Cultivating Joy: A Silent, Mindfulness Retreat for Individuals
With Jayne Gumpel, LCSW, Michael G. Burbank and David Gumpel M.A
July 30 - August 3, 2025
Join us at Menla for a gentle, joy inspired, silent retreat consisting of meditation, self compassion, mindfulness and walks in nature. We will begin to gather as a group at 4pm Wednesday for check in and will enjoy our first dinner together at 6pm. Silence will commence around 9:30 pm after the evening introductory session and will continue through Sunday morning when we will break our silence and enjoy our final lunch together with shared reflections.
Cultivating JOY through the lens of silence and self compassion is a noble offering to yourself. Guided meditations and simple mindfulness practices are offered as an invitation to notice and make connections to joy in the midst of it! Attending to and noticing the obstacles arising cultivates space for those moments of joy that may pass by unnoticed. It is not necessary to have meditation experience but it is preferred. This retreat is not a traditional Vipassana silent retreat yet it holds silence as a sacred practice and also includes writing, sitting and eating meditation practices, music with eye shades and a mat, and movement. This is an opportunity to bring joy into your everyday life!
All participants are encouraged to commit to the full program, including a live zoom preparation session prior to the retreat.
This is especially important for participants who have yet to experience a silent retreat.
A full digital detox is highly encouraged, and at a minimum no cell phones will be allowed in the conference center or at meals. Finding freedom from our phones will feel liberating after the initial moment of letting go. In the evenings after our silent dinners, we will have an opportunity to listen to evening discussions and contemplate their relevance to our lives.
Mindfulness allows for a balanced awareness of negative thoughts, enabling individuals to observe their feelings without becoming overwhelmed or overly identified with them. This aligns with Dr. Tara Brach’s teachings on radical acceptance, suggesting that embracing our present experience with compassion leads to deeper self-awareness and growth.
In essence, self-compassion during a silent retreat is essential, facilitating a nurturing space for exploration, acceptance, and personal transformation.
A capacity for self regulation, self reflection and self care is appreciated. The group experience is a safe and sacred opportunity to connect to one’s self and to the reality that we are all connected.
All participants are invited to attend a 60 minute preparation and information zoom call June 2, 2025 at 8 am; or July 21 at 8 am. This is an essential meeting.
This retreat is co hosted by MENLA.org and AccessMindfulness.org
All participants are invited to attend a 60 minute preparation and information zoom call June 2, 2025 at 8 am; or July 21 at 8 am. This is an essential meeting.
This retreat is co hosted by MENLA.org and AccessMindfulness.org
Contact Persons:
Jayne Gumpel 914 924 1509
www.accessmindfulness.org
David Gumpel 212 286 1850
www.relationshipresources.info
The tuition is $800 plus housing
We offer scholarships on the tuition on an as needed basis. Please contact Jayne 914 924 1509
Schedule
Wednesday, July 30
- 3 – 6 pm Arrival & Check-in
- 6 – 7 pm Dinner
- 7:30 – 9:15 Opening Session – Silence Begins
Thursday, July 31 – Silent Day
- 7:15 – 8 am Early Morning Sit
- 8 – 9 am Breakfast
- 9:30 am – 12 pm Morning Meditations
- 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
- 1:30 – 2:30 pm Afternoon Break, Free time for Relaxation, Spa & Rest
- 2:30 – 5:30 pm Afternoon Program
- 6 – 7 pm Dinner
- 7:30 – 8:30 pm Evening Program
Friday, August 1 – Silent Day
- 7:15 – 8 am Early Morning Sit
- 8 – 9 am Breakfast
- 9:30 am – 12 pm Morning Meditations
- 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
- 1:30 – 2:30 pm Afternoon Break, Free time for Relaxation, Spa & Rest
- 2:30 – 5:30 pm Afternoon Program
- 6 – 7 pm Dinner
- 7:30 – 8:30 pm Evening Program
Saturday, August 2 – Silent Day
- 7:15 – 8 am Early Morning Sit
- 8 – 9 am Breakfast
- 9:30 am – 12 pm Morning Meditations
- 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
- 1:30 – 2:30 pm Afternoon Break, Free time for Relaxation, Spa & Rest
- 2:30 – 5:30 pm Afternoon Program
- 6 – 7 pm Dinner
- 7:30 – 8:30 pm Evening Program
Sunday, August 3
- 7 – 11 am Check-out of Rooms
- 7 – 8 am Morning Meditation & Yoga – Silent
- 8 – 9 am Breakfast – Silent
- 9:30 am – 12:30 pm Closing Morning Program – Silence Broken
- 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch & Departure
*Please note that the schedule is subject to change.
About the Leaders
Jayne Gumpel, LCSW
Jayne Gumpel, LCSW (she/her/hers) is a psychotherapist, trainer, and teacher with 30 years of experience working with couples, individuals, and groups in New York City and Woodstock, NY. Jayne is a professional clinical trainer in Psychedelic Integration Psychotherapy, is a member of the Woodstock Therapy Center’s Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) team, and has completed MDMA-assisted psychotherapy […]
Learn more about Jayne Gumpel, LCSW
Michael G. Burbank
Michael G. Burbank has been a student of Robert Thurman and HH the XIV Dalai Lama for over 25 years, since his undergraduate years studying Eastern religions and cultures at Columbia University in the 90s. In February of 2002, he was invited to help the Thurmans and Tibet House start the newly acquired Menla retreat. […]
Learn more about Michael G. Burbank
David Gumpel M.A
David Gumpel, Co-founder of Relationship Resources, is an Integral Master Coach and a qualified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) through UMASS medical school. He completed his MA in Psychology at The New School for Social Research. David is the co-founder of Access Mindfulness and was a study coordinator for the MAPS sponsored MDMA-Assisted Therapy for the treatment […]
Learn more about David Gumpel M.ACategories : Menla Co-Sponsor, Menla Retreat (all retreats)