Lynn Schauwecker
Lynn Schauwecker has spent more than 25 years immersed in healing paths rooted in Indigenous traditions and in collaborative partnerships with Indigenous communities worldwide. Her work deepened in 2003 during her time in the Amazon rainforest, where she apprenticed with Grandmother Maria Alice Campos Freire of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers and trained in Florais da Amazônia, a system of Amazonian flower essences that supports emotional balance, spiritual insight, and energetic healing.
She is trained in Compassionate Inquiry, the trauma-informed therapeutic modality developed by Dr. Gabor Maté, and offers CI-based sessions alongside her work in somatic, spiritual, and nature-based traditions. For many years, Lynn has also led sweat lodges passed down to her by Native American elders.
In addition to her healing practice, Lynn has dedicated more than two decades to Tibet House US and currently serves as Managing Director of Menla Retreat & Dewa Spa. She is also the co-founder of the Floresta Project, a nonprofit supporting Amazonian Indigenous communities through cultural preservation, traditional healing practices, and sustainable, community-led initiatives.
Upcoming Programs by Lynn Schauwecker
Dragon Heart: A Women’s Retreat
Also With Alison Sinatra
Awaken the feminine witness. Ignite the sacred fire within. Dragon Heart is an immersive women’s retreat dedicated to descending into the deepest chambers of the heart — where truth, instinct, and ancient feminine wisdom converge. In many traditions, the dragon is not a creature of fear, but a guardian of untapped power, the keeper of […]
Return to the Lodge: A Weekend of Renewal
Also With Jennifer Muir and Alison Sinatra
Menla invites you to step away from the pace of everyday life and enter a sacred space of reflection, purification, and renewal. Surrounded by the deep forests and tranquil mountains of the Catskills, this weekend retreat offers an opportunity to reconnect with the elements, your inner wisdom, and the living rhythms of the Earth. At the heart of the retreat is the sweat lodge ceremony, one of the oldest forms of prayer and purification practiced by Indigenous peoples of North America. Entering the lodge is often described as returning to the womb of Mother Earth—a place of humility, intention, and transformation. Within the warmth of the lodge, heated stones carry the energies of fire and water as songs, silence, and shared intention guide participants through a process of release, reflection, and renewal. Throughout the weekend, participants will be gently guided in preparation for the ceremony through teachings on intention, connection with nature, and the deeper meaning of this ancient practice. Time between ceremonies allows for quiet integration, walks on Menla’s sacred land, moments of rest and contemplation, and optional treatments at the Dewa Spa. The experience can be both grounding and profound. Many people describe the lodge as a place where burdens are released, clarity emerges, and a renewed sense of connection—to oneself, to community, and to the natural world—begins to unfold. Whether you are new to this tradition or returning to deepen your relationship with the practice, this retreat offers a supportive space to enter the lodge with respect, humility, and openness. Come gather in circle, honor the elements, and return to the lodge for a weekend of renewal. Schedule: Thursday, August 27 3 - 6 pm Arrival and Check-in 6 - 7 pm Dinner 7:30 - 8:30 pm Welcome Circle Friday, August 28 8 - 9 am Breakfast 9:30 am - 12 pm Guided Hike 12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch 1:30 - 4:30 pm Free time […]