First-Timers' Weekend
May 24 - 26, 2024
Retreat Highlights
- Learn why and how to meditate — or take your existing practice deeper
- Gain tips for greater health and harmony in your life
- Experience gentle yoga postures to improve flexibility of body, mind, and soul
- Connect with our sustainable community – enjoy a dynamic tour of Ananda Village, one of the world’s most respected intentional communities.
- Rejuvenate in our peaceful 700 acres of forest, farm, gardens, temples, and holy places.
- Relax in the company of other first-time visitors to The Expanding Light Retreat and Ananda Village
About this Retreat
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.
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".
Details of this retreat
Rejuvenate in a Relaxed, Uplifting Setting
If you haven't yet taken a Retreat at the Expanding Light, it's time to try something new! Bring a friend, and have a sublime experience together. (Even 'old-timers' can attend these weekends with first time friends.)
A Perfect Getaway:
Learn why and how to meditate -- or take your existing practice deeper
Gain tips for greater health and harmony in your life
Experience gentle yoga postures to improve flexibility of body, mind, and soul
Connect with our sustainable community - enjoy a dynamic tour of Ananda Village, one of the world's most respected intentional communities.
Rejuvenate in our peaceful 700 acres of forest, farm, gardens, temples, and holy places.
Relax in the company of other first-time visitors to The Expanding Light Retreat and Ananda Village.
And…the food is delicious and healthy. You will return home uplifted, inspired, and energized.
Why Choose The Expanding Light Retreat:
Beautiful and Comfortable: Immerse yourself in surroundings that are not only beautiful but also provide the comfort needed for a rejuvenating retreat.
Quiet and Tranquil: Experience a stillness that makes meditation easy, allowing you to slow down and reconnect with yourself.
Nature's Abundance: Find yourself surrounded by nature—woods, deer, birds, and myriad wildlife—creating a serene and inspiring environment.
Sacred Land: Walk on land made sacred by 50 years of meditation and spiritual activities, enhancing the spiritual energy of your retreat.
Filled with Happy People: Connect with a community of happy individuals, creating a positive and uplifting atmosphere.
Join Us for a Weekend of New Beginnings!
If you haven't yet taken a Retreat at the Expanding Light, it's time to try something new! Bring a friend, and have a sublime experience together. (Even 'old-timers' can attend these weekends with first time friends.)
A Perfect Getaway:
Learn why and how to meditate -- or take your existing practice deeper
Gain tips for greater health and harmony in your life
Experience gentle yoga postures to improve flexibility of body, mind, and soul
Connect with our sustainable community - enjoy a dynamic tour of Ananda Village, one of the world's most respected intentional communities.
Rejuvenate in our peaceful 700 acres of forest, farm, gardens, temples, and holy places.
Relax in the company of other first-time visitors to The Expanding Light Retreat and Ananda Village.
And…the food is delicious and healthy. You will return home uplifted, inspired, and energized.
Why Choose The Expanding Light Retreat:
Beautiful and Comfortable: Immerse yourself in surroundings that are not only beautiful but also provide the comfort needed for a rejuvenating retreat.
Quiet and Tranquil: Experience a stillness that makes meditation easy, allowing you to slow down and reconnect with yourself.
Nature's Abundance: Find yourself surrounded by nature—woods, deer, birds, and myriad wildlife—creating a serene and inspiring environment.
Sacred Land: Walk on land made sacred by 50 years of meditation and spiritual activities, enhancing the spiritual energy of your retreat.
Filled with Happy People: Connect with a community of happy individuals, creating a positive and uplifting atmosphere.
Join Us for a Weekend of New Beginnings!
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
Directions
https://www.ananda.org/expanding-light/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
