In the quiet sanctuary of the Dominican Retreat house in McLean, Virginia, just outside Washington and not far from the wreckage at the Pentagon, the phone has been ringing more than usual in the last several weeks. People have been calling to request information about programs and ask whether there is room to stay for a few days.
At Esalen, the venerable alternative center in Big Sur, California, whose mission is fostering personal and social transformation and "the realization of human potential," nearly all the rooms are full. Usually the center has a large international clientele, but just now more of its visitors are from the US. "Sept. 11 has triggered a lot of feelings, and people are looking inward," said David Price, operations manager at the center.
Powell House Retreat and Conference Center, a Quaker establishment on 20ha in Old Chatham, New York, not far from the Berkshires, focuses on peace, community and family, and has had full participation in recent weeks. Many sojourners from New York City spend the night. If guests are there on a weekend, they are welcome to attend Sunday meeting in the library of the old farmhouse on the property.
Variety of approaches
It may seem odd to mention Dominican nuns, a Quaker retreat and Esalen in the same breath. However different the paths may be that lead visitors to their doors, all offer tranquil shelter and comfort for the spirit. "People are standing back, taking a look at their lives and reprioritizing," said Janet Berney, secretary for the Dominican Retreat. "They are taking more time for the spiritual side of things."
Tourism and leisure travel are markedly curtailed this season; roughly 30 percent of Americans who had plans for vacations have changed, canceled or postponed them, the Travel Industry Association of America said in a report this month. But many destinations offering restoration and solace, a chance to reflect and perhaps begin to heal, are holding steady. Some had cancellations the week after Sept. 11, but enrollment in programs since then has been strong -- in some cases stronger than in past years.
"It makes sense that they're coming," said Louise Leckner, a spokeswoman for the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, New York, north of Poughkeepsie. "We help people reconnect to themselves, which is what you really need to get through something like this."
Although Omega closes its Rhinebeck facility from November through April, it offers winter programs in the Caribbean. One of them is a Valentine's Day cruise for couples and singles, called Voyage of the Heart, on the Maasdam, a Holland America ship. The cruise, which begins in Fort Lauderdale and travels to Jamaica, the Bahamas, Cozumel, Mexico, and Grand Cayman, has had slow but steady bookings, Leckner says, and enrollment is higher than it was last year at this time. Omega also runs programs at Pura Vida, a yoga center in the mountains of Costa Rica.
The Christmas season at Maya Tulum, a yoga retreat that accommodates 80 in a beachfront jungle setting an hour-and-a-half south of Cancun, Mexico, is fully booked and has a waiting list. At its sister property, Pura Vida, the calls were slow after Sept. 11 but have been picking up in recent weeks, according to Jennifer Kehr, marketing manager for R & R Resorts, which represents the properties. The focus at the two places is on yoga, meditation and "conscious living."
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