Southern Dharma Retreat Center

Incredibly well managed and thoughtfully curated space- both in terms of its physicality and the content of the retreat I attended. This center offers an authentic and welcoming experience for those seeking to explore and improve their understanding of the Dharma. Impressive instructor.

I attended a retreat at the Southern Dhama Retreat Center in June 2024. I attended a 5-night silent meditation retreat. The retreat grounds are very beautiful, they are up in the mountains. The center is embedded in the canopy on a mountain. The grounds felt very secluded in nature and peaceful. The location was over an hour from the airport and the roads wind, so I took a dramamine on the return trip. This was my first silent meditation retreat. The staff living on the grounds and the teacher that led the retreat (Ronya Banks) were supportive, friendly, and practiced accessible forms of buddhism. Everyone there upheld the spirit of the retreat with kindness. The food was great. I stayed in the lodge and enjoyed my double room. Even though the lodge does not have AC, the staff had recom

Over the last 11 years I have done 12 retreats at Southern Dharma, ranging from 4 days to 14 days. In every case, I experienced staff as being extremely focused on providing the best possible experience for those of us there. From grounds keeping, to the meals, to safety, to addressing concerns of participants it's always been excellent. I know of no other retreat center that is equal to SDRC, and I am so grateful they are located only about 90 minutes away for me.

Southern Dharma is a truly special place-simple, serene. secluded. The staff are warm, sincere and efficient. The food-healthy, nourishing and quite delicious. The grounds are lovely and the structures cozy and clean. I have been on several retreats with top-notch teachers and each retreat has been enriching, informative and restorative. Highly recommended!

I have been on 3 meditation retreats at Southern Dharma and all of them have been incredible. They create a beautiful container in which participants can be free to give themselves over to the practice without having to worry about timing, food, comfort etc. The setting is stunning and it feels wonderful to immerse oneself in the beautiful mountain feels. And the food is vegan/vegetarian and absolutely delicious. I can't wait to go back.