Silent Retreat
September 12 - 15, 2024
About this Retreat
Miriam is warm and engaging, always willing to help others and listen to their needs. She served as Swami Kriyananda’s (Ananda's founder) personal nurse, and was trained by him, through daily contact, over the last fourteen years before his passing. She has served Ananda in the U.S., Italy and India, teaching meditation and helping establish spiritual communities. She is a certified Ananda Yoga teacher and practices Kriya Yoga as taught by Paramhansa Yogananda, author of "Autobiography of a Yogi".
Warm hearted, with a delightful sense of humor, David is a certified Ananda Yoga and Ananda Meditation teacher and a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200) with the Yoga Alliance. He also teaches taiji and qigong. He lives at Ananda Village and is part of The Expanding Light Retreat team.
He holds a B.A. degree in Philosophy, with a special interest in Eastern religions, which included learning to meditate in a traditional Zen Buddhist monastery.
Details of this retreat
Listen to the Song of Your Soul
This 3-day Guided Silent Retreat is suitable for both beginning and experienced meditators. The methods and pattern of meditation practice are drawn from the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. The sessions unfold at a gentle, progressive pace with opportunities to rest and reset within a longer, deeper rhythm than is normally available during personal practice.
Elements of the Guided Silent Retreat include:
Instruction in simple techniques of meditation
Guided group meditations to support your individual practice
Gentle Ananda Yoga to release tension, raise your energy and lift your consciousness
Personal time for reading, contemplation and journaling
Practicing meditation in action – eating, walking, self-care
Delicious, nourishing vegetarian meals
Optional massage and spiritual counseling available by appointment
The Expanding Light is the perfect place to unplug from your everyday concerns and recharge your spirit.
If you would like a longer stay, there’s a place on the registration form to come early or stay afterwards for an extended individual retreat.
Listen to the Whispers of Spirit
Silence is healing: it gives you a respite from busy stress and demanding duties
Silence is ever present inside, beneath the thoughts and cacophony of the world
Silence is restful: rejuvenation and restoration happen
Silence is necessary for spiritual insights to rise up from your soul
Silence is recognized by many of the world’s spiritual traditions as a powerful antidote to the mental agitation and stress resulting from the demands of everyday life.
You just have to take time to tune into the Silence of your Soul
This 3-day Guided Silent Retreat is suitable for both beginning and experienced meditators. The methods and pattern of meditation practice are drawn from the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. The sessions unfold at a gentle, progressive pace with opportunities to rest and reset within a longer, deeper rhythm than is normally available during personal practice.
Elements of the Guided Silent Retreat include:
Instruction in simple techniques of meditation
Guided group meditations to support your individual practice
Gentle Ananda Yoga to release tension, raise your energy and lift your consciousness
Personal time for reading, contemplation and journaling
Practicing meditation in action – eating, walking, self-care
Delicious, nourishing vegetarian meals
Optional massage and spiritual counseling available by appointment
The Expanding Light is the perfect place to unplug from your everyday concerns and recharge your spirit.
If you would like a longer stay, there’s a place on the registration form to come early or stay afterwards for an extended individual retreat.
Listen to the Whispers of Spirit
Silence is healing: it gives you a respite from busy stress and demanding duties
Silence is ever present inside, beneath the thoughts and cacophony of the world
Silence is restful: rejuvenation and restoration happen
Silence is necessary for spiritual insights to rise up from your soul
Silence is recognized by many of the world’s spiritual traditions as a powerful antidote to the mental agitation and stress resulting from the demands of everyday life.
You just have to take time to tune into the Silence of your Soul
Schedule
Morning
6:30 – 8:00 am Community Meditation (Join us for all or part of this silent meditation)
6:30 – 8:15 am Sadhana (spiritual practices) which consists of: Energization Exercises (20 – 25 min), Ananda Yoga Postures * (45 – 50 min), Chanting (5 min), Meditation (15 min – 30 min)
8:15 – 9:00 am Breakfast (in silence Monday-Saturday)
9:00 – 9:30 am Host check-in
10:00 – 11:30 am Scheduled program, class, group activity, or free time
Afternoon
Noon – 12:30 pm Meditation (5 min chanting, 25 min meditation)
12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
2:00 – 4:00 pm Scheduled program, class, group activity, or free time
4:45 – 6:30 pm Sadhana (spiritual practices)
Evening
6:30 – 7:30 pm Dinner
7:30 – 9:00 pm Scheduled program, class, group activity, or free time
6:30 – 8:00 am Community Meditation (Join us for all or part of this silent meditation)
6:30 – 8:15 am Sadhana (spiritual practices) which consists of: Energization Exercises (20 – 25 min), Ananda Yoga Postures * (45 – 50 min), Chanting (5 min), Meditation (15 min – 30 min)
8:15 – 9:00 am Breakfast (in silence Monday-Saturday)
9:00 – 9:30 am Host check-in
10:00 – 11:30 am Scheduled program, class, group activity, or free time
Afternoon
Noon – 12:30 pm Meditation (5 min chanting, 25 min meditation)
12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
2:00 – 4:00 pm Scheduled program, class, group activity, or free time
4:45 – 6:30 pm Sadhana (spiritual practices)
Evening
6:30 – 7:30 pm Dinner
7:30 – 9:00 pm Scheduled program, class, group activity, or free time
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
Accommodation
PRIVATE ENSUITE - King
Equally appropriate for a single person or for a couple, a king private room can provide the peace and solitude you crave. This airy room has a king-sized bed with a private, ensuite bathroom. An inviting outdoor space awaits you outside your front door, surrounded by a serene, forest setting.
PRIVATE ENSUITE - Twin
Equally appropriate for a single person or for a couple, an ensuite private room can provide the peace and solitude you crave. These charming rooms have two twin beds with a private, ensuite bathroom. An inviting outdoor space awaits you outside your front door, surrounded by a serene, forest setting.
PRIVATE STANDARD - Queen
Equally appropriate for a single person or for a couple, enjoy your own peaceful room with a queen bed and a shared bathroom down the hall. Your room is simply and tastefully decorated, with windows opening toward the surrounding forest. A bright and airy communal lounge and kitchenette is available 24 hours a day, perfect for relaxing with a book or sharing a cup of tea with friends.
PRIVATE STANDARD - Twin
Equally appropriate for a single person or for a couple, enjoy your own peaceful room with two twin beds and a shared bathroom down the hall. Each room is simply and tastefully decorated, with windows opening toward the surrounding forest. A bright and airy communal lounge and kitchenette is available 24 hours a day, perfect for relaxing with a book or sharing a cup of tea with friends.
PRIVATE CABIN - Twin
Equally appropriate for a single person or for a couple, your private cabin is tucked into a gentle hillside, bright and airy inside, with expansive windows that connect your room to the surrounding forest. Each cabin has two twin beds, with a communal shower house that is centrally located and shared by other cabin guests, campers, and our karma yogis.
SHARED ENSUITE - Twin
Share this charming room with someone else. Each room has two twin beds with a private, ensuite bathroom. An inviting outdoor space awaits you outside your front door, surrounded by a serene, forest setting.
SHARED STANDARD - Twin
Share this charming room with someone else. Each room has two twin beds and a shared bathroom down the hall, and is simply and tastefully decorated, with windows opening toward the surrounding forest. A bright and airy communal lounge and kitchenette is available 24 hours a day, perfect for relaxing with a book or sharing a cup of tea with friends.
SHARED CABIN - Twin
Share this charming cabin with someone else. The cabins are tucked into a gentle hillside, bright and airy inside, with expansive windows that connect your room to the surrounding forest. Each cabin has two twin beds, with a communal shower house that is centrally located and shared by other cabin guests, campers, and our karma yogis.
CAMPING
Fourteen campsites scatter across a gentle, forested hillside, with level areas for pitching your tent. A centrally located shower house is close by, shared by other campers, cabin guests, and our karma yogis. Please bring your own camping gear and towels. We do live amidst bears and other wildlife, so avoid storing any food or scented toiletries in your tent.
RV
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
What's Included
- 3 Organic Vegetarian Meals per day
- 2 Yoga and Meditation sessions per day
