We plan to offer this trip in June 2011. Below are details of our 8–26 June 2009 trip.
Through the generosity of Ananda devotees in America,
we have found ways to make this trip as affordable
as possible. In the last 3 years, 50 Ananda Sangha students from India
have made this same pilgrimage.
Swami Kriyananda welcomes pilgrims to his Ananda Village residence,
the Crystal Hermitage
The pilgrimage is an opportunity for Ananda students
in India to see the scope of what has been accomplished
in the 40-year history of Ananda communities, both
rural and urban, including ways to bring Yogananda's teachings
into daily life; and to find inspiration for future
directions of Ananda's
work in India. We'll also visit
several scenic and tourist attractions of northern
and southern California.
The trip includes 9 days at Ananda Village; 5 days
at Ananda Palo Alto, near San Francisco; 1 night at Ananda Sacramento;
and 3 days in Los Angeles.
Selection preference will be given those pilgrims
who are actively involved with Ananda Sangha in India.
Ananda Village, founded by Swami Kriyananda in 1968, is the original
Ananda community. It is home to 250 residents, most of whom have practiced
Kriya Yoga for decades. The village is situated on 850 acres of beautiful
meadow and forest in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains
in northern California.
There are schools based on Yogananda's
principles from pre-school to university level.
A year-round retreat offers classes and retreats in
all aspects of spiritual life, including training for
teachers of meditation and yoga asanas.
Other activities
include a publishing company; Ananda’s
worldwide outreach through Web sites; Clarity magazine;
healing prayer ministry; courses and correspondence; a medical
and dental clinic; and retail businesses.
Slideshow of Past Pilgrimages to California
Pilgrimage Highlights
Activities during
our stay at Ananda Village include daily group meditations; satsangs;
meetings and classes with community leaders, school teachers, families,
and others; extensive tours of the community; opportunities to learn
from and to work alongside community members, meditation in various
shrines, and social activities in members' homes. There are trails
through the meadows and woods, and opportunities for recreation.
Day trips and outings include the rushing
Yuba River, with wildflowers and trails; the historic
California Gold Rush town of Nevada City; and, crossing
the Sierra Nevada mountains, the blue waters of Lake Tahoe, 500 metres
(1,640 feet) deep.
We'll also experience Ananda urban communities
in the cities of Palo Alto, in the heart of Silicon
Valley, and Sacramento, the capital of California.
We'll stay 4 nights in Palo Alto's 100-resident community, attending satsangs at their mandir and visiting their thriving school and popular bookstore.
In Sacramento, we'll meet Ananda community
members, attend satsangs, and spend a night there.
We’ll also
explore the sights of the beautiful city of San Francisco.
In Los Angeles, which is actually the starting point of the pilgrimage, we'll spend 3 nights in a motel and
visit the powerful places where Paramhansa Yogananda lived most of
his life—now
preserved as shrines. These include the oceanside
retreat in nearby Encinitas where he wrote Autobiography of a Yogi;
Mount Washington, where he established the headquarters
of Self-Realization Fellowship in 1925; the beautiful
and blessed garden Lake Shrine; and Forest Lawn,
where we'll meditate at Yogananda's
crypt containing his body, which may still be incorrupt.
We'll also visit the Ananda centre in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles, we'll drive up the coast most of
a day to Palo Alto.
Our time in Los Angeles will be focussed just on the shrines of Yogananda.
If you would like to also visit the tourist sights
of Los Angeles and theme parks, like Universal Studios
or Disneyland, you can plan to arrive earlier to do
this on your own. We suggest planning these extra days
in advance and estimating your costs, which can be quite high.
Itinerary
8 June: arrive in Los Angeles, dinner and opening satsang
8–10 June: 3 days in Los Angeles and Encinitas
11 June: scenic drive along Pacific coast to Palo Alto;
dinner and satsang in Palo Alto
Ananda Village, founded by Swami Kriyananda in 1968, is the original
Ananda community. It is home to 250 residents, most of whom have practiced
Kriya Yoga for decades. The village is situated on 850 acres of beautiful
meadow and forest in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains
in northern California. 
satsangs;
meetings and classes with community leaders, school teachers, families,
and others; extensive tours of the community; opportunities to learn
from and to work alongside community members, meditation in various
shrines, and social activities in members' homes. There are trails
through the meadows and woods, and opportunities for recreation.
reat in nearby Encinitas where he wrote Autobiography of a Yogi;
Mount Washington, where he established the headquarters
of Self-Realization Fellowship in 1925; the beautiful
and blessed garden Lake Shrine; and Forest Lawn,
where we'll meditate at Yogananda's
crypt containing his body, which may still be incorrupt. 
