Sky Lake 25th Anniversary Weekend

Sky Lake is inviting the New York City Sangha to come celebrate our place, the place we have built together.

In honor of Sky Lake’s 25th birthday, come spend a day or overnight enjoying this extraordinary dharma center we have created together. We’ll have practice, good food, hiking, a campfire, music, a sleepover, and plenty of room for activities of your own invention. We’re inviting everyone to make an offering of $25, or a multiple of $25 ($50, $75, $100, $250, etc.) in celebration of Sky Lake’s 25 years.

On April 17, 2001, Sky Lake was purchased with a down payment made possible by sangha members in New York City and practitioners throughout the Hudson Valley. The vision was simple and bold: New York City practitioners needed a retreat center, and so did the growing local sangha. A group of people began searching for a place and eventually found what was then called Cedar Heart Lodge. The Shambhala organization purchased and owned the property, but New Yorkers helped transform it into Sky Lake.

Twenty-five years later, that vision has become something truly remarkable: a gem of a retreat center nestled on 20 acres in the Shawangunk Mountains, right next to thousands of acres of the Mohonk Preserve. There are two shrine rooms, eight bedrooms, a glorious dining room, porches galore, and, of course, the land itself.

PLEASE PAY WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD from the registration options. Thanks!!!

Here is the plan!

Arrive at Sky Lake, find your room, and visit the shrine room for a 1/2-hour morning sit.

Lunch: 12:30 p.m. hearty lunch of Hudson Valley yumminess. There will be plenty, so if you arrive late, you will still be fed.

After lunch: Naptime, practice, hike, visit cute Rosendale, go apple picking, sit on the deck with a good book.

Before Dinner: Practice of Sadhana of Mahamudra 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the main shrine room with other community members.

Dinner Celebration: Buffet dinner of foods for people with all dietary restrictions, Sky Lake birthday cake, followed by all hands on deck cleanup and…

Evening Campfire! Yes, there will be marshmallows.

Sunday morning: Coffee and bagel brunch (yes, we have good bagels up here! I did not say great, but really good! Your babka might be better than ours…)

Option to join Sunday morning sit from 10-12. Or sleep late, go for a walk, and more brunch for lunch…

Catch the bus back to the city at 1:45 p.m., arriving in NYC at 3:40.

If you have questions, write to Irene at Sky Lake.
irenewoodard24@gmail.com