Since 2019, four of the Simon sisters—Paula, Loretta, Mary, and myself—have been coming to Omega for yoga and meditation programs.
Paula met yoga therapist Jillian Pransky in Connecticut in 2012 and learned that Jillian was doing restorative retreats in the fall at Omega, and began attending them whenever her schedule allowed. Paula invited her three sisters to join—and we did!
Coming from Yonkers, Troy, Albany, and Connecticut to be together at Omega has been a special experience we have each treasured.
I can speak for the four of us when I share that these retreats together at Omega have been a great gift—of time spent together, yoga practice for our health, and meditation. Meeting fellow retreat attendees, making new friends, sharing our stories, and healthy practices, has been rewarding and enriching for us all.
Mary has found particular benefits from yoga practice for becoming stronger and maintaining good health in addition to her daily walking routine.
Loretta shared that while at Jillian Pransky’s 2025 fall retreat, a young participant sitting next to her on the mats shared a very personal struggle with cancer, and a book, Radical Remission, which she read that had helped her try to overcome her breast cancer. And she succeeded. Loretta is now reading that book. It was a good reminder to take care of ourselves to stay healthy—and Omega helps us do just that.
Over the years, we spend time together as sisters enjoying the nutritious, farm-fresh meals served in the Dining Hall, which is a hub of lively conversations and laughter.
Between workshop sessions, we love walking together on the beautiful grounds, especially the flower gardens and the wooded paths. The early risers in our group are in the Café before most people are awake for their coffee and quiet moments.
During the spring and fall sessions, Loretta and I love kayaking on the lake and even got to visit, at a distance, with a great blue heron, stately and calm, fishing on the far side in the water lilies.
For myself, there is a duality of our sisterhood—that special love as sisters who grew up together in Buffalo, New York, and have many shared memories—but also now, as mature women, we can share and create new experiences and make new discoveries about ourselves and each other, as we grow in our practice of yoga and meditation. The duality of the past lessons and the present learning—a continuum.
By taking care of ourselves, our bodies, minds, and spirits, Omega is there for us, nestled in nature, with excellent teachers, to help us all, on this wonderful journey of life. In a small way, by practicing and finding peace within ourselves, we four sisters then move forward into our lives in different cities, and the greater world, carrying that peace with us, to share with others.
Thank you, Omega!
