Community Living Programs
Experience Ananda from the Inside

Meet Sara Rizzardini and
Tony O’Connell
Coordinators of the Community Living Programs

Sara: Born in Germany of Italian parents, Sara lived there for fifteen years. She speaks both Italian and German fluently, manages well in English, and speaks a bit of Portuguese. She received her first Yoga Instructor’s degree from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Academy in 1996, and taught yoga in Milan and in Germany for many years. She moved to Ananda Assisi in 2001 and in 2008 she received her diploma as a Yoga Instructor from the Ananda Yoga Academy of Europe. She often leads yoga and meditation sessions in the Temple of Light and, together with Tony, serves in the kitchen and coordinates the Community Living Programs.

Tony: Born and raised in Ireland, Tony lived in London for fifteen years, where he pursued a career in accountancy and project management while practicing daily the meditation and teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. He first visited Ananda during the Christmas period of 1992. Already a Kriyaban, his experience of Ananda in that festive period was so inspiring that he knew he would one day return to Ananda Assisi to live. He moved to Ananda Assisi in 2001. His responsibilities include being one of the main cooks, working part-time in the Reception office, and coordinating these programs.

How did you first hear about Ananda?

Sara: It was a moment in my life when I was feeling empty inside, and I wanted to go somewhere for a retreat so that I could find a way to fill myself again. I had heard Ananda mentioned many times in the various yoga courses and seminars that I attended, and when I reflected on the meaning of Ananda, “bliss,” it seemed to be what I was looking for. So at Christmas of 2000 I signed up for a one-week retreat. When I arrived, I immediately felt at home. I felt a connection with the people that cannot be expressed in words, as though an invisible thread united us. I decided to follow this thread and I extended my stay another two weeks.

Tony: I first heard about Ananda from reading The Path: Autobiography of a Western Yogi, by Swami Kriyananda. In this book he explains, from his personal experience, the importance of following a spiritual path and of the necessity of having a true Guru, one who knows God, and who has experienced the path which leads to Him. This book changed my life, and it also led me to Paramhansa Yogananda. After reading Yogananda’s autobiography, I knew I had found my Guru and spiritual guide. My older brother Daniel was already living in Ananda Assisi at this time, so it was inevitable that I would visit and experience first hand this amazing community.

During that first visit, what impressed you most strongly?

Sara: It was the simplicity and clarity of the teachings, the humility in the way they were being shared, the heart-to-heart contacts with people. I will never forget the first time I saw Swami Kriyananda. He was explaining cosmic concepts in such simple terms, his voice seemed to permeate and transform my consciousness. After years of having flitted from one flower to another, finally I had found fertile soil which gave me the possibility to rediscover the flower in me and make it blossom.

Tony: What impressed me most strongly was the sincerity and the kindness of all the people who lived in the community. There was a joy and harmony among these people that spoke more convincingly than any sermon.

What made you decide to actually move to Ananda?

Sara: When I recognized that I no longer had personal ambitions nor the desire to achieve my own projects, I discovered that what I wanted to do was to share with others a simple life, based on shared, high ideals.

Tony: Although I had a very successful life in London, something did not feel right. I wanted to fully immerse myself in a spiritual life, and Ananda provided me with an ideal opportunity to break free from a worldly environment and serve an ideal that both Paramhansa Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda believed in: World Brotherhood Colonies.

Did you move to Ananda right away?

Sara: I felt from the very beginning that Ananda was the ideal context in which I could grow. But because I had commitments and responsibilities, I had to wait until I could finish that chapter of my life before I could start another one. While I was putting my life in order, whenever I could I came to Ananda, especially during the winter months. I would collect the precious pearls of the teachings and the examples of how others were living them, and I placed them in the treasure chest of my soul, locking it tightly and placing the key in a safe place. Each time I needed them, I knew where to find them: in the silence of meditation. I was able in this way to be always joyful, with the understanding that Ananda is not a place but a state of consciousness that is always with me.

Tony: After my first visit, I returned on numerous occasions as a guest to recharge my spiritual battery. My first long-term stay was after many years, when I took a sabbatical from work for a period of a year and a half. Then returned to my job and life in London, and after another year and a half during which I worked in both London and America, I returned to Ananda Assisi. It really felt like coming home.

What is the biggest change you see in yourself and your life?

Sara: I would say it is the gradual simplifying in all aspects of my life, the sensation of lightness which results from it. I firmly believe in this way of life, not blindly but by evaluating myself dispassionately every day.

Tony: This is a difficult question to answer! Personally I think the ability to relax and learn to go with the flow has been an area where I needed to change significantly. In my experience, if your attitude and energy are correct, things have a way of magically getting done on time. I am still learning this and many other lessons in my life of service here in Ananda.

What motivated you to accept the job of coordinating the community living programs?

Sara: My own experience as a “karma yogi” has taught me so many lessons about the spiritual path. Actually it has been my path. Reading about spirituality is good, but for me the actual experience of putting spirituality into practice while doing a variety of tasks, working with all kinds of people, of doing things I thought I couldn’t do, learning to stay calm in stressful situations—this is what has changed my life and helped me discover who I really am. Now I want to help others make their own discoveries, and share with them the joy of discovering joy.

Tony: When I realized that help was needed in this area, I felt a strong desire to support Sara in the coordination of this program, and to direct help these people who are new to the community living experience. Now I realize that these people are actually helping me. The wonderful souls that are attracted to serve in these programs are such an inspiration to serve with. They are true karma yogis!

What would you say to someone who asks you if this program is appropriate for him?

Sara: I would say that Ananda is a perfect spiritual laboratory where one can look for the truth about himself and the universe; a place where one can be a spiritual scientist and use meditation and introspection together with heart-expanding devotion, right action, and yoga postures as instruments to purify the temple of our souls. In this program we are mirrors for each other, we help and support each other. I would say, “If you are tired of wasting time in your life, hiding behind a mask of false identifications, then these programs offer you an authentic opportunity to rediscover who you really are, to transform your life, to discover your true, inner values that make life really worth living.”

Tony: I would say: “Come and experience Ananda from the inside, serving alongside longtime community members. There will be a lot of joy and spiritual growth in this experience. You will be a part of a program where your day-to-day life is based on service, consideration of others and putting into practice the how-to-live teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda.”