A Wellness Retreat for Physicians
Join us for this special wellness retreat, created specifically for physicians and their families, focusing on incorporating yoga practices into daily life for increased health and vitality. During this time dedicated to health and well-being, you will be given the opportunity to be in nature, follow your body’s natural rhythms, spend time with family and in community, and learn practices from the 5000 year old wisdom of yoga that can help lead to greater wellness in both your professional and personal life.
Through attending this retreat, you can expect to:
- Learn specific tools from the tradition of yoga to help address some of the unique challenges facing doctors today, including inattention, heightened stress response, vicarious trauma (especially poignant during the pandemic years), and feelings of burnout
- Participate in meditation sessions and learn practices to take home for a daily practice
- Engage in mandala drawing as a technique for centering the self through creative self-reflection
- Be supported within a serene environment that will aid your relaxation and rejuvenation, and provide a peaceful connection to nature
- Spend quality time on your own or with family members in a lovely and peaceful mountain setting
Through developing a daily yoga practice, you then open the door to increasing your ability to build and maintain relationships, increase energy and happiness, deepen your compassion for self and others, and experience greater mental freedom.
Tuition:
Physician participants: $200 + meals and lodging.
Spouse, Significant Other, Adult Child (18 years and older): $100 + meals and lodging.
Children under 18 years: $0 tuition + meals and lodging at children’s rates: children 4 years and under are welcome free of charge; for 5 - 12 years old, fees are discounted 50%.
Childcare: Childcare will be available to children 4 years and older (free of charge for up to 4 hours). Childcare helpers and activities - including children's asana activity - will be available on Saturday July 15 from 8:00am to 1:15pm, except during brunch time.
To register a spouse/significant other and/or children: On the registration page, in the box "Additional Requests", please include the full names of spouse/partner and any other family members, as well as the ages of any children accompanying you. If you need an early arrival or late departure, or are coming with a party larger than three and require more than one room, please specify in that section as well. We will manually register additional party members and you will receive a confirmation email with an added balance due that accurately reflects these additions.
Presenters
Melissa Lucey, M.D., is a Family Medicine physician, living at Mount Madonna Center. She attended medical school at Emory University in Atlanta, and completed her residency training at UCSF, helping to staff the Family Health Center and the inpatient wards at San Francisco General Hospital. Following residency she moved to Oakland, CA, and worked in primary care at Kaiser Permanente for 11 years (Oakland and Berkeley campuses). She has a particular interest in women’s health, and in addition to work within primary care, she also worked at Kaiser leading prenatal Centering groups, and within the Gynecology department. Melissa is excited to be a co-creator of the Healing the Healers Retreat, helping to bring an integrated and holistic approach to self-care and overall health. She lives at Mount Madonna with her husband, Umesh, and two young children, Lio and Gus.
Giovanna Zerbi, Psy.D., started her career in behavioral health directing several mental health outpatient clinics after which she joined UC San Diego as a clinical supervisor. For the last 12 years of her career, Giovanna served as the Director of Behavioral Programs at the UCSD Physician Assessment and Clinical Education Program, providing, among other services, behavioral and wellness workshops for physicians. In that context, she taught mindfulness, self-care, and Nonviolent Communication. She also helped establish a “Second Victim” program designed to support all employees of the UC San Diego healthcare system who suffer from vicarious traumatization.
Giovanna studied Zen Buddhism under the guidance of the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. She attended numerous retreats both in the United States and Europe. In 2001, she was ordained as a lay minister in the Tiep Hien Order, where she continues to practice engaged Buddhism.
Now retired from UCSD, Giovanna and her wife Judy split their time between San Diego and Riva del Garda, Italy, which allows them to spend time with their sons Garrett and Tommy in the United States, and Francesco in Italy.
Tom Tighe, D.O., F.A.C.E.P., was a long time emergency physician and short time palliative hospice physician, and is now retired. His career in medicine included serving as medical advisor of a Bay Area air ambulance company, and chief of staff and board member of a Bay Area non-profit two-hospital system. He was a volunteer physician at Sri Ram Ashram Orphanage and medical clinic in Shyampur, India.
Tom has been an avid yoga student and practitioner for approximately 50 years (plus “many lifetimes - a slow learner”) and graduated from Mount Madonna’s Yoga Teacher Training program in 1980. He currently volunteers at the Cape Cod National Seashore North Atlantic Coastal Lab.
Tom is husband of Peggy Green, educational consultant and retired school superintendent, father of Nathan, a pediatric anesthesiologist and musician, and daughter-in-law, Ashley Hall, professional musician and coach; and grandfather of Kevin and Morgan.
Sudha Prathikanti, M.D., is Board-certified in Adult Psychiatry, a diplomate of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine, and a certified Ayurvedic practitioner. At the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, she founded both the Integrative Psychiatry and the Ayurveda consultation services, and currently directs the Integrative Psychiatry Teaching Clinic at this site. Her research on treating depression with yoga has been featured in local and national media.
Peggy Green, M.A., educator and “Forever Student”, has enjoyed a career in education that included public school special education teacher, administrator and public school superintendent. She taught, lectured, and supervised student teachers at universities in Iowa and California. She worked for 11 years as an administrative coach for a California nonprofit, stimulating systemic reform to improve the teaching and learning of minority and underperforming students in the Central Valley, Bay Area, and Monterey Bay.
Peggy led a group of public school teachers and superintendents to India to support the school at the Sri Ram Ashram in Shyampur, as well as served as a summer camp leader at the orphanage. Additionally, she volunteered at the Sri Ram Ashram medical clinic with her husband.
She completed Yoga Teacher Training in 1980 and is currently studying to integrate her long term yoga practice with Buddhist practices of compassion. Peggy cared for and educated her two grandchildren from infancy through COVID homeschool and hybrid learning. She volunteers as a reading tutor and lives with her husband of 42 years (retired) Dr. Tom Tighe in Cape Cod, MA.
Anand Brian Darsie, BA (Music), RYT 500, E-RYT 200, RCYT: Uniting his passions for music, yoga, spirituality, community, and worship, Anand brings a unique perspective to his practice and teaching. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Indiana University and spent six years in residency at Mount Madonna, where he was immersed in yoga and community studies. Anand seeks to promote body intelligence through asana, pranayama, and meditation. Enthusiastic, encouraging, creative, and compassionate, Anand inspires students of all ages through ancient methods delivered with contemporary scientific understanding and a playful, dynamic spirit.
Stephanie Conway (MA, RYT-500) first moved to Mount Madonna in 2008, and has been active in a variety of areas over the years, and currently serves as the Director of Operational Systems. A YTT300 graduate, she loves leading pranayama, meditation, and asana classes, while also being a student of the rich Mount Madonna lineage herself. Stephanie dedicates her dynamic energy to spelunking the human condition and supporting healthy development and movement in individuals, projects, and communities.




Meals & Lodging Fees
The fees below are per person and reflect the total charges for lodging, meals, and use of facilities. Tuition is additional.
When choosing your accommodations, please select as your first choice the option that best suits accommodating your full party (e.g. if coming with just your spouse/partner select one of the Double occupancy options, if also coming with a child or any party of three select the Triple option).
Accommodations Type | Daily Rate | |
Conference Center - Single Room (1 person/room) w/ Private Bath | $536 | |
Conference Center - Single Room (1 person/room); Shared Bath | $430 | |
Conference Center - Double in Room (2 people/room) w/ Private Bath | $388 | |
Conference Center - Double in Room (2 people/room); Shared Bath | $326 | |
Conference Center - Triple in Room (3 people/room); Shared Bath | $262 | |
Cabin - Single (1 person/cabin); Separate Shared Bath Facility | $372 | |
Cabin - Double (2 people/cabin); Separate Shared Bath Facility | $310 | |
Camp in Own Tent | $164 | |
Camp in Own Vehicle | $164 | |
Commuting | $138 |
Accommodations
Guest Rooms
These tasteful rooms, some with ensuite bathrooms, are located in our Conference Center where there is wifi, two lovely courtyards with expansive views to read and relax in, and a full tea bar available at all times in the Conference wing of the building. All beds are single size, and sleep 1 person only. Single, double and triple rooms are hotel-style. Bathrooms and showers are centrally located on each floor.
Book NowRustic Cabins
These simple rustic cabins are located in our Oaks Campground. They are a short walk to the main area, but have a feeling of being more remote. Cabins have electricity and heat, but not wi-fi or indoor plumbing. A separate shower house is nearby, containing private showers and dressing rooms, and flush toilets.
Book NowOwn Vehicle
Regular size parking spaces are available for your van, camper or other vehicle. There is no access to electricity. Showers and restrooms are available in campgrounds and Center buildings.
Book NowTent Camping
Developed campsites are available for people who wish to bring their own tent. Sites offer access to showers and flush toilets and are available year-round. Please be aware that we can receive significant amounts of rain from November through May.
Book Now