REGISTRATION

WHAT IS THE RETREAT SCHEDULE?

The retreat program starts with registration at 4:00 pm on Day 1 at the Sacred Grove, followed by orientation and an introduction to the topic of the retreat by Sri M. Day 2 and 3 begin with a guided Yoga session with a yoga teacher followed by 2 morning sessions and 2 afternoon sessions led by Sri M.

This schedule is subject to change. A detailed program schedule will be available and communicated a few weeks prior to the retreat.

ACCOMMODATION

There is currently no accommodation available at the Sacred Grove premises.

All registered participants will have to make their own hotel reservations. In the past, the majority of our participants have stayed either at the Best Western or the Holiday Inn and have given us positive reviews. We have blocked rooms at the Holiday Inn and Best Western. In order to qualify for the blocked rates please contact the hotels directly. However you are welcome to research and choose the accommodation that is most suitable for you.

The next two closest cities with hotel accommodation are Mineral Wells (approximately 45min from Graham) and Wichita Falls (approximately 1 hour from Graham).

Rooms may be shared, a link to join a WhatsApp group will be shared where you may coordinate room sharing with other attendees for the same retreat. This link will be sent once we confirm registration and payment for all participants.

CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY

The cancellation and refund policy will be announced on August 6.

ARE PAYMENTS TAX DEDUCTIBLE?

No, retreat payments are not tax-deductible as you will be attending the retreat for the payment you are making and availing the services at Sacred Grove.

Hotel bookings and cancellations will follow hotel policy and attendees will need to contact the hotel directly.

KRIYA INITIATION AT RETREAT

All retreats will include Kriya initiation by Sri M.

CAN WE SCHEDULE 1-1 TIME WITH SRI M?

All participants will get the opportunity to individually offer their respects to Sri M and receive his blessings at the end of each retreat. Scheduling a 1-1 will be difficult due to the volume of participants and constraints in time.

VACCINATION POLICY

For the safety of our participants, we will be encouraging all attendees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and to wear masks on site, however this will not be mandatory.

VISITOR POLICY

To ensure safety of our attendees and volunteers, we will only allow registered attendees and volunteers to the Sacred Grove grounds. We will not be able to allow anyone else, including friends and family members.

Please note that this includes children under 10 years age. Since children will not be allowed on the property during the retreats, we request you make appropriate arrangements for child care during your participation.

IF I HAVE SMALL CHILDREN, CAN I BRING THEM ALONG FOR THE RETREAT?

Minimum age for a registrant is 10 years. Please note that children under 10 years will not be allowed on the property during the retreats, so we request you make appropriate arrangements for child care during your participation. Children above 10 years old have to be registered as a retreat participant.

ACCOMMODATION

There is currently no accommodation available at the Sacred Grove premises.

Rooms may be shared, a link to join a WhatsApp group will be shared where you may coordinate room sharing with other attendees for the same retreat. This link will be sent in late March once we confirm registration and payment for all participants.

LOCATION & HOW TO GET THERE

For the address and information on how to reach the Sacred Grove Campus, please click here. On this page you will find links on how to find the campus from either side of the highway. Please click on these links for a more detailed illustration of landmarks and turn off points.

NEAREST AIRPORT

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Dallas/Love Field (DAL) are the nearest airports. They are both about 2 hours away by road from Graham.

TRANSPORTATION TO/FROM GRAHAM AND SACRED GROVE

Attendees are expected to make their own travel arrangements to Graham. The town Graham where the accommodations are located is about a 20min drive from the Sacred Grove campus. There are no public transport options and participants will have to arrange a car to commute from the airport, and to travel between the Sacred Grove Campus and their accommodation.

We will set up a WhatsApp group in early September to connect participants to other attendees from their retreat that are able to offer carpool with those that are looking for a ride.

MEALS

All meals starting with dinner on Day 1 (day of registration) up to and including dinner on Day 3 (last day of retreat) will be at the Sacred Grove Dining hall. Our kitchen provides nourishing vegetarian meals. Fruit, tea, coffee and water will be available throughout the day.

Please specify if you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions in the registration form. Our kitchen cooks with tree nuts, soy, milk, eggs and wheat. While we take steps to minimize the risk of cross contamination, we cannot guarantee that any of our meals are totally free of peanuts, tree nuts, soy, milk, egg or wheat.

WHAT IS THE DURATION OF RETREAT ?

Each retreat is for three days. The program will begin Day 1 in the afternoon and end Day 3 after dinner.

Dinner will be at approximately 7pm. We will provide packed meals for those who have to leave immediately after the program ends.

WHAT TYPE OF SEATING WILL BE AVAILABLE DURING THE RETREATS?

Meditation cushions, floor chairs (a.k.a back-jacks) and standard chairs will be available for use. If you prefer to bring your own seat, you are welcome to do so.

DO I NEED TO BRING MY OWN YOGA MAT FOR THE YOGA CLASS?

Yoga mats will be provided for the morning yoga class.

VOLUNTEERING

Our programs are run by volunteers and we welcome your help. We are in need of full-time volunteers for each retreat, hence we request you to sign up for a retreat you are not already attending.

There will be opportunities to volunteer in the kitchen and dining hall (meal prep, getting dining patio ready, setting up the meal service and washing dishes), managing registration, helping keep traffic flowing smoothly in and out of the property, parking duties, getting the meditation hall ready for the programs and clean up after, keeping Grotto areas clean and other activities.

Volunteer registrations will open on August 6.

Kindly note that due to limited budget we are requesting all volunteers to manage their own accommodation and transportation costs. We will send out further information shortly regarding accommodation options for volunteers and accommodation sharing and carpooling options.

Full-time volunteers who are not participants in the retreat, will have free access to the campus during the retreat and may use the facilities such as Sri Guru Babaji’s room and Mary’s Grotto. Volunteers will be provided meals free of cost and are also welcome to attend daily meditation sessions with Sri M.

CONTACT

For other queries, please send an email to programs@blossomfoundation.com