Seven-Day Retreat at Garrison Institute – 6 to 13 October 2024

For those of us who love to dive deeply into the heart of the non-dual understanding, retreats offer an unprecedented opportunity: seven days with Rupert and friends, nestled in a beautiful location in nature, where we steep together in the peace of our true nature. Retreats gather us in the heart of being, where we spend our days in self-abidance, friendship and creativity.

Each day features a guided meditation in which we rest in being, as being, as well as a dialogue in which we discuss the non-dual understanding. Between these meetings, we enjoy three delicious vegetarian meals together, where the love and understanding effortlessly transmits itself through friendship. In the evenings, we might relax with friends, watch a movie together or celebrate through poetry and music.

Whether you seek peace, happiness, truth, love or freedom – or if you would simply like to reunite with old friends – retreats provide the priceless opportunity to taste your true nature in an atmosphere of kindness and beauty. The people you meet on retreat will quickly become your non-dual family, so please join us as we gather in the spirit of friendship to celebrate the unity of being.

About Garrison Institute: The Garrison Institute, formerly a Capuchin monastery, is in Garrison, New York, overlooking the Hudson River. It is situated on the beautiful ninety-five-acre Glenclyffe property. Its tranquil, park-like setting replete with gardens, a boxwood labyrinth, a gazebo on a Hudson River bluff, and many walking paths, offers a natural setting for contemplation. The Garrison Institute property is connected to the Hudson River trail system and the Appalachian Trail. Accommodations are simple, beautiful and quiet. Learn more about Garrison Institute here. Please do not contact the retreat center directly, contact Francesca with any retreat questions you may have at:  francesca@rupertspira.com

REVISED COVID-19 protocol:  Garrison Institute will no longer require proof of vaccination to attend a retreat at their facility as of September 1, 2023.

Francesca will post lots of helpful retreat information to all attendees on the discussion board as we get closer to our start date.

There are Single, Double and Shared (3-4 people) rooms available. Please note, Garrison does not have a guest elevator and all rooms are accessible by stairs only. Shared (3-4 people) rooms are on the fourth floor We recommend signing up for a double room if the stairs to the fourth floor might be an issue for you. 

There are two communal bathrooms (usually one male, one female) on each residential floor as well as a comfortable lounge with sofas and easy chairs, where tea and (instant) coffee are available 24 hours a day. The lounges also are equipped with a wireless, high-speed internet connection for laptop computer users. 

If your accommodation of choice is sold out, you will be able to use the ‘Add to Waitlist’ button, and you will be notified of any spaces that come available.

There are several local hotels within driving distance from Garrison for those who wish accommodations with a private bath. If you wish to stay off-site, please register as a commuter, which includes three meals per day.

List of Hotels:

The Hudson House Inn 
6 miles from Garrison, 12 minutes by car -  www.hudsonhouseinn.com 

Bear Mountain Inn 
5.5 miles from Garrison, 11 minutes by car - www.visitbearmountain.com 

Overlook Lodge 
8 miles from Garrison, 16 minutes by car - www.vistbearmountain.com/overlook-lodge 

Also please note that there are options available on www.airbnb.com

By train: The retreat center can easily be reached in 1 hour 20 minutes from New York’s Grand Central Station on Metro North’s Hudson line. From the north, take AMTRAK to Poughkeepsie then transfer to Metro North railroad. 

By car: The Garrison Institute is located directly off Route 9D in Garrison, New York, approximately 50 miles north of New York City. Major highways nearby include Interstate 84, Route 9, the Palisades Parkway and the Taconic State Parkway. There is on-site parking for those who will arrive by car.

By plane: The local airport near Garrison is Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, NY. Visit www.stewartintlairport.com for more information. Garrison Institute is also accessible from LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark International Airports.

By taxi: For traveling to and from the Garrison Institute we can suggest the following transportation vendors as Lyft and Uber are fairly reliable from the airport to Garrison Institute but are NOT reliable on the return to the airport:

Alley’s Way Car Service - 845.265.8294 

All County Car Service - 914.631.2277

Izabela Taxi - 914.830.6977

By bus: Shortline Bus service is available into the Poughkeepsie, NY, station (approximately 30 minutes to Garrison). For local bus schedules and more information contact: Shortline Bus: 1.800.631.8405 or visit www.shortlinebus.com
From New England: Peter Pan Bus offers service into New York City where you can connect with a MetroNorth train to Garrison. For local bus schedules and more information contact: Peter Pan Bus Lines: 1.800.343.9999 or visit www.peterpanbus.com

Vegetarian meals are prepared three times daily and served in the main dining room. 

The final balance will be due on 8 July 2024
50% of balance refundable if cancelled before 7 August 2024
No refund if cancelled after the 7 August 2024

If you experience any problems with checkout, please use the Payment FAQ page.

To register, a $300* non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required to reserve a space at the retreat. Please book using the “Add to Basket” buttons below when the tickets open.

Shared rooms are allocated by gender; please choose the appropriate ticket when booking so that we can allocate your room properly. If you wish to share with a friend, please book your tickets and email Francesca with your sharing preference. If you are booking a twin room as a couple, you can book a ‘couples’ ticket, which automatically adds two tickets to your account and ensures that you will be given a room together.

Costs per person to attend in person at Garrison Institute: 

Single – $2,770

Twin – $2,500

Shared – $2,420

Commuter – $2,150 (3 meals included)

*Should the retreat be cancelled for any reason related to Covid-19, the deposit payments made will be automatically transferred to a replacement Retreat at Home.

In-person scholarships 

A limited number of partial scholarships are available to attend the retreat in-person. Please complete the scholarship form here to apply for a place.

Please be sure you only book a ticket once your application has been approved unless you would like to come even if the scholarship application isn't successful.

Livestream participants will have streaming access to all meetings during the retreat and will be able to view recordings from previous sessions from the livestream page; these will be streamable and viewable for thirty days from session date. This way, you can easily catch up on any missed sessions or listen again to take the understanding a little deeper. There will be a special discussion board for the livestream attendees where the streaming link will be posted ahead of the first session and will provide a place for everyone to communicate and share in the teaching.

There will be two Q&A sessions on Zoom, for livestream attendees during the retreat which provide the opportunity to ask Rupert any questions that may arise over the course of the week.

Tickets are available based on the sliding scale below, with the intention of making the teaching available to more people. If you wish to purchase a ticket for a friend, you may simply add a second ticket to your account and let Francesca know who you would like to assign it to. Please note that tickets can only be assigned to people who have a log in for Rupert's website.

Please select from the options in the tickets section below, add to basket and checkout as normal.

Costs per person: 

$122.50 - Supported: for those who would like to attend but are unable to do so for financial reasons*

$245 - Standard: for those with sufficient financial resources to attend at a fair price

$495 - Sponsor: for those with adequate financial resources and a desire to support attendance for others

Booking will close at noon local time on the first day of the retreat, so please be sure to register online if you wish to attend. You will receive an order confirmation email, and you will be emailed the streaming link before the start of the retreat.

For a list of FAQs please see Livestream FAQs.

(please use everytimezone.com to find the times for sessions in your own timezone)

Livestream – Supported tickets

If you wish to attend the livestream of the retreat with a *Supported ticket, please email the Support team: support@rupertspira.com Please note that the cut-off date for applications is 3rd October, 12pm EST