Ananda – Joy is Within You!

Paramhansa Yogananda – sharing his teachings of Kriya Yoga and Meditation through community, groups and retreats

There is no part of life that meditation cannot improve. 

Nestled in the hills of Umbria, Italy, is the European Ananda Yoga Centre, a peaceful guest retreat centre and community that lives and shares the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda.  I lived here for many years and since returning to the UK in 2014, have been an active member of the Ananda community here in England.  We hold regular meditation meetups, online meditations, and weekend retreats .  In October 2022, we held the first UK Ananda Kriya Initiation Weekend Retreat, with Darshan and Uma from Ananda Assisi.

More details of Ananda can be found on the Ananda UK website

Ananda in the UK is growing! Come and join us as we collaborate together to create community and spiritual friendship.

Regular Ananda Meditation Groups – satsang and community.  

What’s On?

Online weekly meditation group

Wednesdays and Fridays  7am – 8am

Sundays 7pm – 8pm

A really peaceful and inspirational to end the weekend, and prepare for the week ahead on Sunday evenings.  And two weekly morning meditations to keep our energy high and inspired during the week.

This is a powerful group and you will feel the energy and magnetism that group meditation encourages, even online!  Opening prayer, chanting and readings, silent period of meditation, and concluding with healing prayers – you are so welcome to join us.  The meditation is run each week by a core member of Ananda including Nalini, Sananda, Shirley, Stan and Surya.

Email me for the Zoom links if you would like to join us at nalini@anandauk.org

 

Online Gentle Yoga for Higher Awareness

Gentle Yoga 

Tuesdays 6:45am – 8am with Anita.

Ease into your day with this lovely class with gentle postures and breathwork.  Suitable for all (£8) Bookings can be made here.

‘How to Find Safety, Security and Stability in a Chaotic World’

Ananda Meditation Retreat

Thursday 25th – Sunday 28th April 2024

St Katharine’s, Henley-on-Thames

Our retreats are a deep and joyful experience and a great blend of meditation, kirtans (devotional chanting), satsang, nature walks, community, and classes on subjects related to the universal teachings of Yogananada.

For this retreat, the focus is on ‘How to Find Safety, Security and Stability in a Chaotic World’.  As it becomes ever-clearer that we cannot find these things in the world today, we can look deeper into teachings and practices that take us into the realms of true security – within ourselves.  Meditation doesn’t take away the tests and trials that come into our lives, but a regular practice can give us an inner strength and understanding that carry us through turbulent times.

Nayaswami Uma from Ananda Assisi will be joining us for this one and sharing her many many years of experience and deep wisdom.  Uma was a founding member of Ananda in California, and it will be great to have her with us again.  She has a lot of heart energy, and brings warmth, humour and realism to her teaching and sharing, making it accessible to all, wherever we are at in life. The teachings of Yogananda, along with the practices he taught, open us to a bigger reality where inner peace, strength and joy can manifest.

‘Joy is within you’!

The retreat program includes: Morning and evening meditations, Kirtan, Inspirational classes and satsangs with Uma and other teachers, Ananda’s ‘Purification Ceremony’, 24 hours of silent retreat from Friday evening to Saturday evening, Ananda’s beautiful and uplifting ‘Sunday Service’, and time to connect with nature, with each other, and with your inner Self

This retreat is open to all who are interested in finding inner peace and stability, and who have some experience of meditation.  Feel free to contact us if you would like to know more, or chat about the retreat before booking.

Prices

  • Twin – Single Use Ensuite £495
  • Twin – Sharing Ensuite £460
  • Single with toilet, shared bathroom £460
  • Single shared bathroom (Annex) £445
  • Twin shared bathroom (Annex) £415

Terms of Booking:

Rooms are allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis – early booking is recommended if you want to secure a single use room with bathroom. Please read our disclaimer https://www.anandauk.org/disclaimer/  and ensure you are fit to attend.

A deposit of £50 is due by 31st October 2023.  This is refundable up to 31st December 2023.  If you cancel after this date, the deposit cannot be refunded. Balance of the retreat is due by 15th February 2024.  Bookings may still be open, so always contact us to see.

Full Vegetarian Bed and Board

Get in touch if you would like to book or know more.

Joy is within you!

Paramhansa Yogananda

Above all, Yogananda is probably best known as the author of the spiritual classic ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’;  a fascinating and deeply inspiring account of his life and the deeper aspects of yoga.  A worthy read for anyone, and a delve into the true meaning of yoga for any student of yoga or meditation.  Written with great wit and humour, it is a treasure that grows richer with each reading.

Yogananda’s teachings reach deep into the heart of yoga, providing a rich tapestry of wisdom and techniques to win the battle of everyday life. Yoga, meditation, energisation techniques, chanting, prayer, affirmation, introspection, satsang, divine friendship, and how to develop a personal relationship with the Divine, all form the sacred path of Kriya Yoga.

If you are interested in the path of Kriya Yoga, or would like to join the weekly online meditation group, please get in touch for more details.

The Path of Kriya Yoga includes the following techniques which lead to Kriya Intiation.  However, the powerful Energisation Exercises and the Hong Sau meditation technique are open to anyone wanting to learn meditation, and are universally applicable to all.

  1. Yogananda’s Energisation exercises
  2. Hong Sau meditation technique
  3. the Aum meditation technique
  4. Kriya initiation

Learn more about Kriya Yoga by clicking here 

Swami Kriyananda

Swami Kriyananda was a direct disciple of Yogananda, who dedicated his life to sharing his guru’s teachings, and by realising his vision of spiritual communities.

His life’s work also included writing many spiritual books, and the creation of the legendary and deeply inspiring music and chants that forms an integral part of the Ananda experience- Joy is Within You!

Learn more about Swami Kriyananda and Ananda here.

‘Gratitude as Sadhana’ blog post here.