“Environment is stronger than willpower” –Paramhansa Yogananda
Sept 11-20, 2025
10 nights, 11 Days
An exceptional 11-day GAP experience at the Ananda Meditation Retreat, part of America’s oldest spiritual cooperative community. Here, you’ll live alongside residents, monastics and other students who are living the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of “Autobiography of a Yogi”, and the first Indian yoga master to live and teach in America. “Ananda” means “bliss” in Sanskrit, and the goal of Ananda is the inner happiness found from meditation and yoga.
Proposed Itinerary
Day 1
Day 1:
Arrive Thurs., Sept. 11th between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m.
Free time to relax and explore the Meditation Retreat Grounds
Yoga & Meditation: 5:00-6:30 p.m., Temple of Silence
Dinner in Retreat Dining Room: 6:30-7:15 p.m.
Orientation: 7:30 pm. Temple of Silence
Days 2-11
Days 2-11 Sample Schedule:
Morning Yoga & Meditation: 6:30-8:00 a.m.
Breakfast in Silence: 8:30-9:15 a.m.
Karma Yoga: 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Class (see topics below): 10:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
Meditation: 12:00-12:30 p.m.
Lunch: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Karma Yoga: 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Class, discussion, hiking or free time TBD: 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Yoga Postures & Meditation: 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Dinner: 6:30-7:00 p.m.
Karma Yoga, Class, or Evening Event: 7:30 p.m.
Class Topics
Class Topics May Include:
- Vedic Philosophy
- Sharing Nature Games
- The Yuga Cycles of Time
- World Cultures & Consciousness
- Community Living
- Raja Yoga, Superconscious Living
- Lessons in Meditation
- Harmonious Relationships
- Holistic Health & Healing
- Yoga Psychology
- Spiritual Cooperative Living
- Consciousness and the Arts (Art, Music, Dance or Creative Writing)
- Education for Life
- Material Success Through Yogic Principles
- Music for Emotional Healing
Additional Events
Your stay may include:
- Working and serving in Ananda Village farms and gardens
- Karma Yoga Service
- Music & Chanting Events
- River Trips to the Yuba River
- Hiking, nature games, tours of Ananda Village, gardens, farms & businesses
- Meals with residents of the 50-year-old Ananda Spiritual Cooperative Community
Travel Details
Nearest airports: Sacramento Intl Airport: 2 hours; Reno Intl Airport: 2 hours. Airport pickup and delivery to Ananda Meditation Retreat can be expensive, so please call the Retreat Office at least two weeks in advance for shuttle information, which is an extra charge not included in your stay.
Important: Please let us know if you are signed up for the entire “Gap Bundle” from Sept. 3 to Sept. 30th. If you are arriving from the Yellowstone Trip, please inform us beforehand of your arrival time. The Ananda Meditation Retreat is located in a remote, forested area, down a 2 ½ mile dirt road.
Location: Ananda Meditation Retreat
Accommodations: Meditation Retreat Lodging, double occupancy in canvas bungalows
(*note: single room occupancy during this time is $500 extra)
Meals: The retreat serves 3 buffet-style meals per day at specific times. Meals are healthy, vegetarian. Please inform the retreat in advance if you require vegan or gluten free options.
- Flashlight – important!
- Water bottle
- Your own yoga mat, if you have one (we also have yoga mats, pillows and meditation benches for you to use)
- Journal and pen
- Uplifting reading material (we also have a small lending library that is open to all guests)
- Sturdy shoes and sandals (best to bring shoes, boots and sandals that are easily removable since there are no shoes worn in the cabins and temples)
- Comfortable, casual, modest clothing — dress in layers, as evenings are usually cool even in summertime
- Mosquito repellent
- Optional: Sun hat, sun glasses, sunscreen
Costs
Location: Ananda Meditation Retreat
Minimum Age: 18
Cost: $880*
*Single room occupancy during this time is $500 extra
* College Credit: Instructors work individually with students to create a learning portfolio that may be used to apply for college credit at their current or future home college. Students interested in this option should confirm with their institutions that learning portfolios are accepted. If so, there is a minimum $350 additional charge paid to the instructor for help with portfolio creation.
Your Hosts
Organizers
Nayaswami Nischala & Nakula Cryer, co-founders of Ananda College of Living Wisdom.
Instructors
Ananda College of Living Wisdom Staff
Meet Our Team
About Us
Ananda Meditation Retreat is where Ananda began in 1968, over 50 years ago. Today, Ananda has 7 spiritual cooperative communities throughout the west, one in Assisi, Italy, and in many teaching centers and ashrams throughout India. Many of these communities include farms, gardens, schools and places for individuals to live together in a spirit of peace and harmony. Ananda exists as a model for the entire world to live together in small spiritual communities, demonstrating that plain living and high thinking lead to the greatest happiness.
World Peace Award: In 2017, Ananda received the Global Ambassador Peace Award from the United Nations Institute of International Social Development (IISD), an international non-governmental organization. Ananda Worldwide Spiritual Directors, Jyotish and Devi Novak, were invited to the United Nations in New York City to receive the award on November 17, 2017, four years after the death of Ananda’s founder, Swami Kriyananda. The Global Ambassador Peace Award recognizes spiritual leaders and UN leadership who can transform the world. Jyotish and Devi are emissaries of Paramhansa Yogananda, who taught meditation and Kriya Yoga. They trained with Ananda’s founder, Swami Kriyananda, for nearly 50 years. Today, Jyotish and Devi make their home at Ananda Village, and spend several months each year at Ananda Communities in the US, in Assisi, Italy and throughout India.