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November 2018 by Peter Fettis
This place radiates over-the-top positive experiences. The people, gardens and community spaces all give a sense of welcoming and feeling at home.
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February 2018 by Inna Sarukhanova
Incredible nature!
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August 2016 by Nadine F.
I spent four days and three nights at Pleasant Valley in July and thought it was overall a very good experience. When it comes to yoga retreats, you generally have the option of an insanely expensive luxury resort experience or a commune off the grid for hippies,and this was definitely the latter. I did the "personal retreat", where you show up on whatever days are convenient for you and participate in whatever activities you want. They have yoga for two hours each morning. The temperature at that time is perfect, and then it gets oppressively hot for the rest of the day. The first day, Dennis was our instructor. While he's very nice, it was an awful class. He didn't explain much of anything, the transitions were awkward, and his adjustments were not helpful. The class was so bad that I considered leaving Pleasant Valley early, despite having already paid for everything. Fortunately, we had a different instructor the rest of the time (British lady, I can't remember her name), and she was fantastic. Each of her classes was different, but all of them were really good. The other guests were in agreement. Each yoga class ended with a long meditation session, and there was another meditation session at night. I would have preferred some more yoga at night and less meditation. I stayed in one of the yerts, which was nicer than I was expecting. It's a simple little cabin with a bed, a desk, and a chair. I was worried about the shared bathroom situation, but the bathroom was nice, clean, and modern, and it wasn't very far away from my cabin. The guests staying in the tents mentioned that there were a lot of bugs and noises at night, which was not an issue for me at all. The food situation is VERY hit or miss. The residents take turns cooking, and some people are naturally better than others at cooking. Out of five meals, two were really good, one was OK, and the other two were horrible. Not wanting to take a chance or waste the calories, I left before breakfast on my last day. Based on their comments, the residents clearly recognize the difference in cooking abilities, so maybe it would make more sense to let the people who enjoy and are good at cooking do a disproportionate share of the cooking. July is extremely hot in this area, so I drove down to the river with the other guests. The cold river water was perfect for swimming in the heat. It would have been a very difficult and unsafe hike to the river on the winding mountain road, with a lot of blind corners for cars, so I would highly recommend a rental car. Overall, I had a really nice time, and I think 2-3 nights would be just about right if you're just looking to unwind and do yoga for a few days. I wouldn't have enjoyed it if I'd stayed longer than that.
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October 2015 by Nousha V.
I had one of the best times of my life at this place. I did not have any expectations and was not sure what I am signing up for. I had attended yoga retreats before but wanted to try a silent retreat which this place offered so I signed up for their 3 days silent yoga retreat. I cannot wait to go back here again, the peace, comfort and prospective that I experienced here cannot be expressed in words. I found a new me that I never knew before, a person who is in control of thoughts, actions and how surrounding effect her. Every little thing about my journey was unique; nature, delicious food, teachers, sounds of nature and meditation sessions. If you are looking to be at peace, find yourself and reflect back to who you really are and want to be, I recommend this place. Thank you for an amazing journey, it was the best school for personal improvement that I could ask for...
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February 2013 by Ryan Smith
My 4 day stay at the sanctuary unveiled what is important to me and what I wish to engage in. I am so grateful for this. I spent my time at the sanctuary during January of 2013, when there is little activity, few people and a close family vibe with the inhabitants. I was apart of the 'intern' program, choosing to work 5 hours a day in lieu of money for meals, yoga training and shelter. There were 4 of us, another visitor and I, and the two permeant residents, Jamie and Naomi. I became close with each of them through our meditations, meals, construction project. The sanctuary and surrounding area attracts wonderful, dedicated, passionate and spiritual souls. I learned so much, specifically from Jamie who introduced me to several potent meditation techniques which we practiced regularly during my stay, and donated his time for spiritual discussion with me. With that, the special talks, cooking and welcomeness from Naomi; the fellow searching, open and loving energy from Becky; and our communal intention towards growth in our spiritual yogic practice, I experienced a life altering transformation at Pleasant Valley. I have come home with reenergized intentions; wanting to continue eating simpler, have a centralized meditation practice in my life, and seek a community similar to what I found at the sanctuary. All this helps me be more of who I am with lessened power from fears, addictions and distractions I encounter. The sanctuary is a beautiful, encouraging place for people to show up to the challenging internal battleground. Thank you guys for providing this much needed center!!!!!!!!!!!!