This weekend I hopped on a train and visited Ananda Ashram, a yoga retreat center in the Catskills. I’d heard about it for years but never gone, and am now wondering why my friends didn’t just drag me up there sooner. It was lovely–leafy, peaceful, with swans and geese and clean food and yoga and meditation and friendly, non-holier-than-thou people. Mostly New Yorkers looking for a soul dip. And I remembered how important it is for my spirit to come out and play, to be with like-minded folks who are looking to grow, to connect with something larger, to be more at peace.

The lovely Amy Cunningham did a feature for us years ago on spiritual summer retreats for grownups. (We also have something on spiritual summer camps for kids of all faiths.) She names places like Omega Institute in New York, Esalen in California and a few others. There’s also Kripalu Center in Western Mass., and more faith-speciifc retreats throughout the country–Pendle Hill, a Quaker center in Pennsylvania, Menla Mountain Retreat, a Buddhist spot near Woodstock, N.Y., to name a couple.

Do you do anything like this in the summer? Find a way to refresh your mind, body, and spirit? Do share any favorite spots or activities.