Holidays and Festivals
Sacred and Joyful Celebrations
at Ananda

Holy days at Ananda are sacred and joyful occasions for self-transformation and community sharing, with an East-West atmosphere that emphasizes the unity of all spiritual paths.

Special Events with Swami Kriyananda in Italy

Swami Kriyananda will be with us from May until late June 2010. Before going on to California, he will participant in a few events in Assisi, Rome and Milan. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see him.

Please contact the Reception Office for updated information. Many people will want to see him: therefore a deposit is required to confirm your reservation. If you feel inspired to help with Swamiji’s travel expenses and the building of his work in India, your donations will be very much appreciated.

Special Events with Swami Kriyananda

Spiritual Renewal Week 2010
The Spiritual Warrior – Conquering Your Ego and Bringing Light to the World

22-27 August (in Italian with English translation)

“Whenever the spiritual aspirant becomes inwardly awake, he finds that his consciousness becomes the battleground where the mental warriors of bad tendencies, with their weapons of temptations, rally to fight the forces of good habits and discrimination armed with the weapons of wisdom.”
—Paramhansa Yogananda, Commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 1

As we travel the spiritual path we find that it is an arduous journey. Yogananda once described it as “running at full speed and jumping over hurdles at the same time.” To win our way to God realization, we need the attitude and the inner strength of a spiritual warrior. As Yogananda describes in his commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita, there are many battles to be fought and won.

This is our second annual Spiritual Renewal Week and we dedicate it to those who desire to be spiritual warriors, and also to the spiritual heroes who inspire us to keep fighting. Based on Yogananda’s Gita Interpretations and Swami Kriyananda’s book, Sadhu, Beware!, the morning classes will offer insights and advice for being successful in the battles with:

• Our physical and mental health
• Our negative habits
• Desires and temptations
• The ego.

Afternoon workshops are available for learning and deepening the spiritual practices which are the warriors best weapons. Workshops are scheduled for beginners up through Kriya practitioners. And evening programs will focus on the stories of ancient and modern spiritual heroes.

Silence Retreat

December 2010 (in Italian with English translation)

Five days of silence, meditation, Self-awareness, and (optional) afternoon Ananda Yoga – an ideal way to prepare for the all-day Christmas meditation on the weekend.

The participants have a separate meditation and activities space at Brindaban house, and are able to meditate and eat together in silence, without the necessity of being involved in other activities.

Each morning begins with a three-hour meditation, followed by a simple breakfast, and free time for reading, walking meditations, additional meditation. There will be a group meditation before lunch, from 12.30-13.30, and an optional yoga session from 16.30-17.30. The evening group meditation will be from 17.45-19.30, with dinner in silence at Brindaban, followed either by quiet time or the enjoyment of spiritual films about saints. Thursday’s morning mediation and Purification Ceremony will be with the community in the Temple of Light, and on Monday and Wednesday morning there will be a satsang with the group and some of the teachers from 11-12.00.

The main guides for this retreat are Shivani, Mayadevi, Kirtani, Anand and some of the Ananda Yoga teachers.

Meditation and yoga items are available at Brindaban, or you can bring your own.

About Silence, from Yogananda

• Today I will worship God in deep silence, waiting to hear His answer through my increasing peace of meditation.
• Through the portals of my silence I will behold Thee hiding behind the screen of my thoughts and perceptions. Command my soul to arise from the sepulcher of littleness into Thy vast omnipresence.
• I will hear God’s whispers in the temple of my conscience. He speaks to me through my sacred thoughts. I will hear His guiding voice in the temple of my daily silence.
• Today I will close my material eyes and dismiss the temptation of matter. I will peer through the darkness of silence until my eyes of relativity open into the one Inner Eye of Light — God’s omnipresent Light.
• Stop, be calm, meditate deeply, and out of the silence will loom forth the Divine Presence.
• When ever-new, ever-increasing joy fills your silence, then know that you have contacted God, and that He is answering through the receiving instrument of your soul. Use your deepest meditation mingled with your utmost devotion in the silent hours of the night, at the break of dawn, or in the hidden glow of twilight, in seeking an answer to your desires. Meditate and use your will power steadily day after day, week after week, year after year, until the cosmic silence of ages is broken and you receive your answer. You will not have to wait for ages, for you will find in deep meditation that God’s Spirit of Bliss will hover around you and talk to you through the voice of peace.

Silence is the Altar of God
By Swami Kriyananda

Remember there have been great masters who never spoke a word, and yet were able to bring their disciples to God. When Master was with guests, he was the most charming host you could imagine. He would have lunch with them, share beautiful truths, and regale them with jokes or lovely stories. Often guests would say to the monks and nuns who lived in the ashram, “How lucky you are to be with that kind of energy all the time! What a blessing you have!” We would gently smile, because the fact was that he would encourage the disciples to keep silence around him.

Master often told us, “Silence is the altar of God.” He said only in silence can you really feel God’s presence. When you allow the mind to become restless with thoughts and desires, then you bring yourself down to a level where God can’t communicate with you.

God’s body is space. If you want to feel him, you must feel space in your body and all around it. The same is true with silence. God’s voice is silence. If you really want to commune with Him, it must be done in the silence of your own mind, and then in the silence of the Infinite. In that silence you will hear the voice of the Infinite booming with the great power of AUM all through creation. First, we must try to empty our consciousness of ego, and then to re-fill it in a divine way.

Inner Christmas

December 2010 (in Italian with English and German translation)

All-day Christmas Meditation, Sunday, December 2010 (in Italian with English translation)

During the weekend that precedes Christmas, we will prepare ourselves for the birth of Christ Consciousness through periods of meditation, prayer, devotional songs, and silence.

Sunday is the traditional all-day meditation, from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., during which periods of silent meditation alternate with chanting, inspirational music, and readings.

The Christ Consciousness in all things is coming to be born
in the little hamlet of my consciousness.
With His arrival,
I shall behold myself in all things, existing in His light.
—Paramhansa Yogananda, East-West, 1932

Oriental Christ
The Gospels According to Yogananda

December 2010 (in Italian with English translation)

From Yogananda’s commentaries on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, we will come to a deeper understanding of the Oriental origins of Christianity. During the weeks before Christmas and Easter we will explore the mystical meaning of:

• Jesus, son of man or Son of God?
• the temptation of Jesus: Satan and Maya
• steps to attain Christ Consciousness
• the Law of Miracles and how Jesus healed
• Why was Jesus crucified and how did He rise from the dead?
• What is salvation and who can be saved?

That is the real reason why we celebrate His birthday – in order to remind ourselves of the divine qualities of Jesus and to awaken ourselves to a realization of the enlightening, loving Christ Presence in our own consciousness.
—Paramhansa Yogananda, Inner Culture, 1936

Christmas with Your Spiritual Family

December 2010 - dates to be determined

Reserve well in advance. Deposit required: €50.00.

Christmas at Ananda is unlike any you have ever experienced: inspiring, simple, meaningful, where you are part of a spiritual family rejoicing in the birth of Christ Consciousness.

Ananda has returned me to my truth, to my path home, to my center. The peace of the surrounding hills, the light emanating from the temple and from the people, the silence and clarity in my heart—for these I am eternally grateful. — Monica, Canada

A New Tomorrow
Reflections 2010 — Resolutions 2011

With Shivani Lucki

December 2010 - January 2011 (in Italian with English and German translation)

Reserve well in advance. Deposit required: €50.00

Ananda is the ideal place to conclude the past year — with love, wisdom, and appreciation for the people, places, and circumstances we have experienced — and to begin a “new tomorrow” with joy and hope in the company of spiritual friends.

You will be guided in reviewing the past year and in drawing from it many important lessons and messages for the future. Based on Yogananda’s techniques for introspection and self-analysis, this program will give you a greater understanding of yourself and a deeper awareness of how your life’s events are guiding you forward in your evolution.

Shivani Lucki

Shivani has been teaching this course every year for the past thirty-five years.

Using an “introspection workbook,” she guides each person in the discovery and understanding of the experiences which the past year has brought, helping each person to honor their past experiences, learn from them, and move on with more awareness, understanding and compassion.

“For me this course was a liberating experience. It gave me a sense of security, of stimulation, without judging myself or others. A very positive experience of greater self-awareness and awareness of life’s directions for me.” — Angela, Sardegna

This is Ananda’s most popular program; you are encouraged to reserve early. Precedence is given to those who wish to participate in the entire seven-day program. Deposit required: €50.00

The New Year has come to greet you with new hopes, new determination, new will-to-achieve, new activities. …The trails of trials and the yawning chasms of woe have been left behind in the dark night of the past—now you are entering the daylight of a new-born hope of the New Year. Cast off the coil of the decayed thoughts of the past years; be reincarnated into vital living of the New Year. … Every day in the New Year must become an altar for the God of new living, new achievements in wisdom, and new joy. —Paramhansa Yogananda, Inner Culture, 1937

Paramhansa Yogananda: God’s Boatman

January 2011 (in Italian with English and German translation)

If Yogananda has touched your life in some mysterious, meaningful way, then come to Ananda during these days and let him touch you once again. Fifty years after his passing, Yogananda and his teachings remain vibrantly alive. And his boat is waiting to take all thirsty souls to the shores of Cosmic Consciousness.

Maha-Shivaratri
Indian Celebration of Lord Shiva

February 2011 (in Italian with English and German translation)

Traditional all-night celebration, kirtan and meditation (from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m.) honoring Lord Shiva.

If you can’t go to India, then make a weekend pilgrimage to Ananda to participate in the celebration dedicated to Shiva, the “Mahayogi.” Activities include kirtan, stories, Indian dances, meditations, mantras, ceremonies and celebrations throughout the night (for the brave). Bring your Indian clothes and prepare to receive the grace of Maheswara, Lord of Purification and Transformation.

Yogananda’s Mahasamadhi Retreat
Honoring the Master’s Mahasamadhi, His Transition from Earthly to Eternal Life

March 2011 (in Italian with English translation)

In the Holy Bible, Christ reveals the divine Truth through profound parables and powerful images. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna guides us in reaching that Truth. Yogananda’s mission was not only to restore the original teachings of these avatars, but to show us how we can follow in their divine foot steps.

During this joyful weekend we will celebrate the life and work of Yogananda as he guides our steps towards the Christ/Krishna light within us.

Holy Week: Oriental Christ
The Gospels According to Yogananda

April 2011 (in Italian with English and German translation)

From Yogananda’s commentaries on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, we will come to a deeper understanding of the Oriental origins of Christianity. During the weeks before Christmas and Easter we will explore the mystical meaning of:

• Jesus, son of man or Son of God?
• the temptation of Jesus: Satan and Maya
• steps to attain Christ Consciousness
• the Law of Miracles and how Jesus healed
• Why was Jesus crucified and how did He rise from the dead?
• What is salvation and who can be saved?

Holy Week and Easter

April 2011 (in Italian with English and German translation)

Easter at Ananda is a very meaningful and moving experience of purification, inner freedom, and joyful victory. It is a time of forgiveness and letting go, and of the rededication of our determination to be victorious through all of life’s trials and challenges.

It's an ideal time to start a new cycle in your life and to gain inspiration for it from Yogananda’s remarkable insights and mystic interpretations about the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

During the week before Easter, each day is dedicated to one of the events during the last days in the life of Jesus.

The retreat begins with a three-hour silent meditation from 12:00 – 3:00 P.M. on Good Friday.

Flowers fade never to return, but Jesus only slept to obey the sweet command of Nature, and woke again to declare His mastery over Her. Jesus has silenced the laughter of unbelieving eyes and the audacious poetic assertion that no traveller has ever returned from death’s bourne, by coming back from the place from which no one ever returned before. Christ hid Himself again to show that He could not only resurrect His eternalness in the body of Jesus, but also in every blossom, and in every living Being that would ever smile in the garden of Creation through endless aeons. Christ was resurrected not only on Easter Morn, but He reanimates Himself in the dawn of each Soul’s awakening. Our Souls die every day, whenever we are buried in the tomb of ignorance, and we resurrect ourselves again in Cosmic Wisdom. Banish the death-consciousness perceived during the sleep of delusion, and resurrect your Soul in the ever-reigning Light of Immortality. Let this be your Easter Awakening. — Swami Yogananda, Inner Culture, April 1935

For Kriyabans and Disciples

For information and reservations:
info@ananda.it   Tel: +39 0742-81.36.20   Fax: +39 0742-81.35.36

Ananda is located in the tranquil hills of Umbria, Italy on “Strada Statale 444” between Assisi and Gualdo Tadino. It is the largest retreat center in Europe for Yogananda’s teachings.

Travel Directions

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Ananda Associazione • Via Montecchio, 61 • I-06025 Nocera Umbra (PG) • ITALY