Art of Living Retreat Center

I went here for a longevity retreat. I got there a day early to enjoy the center, which is beautiful. You have choices of hotel room, retreat room, shared room, apartments. My room was in Bhamaputra, which is next to the spa and is a hotel room. Be aware that when they say it is mountainous terrain they are being truthful. Walking up to the dining hall and the lecture hall was a definite steep uphill walk. There is a shuttle from 7 am to 10 pm that will take you around the center and I used that the day it was raining. My third floor room overlooked the mountains and the view was amazing. There is a Tea Lounge on the first floor that has a fridge, microwave, tea and coffee available. My room also had a fridge. There is no housekeeping of the rooms, so if you need more towels you can call down. The food is buffet style, all vegetarian and vegan. Some days it was great, others not so much. There are specific times (7:30-9:30 breakfast, 12-1:30 lunch, 6-7:30 dinner) and there isn't anywhere to get food other than those times. One thing I definitely didn't like, you clean up your tray, which is fine, but then you have to sort the dishes and food into bins and garbage. It was a little stomach churning. The yoga class with Alli was wonderful, although I heard later that some of the classes were overfull. I also did a meditation and mind class with her, also wonderful. The cooking class (extra fee) had great information and she demonstrated making apple oatmeal and pumpkin halswa. Be ready to stand! There is no sitting during the 90 minutes, you stand at a counter to watch the demo. The trails are plentiful, steep and semi-flat and you can get a great hike in. You can also pay an extra fee for a guided hike. Since I went in fall, the labyrinth was a little faded. There is a fire pit, although I didn't go to that. The best part of the Center is the staff. Everyone was so friendly, warm and kind, from the dining hall staff to reception to the shuttle drivers. Especially the shuttle drivers! I had a great time here, learned a lot and made some new friends.

This is a very peaceful place. It's old but well maintained. Most of the instructors are very kind, sweet and knowledgeable. The food taste is decent but high in sodium. Even though I paid for a hotel room, I had no room service and no air conditioning. Thankfully the weather was nice. I attended the happiness retreat and the only thing I wish I had was a facilitator that was properly trained. The lady that deliver the information was very nice but she had no idea of how to speak in public, she was extremely repetitive and used filler words and sounds a lot. She was not an effective communicator and mentioned studies without knowing or mentioning the source. It seems they trained her just to deliver meditations and to sell the next retreat and the app. She didn't have knowledge of history. She did disclose that she was a volunteer and not an employee so that may be the reason why she didn't have the skills to facilitate a training since this is not her expertise.

The Art of Living Retreat Center is a beautiful, serene and comfortable place to meditate and rejuvenate. Located on the magnificent Blue Ridge mountains, the views are spectacular. I go there at least twice a year. Its the perfect break away from busy suburban life. Every time, I get recharged with restful meditation, joyful singing and the company of like-minded people. The thick forests with blooming rhododendron bushes are gorgeous.

I was mesmerized by the beautiful campus of the retreat center nestled in the blue ridge mountains of NC, USA. I took a couple of intensive courses (silence retreat and Shakti kriya) and vow…was blown away by the how I felt after few days of rest. I am still on energy high though it’s been more than two weeks since I got back to Seattle. Apart from that, food and lodging arrangements were great. The cafe was stocked with delicious snacks and the store (books, clothing, and the gift center) browsing also helped add to the experience. I also got a chance to serve (offer service time) at the community kitchen. Loved the vibe and was enthralled to see how things get done at large scale. During my visit the center hosted about 3000 people and oh boy despite that everything was so smooth and well managed. Next, I looked forward to taking my family there some day.

I went here for a longevity retreat. I got there a day early to enjoy the center, which is beautiful. You have choices of hotel room, retreat room, shared room, apartments. My room was in Bhamaputra, which is next to the spa and is a hotel room. Be aware that when they say it is mountainous terrain they are being truthful. Walking up to the dining hall and the lecture hall was a definite steep uphill walk. There is a shuttle from 7 am to 10 pm that will take you around the center and I used that the day it was raining. My third floor room overlooked the mountains and the view was amazing. There is a Tea Lounge on the first floor that has a fridge, microwave, tea and coffee available. My room also had a fridge. There is no housekeeping of the rooms, so if you need more towels you can call down. The food is buffet style, all vegetarian and vegan. Some days it was great, others not so much. There are specific times (7:30-9:30 breakfast, 12-1:30 lunch, 6-7:30 dinner) and there isn't anywhere to get food other than those times. One thing I definitely didn't like, you clean up your tray, which is fine, but then you have to sort the dishes and food into bins and garbage. It was a little stomach churning. The yoga class with Alli was wonderful, although I heard later that some of the classes were overfull. I also did a meditation and mind class with her, also wonderful. The cooking class (extra fee) had great information and she demonstrated making apple oatmeal and pumpkin halswa. Be ready to stand! There is no sitting during the 90 minutes, you stand at a counter to watch the demo. The trails are plentiful, steep and semi-flat and you can get a great hike in. You can also pay an extra fee for a guided hike. Since I went in fall, the labyrinth was a little faded. There is a fire pit, although I didn't go to that. The best part of the Center is the staff. Everyone was so friendly, warm and kind, from the dining hall staff to reception to the shuttle drivers. Especially the shuttle drivers! I had a great time here, learned a lot and made some new friends.