Our goal is for you to leave feeling nourished, refreshed and empowered. You will learn self-care, compassion and mindfulness practices for your personal and professional life.

Not at all! We welcome anyone who is interested in bringing compassion, mindfulness and self-care practices into their daily and/or professional lives. No experience is necessary.

A retreat creates a container for self-care and self-transformation. Mount Madonna Center, our venue, is a beautiful space with acres of redwood forests, ocean views and houses a community centered around self-development. This setting provides an opportunity to put compassion into practice and supports your well-being through time in nature, massage and healing bodywork, yoga classes, fresh food, and community. The content provided in the conference will be integrated into your experience.

Cabins are located in a lovely oak grove and have electricity and heat, but no indoor plumbing. A separate bathhouse with flush toilets and private shower rooms is nearby. The cabins are a 10-minute walk from most meeting spaces and community buildings. If this sounds too rustic for you, please consider asking for a room. Rooms are in hotel style buildings (no phones or TVs in rooms, however) and feature one or more single beds. Some rooms include a private bathroom with shower while others share bathrooms just down the hallway.

Yes! You may stay an additional night before or after your stay by reserving a Personal Retreat through Mount Madonna Center. If you need assistance, please contact Guest Services at 408-846-4090 or email programs@mountmadonna.org.

The property is 380 acres, with the main campus area artfully developed. There are many hiking trails varying from quite easy to more challenging, and it is easy to get away from the developed area to beautiful redwood groves, meadows, wonderful views, and quiet.

There is wifi in most guest rooms (not cabins), meeting spaces, and in our community building and cafe. Cell phone reception can be spotty, though texting works well. Verizon works best, AT&T is decent, and Sprint and T-Mobile are limited.

Mount Madonna Center is approximately 2 hours driving time south of San Francisco, in the Santa Cruz Mountains of the Central California coast overlooking Monterey Bay from Santa Cruz to Monterey and Pacific Grove. The closest commercial airport is San Jose International with San Francisco International being the second closest.

Address: 445 Summit Rd., Watsonville, CA 95076. We do not recommend relying on GPS. Some online maps may route you on roads which are undeveloped and sometimes impassable. Always use Hwy 152 to get up the mountain.

Ayurveda is the sister science of yoga. Ayurveda is a comprehensive system of health that aims to address the root causes of dis-ease by rebalancing mind, body and spirit. A consultation is for personal education to enhance, develop and manage a healthy lifestyle appropriate for one's true nature. It consists of a detailed history taking to determine the causative factors involved. Recommendations may include diet, daily routine, herbs, meditation, yoga and breathing practices.

Our practitioners offer Swedish, Acupressure, Deep Tissue, Abhyanga, Rolfing, Craniosacral, and Acupuncture. A massage or ayurvedic consultation is included in your registration. Durga, the Event Manager, will reach out to you to schedule an appointment. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out: durga@karunaevents.co.

Quiet hours are 9:00pm to 8:00am. Mount Madonna Center does not allow alcohol, marijuana, illegal drugs, or pets. No smoking, except in the designated area. Please do not bring food of any kind to the Center. Please do not wear or use scented products or essential oils as many people are allergic and/or sensitive.