By Max Oppen
HAINES FALLS — Peace Village Learning & Retreat Center celebrated its 25th anniversary on September 7, hosting an event from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at its campus located at 54 O’Hara Road in Haines Falls. The celebration featured a variety of offerings, including spiritual exhibitions, live music, local original art, meditation and well-being activities, Om chanting, family games, and refreshments, attracting hundreds of attendees for an inspiring and uplifting day.
Among the attendees was Martin Young, who had driven up from Queens with his family. I met him in June while covering a talk by Sister Jayanti at Peace Village. Reflecting on his experiences, Young said, “This place is the one place I know where, if you ask for help, they will never turn you away. There’s no judgment here. Whenever I come, I leave my phone in the car. I like coming here because I want to be disconnected.”
Young, who has been coming to Peace Village since it opened in 1999, brought his wife and three children to the retreat in June. The children have even performed at Peace Village events over the years. “My daughter does Indian dancing, and all three of my kids play harmonium, tabla, and sing,” he shared.
A stationary engineer in NYC, Young had driven up that morning and planned to return to Queens later that day. He noted that his wife, Annie, became deeply involved with Peace Village during the COVID pandemic and even transitioned to a vegetarian diet “cold turkey.”
Peace Village is a retreat center of the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization, which has approximately 40 locations in the U.S. where one can learn the practice of Raja Yoga Meditation. Unlike traditional yoga practices, Raja Yoga does not involve physical postures, mantras, or breathing exercises. Instead, it encourages silence and deep introspection to connect with one's own source of peace, love, joy, and wisdom.
The event offered a range of activities designed to create an enriching experience. I covered the evening celebration in the September 20 edition of The Mountain Eagle, but the earlier part of the day, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featured a host of games, prizes, and uplifting activities. Many of the activities centered on themes of meditation and concentration, including a unique challenge that asked participants to sit still for one, two, three, or five minutes while members of the Brahma Kumaris attempted to distract them.
Dozens of booths were set up in an enormous tent decorated with balloons, welcoming visitors with interactive activities. Representatives from various Brahma Kumaris centers across the U.S. and Canada helped organize the booths. At the “Shine Your Light” booth, participants spun a wheel labeled with virtues such as “Persistence,” “Kindness,” and “Happiness.” After spinning, visitors were invited to hold a sign featuring their selected virtue in front of a lighthouse painting and have their photo taken.
I participated in the activity myself, spinning the wheel and landing on “Happiness.” Sakshi, who spent the summer at Peace Village and was visiting from the Pune district of Maharashtra, India, guided me through the experience. After my spin, she took my photo holding the word “Happiness” in front of the lighthouse. Sakshi, who has been a Raja Yoga student since childhood and had just finished her civil engineering studies, explained, “We encourage everyone to meditate on the virtue they receive and reflect on how it applies to their life.” She was working alongside Anjali, another member originally from Haryana in northern India, who has been part of Peace Village for three years.
Sister Surekha, from Mississauga, Canada, also helped at the "Shine Your Light" booth. “Our booth is focused on awakening the virtues of souls. We invite people to spin the Wheel of Virtue, take a picture with the lighthouse, and embody that virtue to shine its light in the world,” she explained. Surekha, who began her spiritual journey in Canada, reflected on her personal connection: “I grew up with Peace Village.”
At the “Mind Matter” booth, Harish from the Danbury, Connecticut Center ran games testing different aspects of the mind, including memory, focus, concentration, accuracy, and balance. “We have different games to test various parts of the mind,” Harish explained. “We’ve had a lot of people from different centers participating, and it’s been wonderful.” Harish has been studying with the Brahma Kumaris for seven years and moved to the U.S. from Tamil Nadu, India, when he was just one year old.
Sister Susan Pollock, a retreat promoter and long-time organizer at Peace Village, reflected on the success of the morning festivities. “The people who came in the morning really enjoyed themselves. There was so much positive energy in the tent,” she said. Pollock, who has been practicing Raja Yoga meditation since 1985, has lived at Peace Village for 15 years. She estimated that about 800 people attended the festivities throughout the day.
One of the more challenging booths, “Challenge the Yogi,” invited participants to meditate while facing distractions. Sister Reena, from the Southern New Jersey center, explained the setup: “There is a Yogi who remains seated, and you can challenge yourself to meditate for one, three, or five minutes while we create distractions—using sound, focus, and mental challenges. We provide affirmation cards to help keep participants centered, and if they succeed, they receive a small gift.”
Despite some light rain in the afternoon, the day was a success, with a sense of community spirit evident throughout the event.
Upcoming weekend retreats at Peace Village include:
El Arte de Meditar (a retreat in Spanish) Oct 18-20,
The Path of Love: Nov 1-3,
Silence Retreat: Nov 8-10,
Unraveling the Secrets of Karma: Nov 15-17
For more information about Peace Village Learning & Retreat Center in Haines Falls, including a full schedule of events, visit www.peacevillageretreat.org or call 518-589-5000
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