Group Share & Discussion
• Workshop - Writers get in-depth feedback and comments to elevate and move their work to the final draft.
• Optional Homework - Writing Exercise for the Afternoon
Lunch - Check posted menu for specific offerings. Lunch, the main meal of the day, typically includes white and brown rice, delicious legumes (dahl), vegetables (subzi), homemade yogurt, and a fresh salad bar.
Free Time – Write, Hike, Meditate, Explore, Shop, Get a treatment at the Wellness Center. Schedule a 30min one-on-one with the Host.
Dinner - Check posted menu for specific offerings. Dinner is the lightest meal of the day and generally consists of soup, fresh salad, a delicious side dish, and fresh fruit.
Evening Reading & Group Share by the Bonfire with stunning views on Sound of Music Hill.
Sun, Jun 8, 2025
Optional – Yoga Class offered by Himalayan Institute
Breakfast - Check posted menu for specific offerings. Breakfast generally consists of hot cereals (cooked grains), dairy and non-dairy options, homemade yogurt, and fresh fruit.
Writing Retreat Day 3 – Sunrise Room
• Guided/Silent Meditation
• Writing Exercise 1
• Group Share & Discussion
• Writing Exercise 2
• Group Share & Discussion
• Workshop - Writers get in-depth feedback and comments to elevate and move their work to the final draft.
• Optional Homework - Writing Exercise for the Afternoon
Lunch - Check posted menu for specific offerings. Lunch, the main meal of the day, typically includes white and brown rice, delicious legumes (dahl), vegetables (subzi), homemade yogurt, and a fresh salad bar.
Free Time – Write, Hike, Meditate, Explore, Shop, Get a treatment at the Wellness Center. Schedule a 30min one-on-one with the Host.
Dinner - Check posted menu for specific offerings. Dinner is the lightest meal of the day and generally consists of soup, fresh salad, a delicious side dish, and fresh fruit.
Evening Reading & Group Share - Sunrise Room
Mon, Jun 9, 2025
Breakfast - Check posted menu for specific offerings. Breakfast generally consists of hot cereals (cooked grains), dairy and non-dairy options, homemade yogurt, and fresh fruit.
Writing Retreat Day 4 – Sunrise Room
• Guided/Silent Mediation
• Know Yourself Journaling – Round 2
• Writing Exercise
• Group Share & Discussion
• Space permitting, Open Workshop - Writers can get in-depth feedback and comments on a second piece of writing, whether a revised drafter from an earlier workshop or a brand new piece.
• Feedback Survey
• Closing Remarks
Lunch - Check posted menu for specific offerings. Lunch, the main meal of the day, typically includes white and brown rice, delicious legumes (dahl), vegetables (subzi), homemade yogurt, and a fresh salad bar.
By Air:
Airport Svc to/from AVP:
Airport Svc to/from EWR:
By Car:
GPS Coordinates:
North: +41.648184 (41° 38′ 53.5″ N)
West: -75.304348 (75° 18′ 15.7″ W)
From Honesdale, PA: 15 min
From Scranton, PA: 45 min
From Philadelphia, PA: 3 hrs
From New York City: 2.5 hrs
From Newark, NJ (EWR Airport): 2.5 hrs
From Washington DC: 5 hrs
From Binghamton, NY: 1.25 hrs
From Boston, MA: 5 hrs
By Bus: NYC (Port Authority) to Honesdale, PA via Shortline Bus by Coach USA
By Taxi:
Start mornings with yoga, meditation, journaling, writing exercises, workshops, and group sharing. Workshop a story to get feedback on questions about structure, characters, & what works & what doesn't. Get your writing moving again. Spend afternoons writing, getting a massage. Showcase your work at evening readings.
A world leader in yoga, meditation, and holistic health, the Himalayan Institute (HI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving humanity through educational & spiritual programs. The Retreat Center is host to HI Mission Programs, seminars and retreats, offering 5 practice spaces & comfortable guest amenities.
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