New Year Renewal: Relax, Recharge, Refocus

Date
December 28, 2024 - January 1, 2025

Retreat Highlights

  • Guided introspection to get the most out of the hidden (and not-so-hidden) lessons of this past year
  • Guided goal-setting for next year, in which you’ll experience a unique approach to setting goals and making New Year’s resolutions that will work for you
  • Creating your own Vision Board to help you focus on positive goals and your intentions for the upcoming year with Meerabai
  • Ananda’s uplifting New Year’s Ceremony, which includes a fire ceremony, purification practices, prayers for world peace, meditation, and a very special tradition: chanting a powerful ancient mantra 108 times to bring in the new year
  • Serene walks through the beautiful, peaceful hills of Ananda Village
  • Kirtan and special gatherings with long-time Ananda members
  • Plenty of meditation and yoga posture sessions to help you start the New Year healthy, joyful, and inspired.

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Details of this retreat

Are you yearning to break out of old patterns and become the person you've always aspired to be? It's time to unlock your storehouse of inner peace, bring in radiant clarity and vibrant joy as you step into the new year!
Refocus Your life, Recharge Your Mind and Relax Your Body
Leave behind the ho-hum (or raucous!) atmosphere of New Year’s at home, and celebrate your spirit with a transformative New Year’s Retreat that’s joyful and renewing on all levels. Give yourself a powerful boost into the new year with purpose and solid tools to support your resolutions in all areas of your life.

This perennial favorite is the perfect way to take stock of the past year and prepare inwardly to achieve your goals in the coming year, all in a relaxed, supportive environment with other spiritual seekers.

Embrace the journey to becoming your best self!

 

This retreat is carefully and creatively designed to be an integrated and powerfully transforming 4-day experience.
Your New Year’s Retreat includes:

Guided introspection to get the most out of the hidden (and not-so-hidden) lessons of this past year
Guided goal-setting for next year, in which you’ll experience a unique approach to setting goals and making New Year’s resolutions that will work for you
Creating your own Vision Board to help you focus on positive goals and your intentions for the upcoming year with Meerabai
Ananda’s uplifting New Year’s Ceremony, which includes a fire ceremony, purification practices, prayers for world peace, meditation, and a very special tradition: chanting a powerful ancient mantra 108 times to bring in the new year
Serene walks through the beautiful, peaceful hills of Ananda Village
Kirtan and special gatherings with long-time Ananda members
Plenty of meditation and yoga posture sessions to help you start the New Year healthy, joyful, and inspired.

 


Purification and Mantra Fire Ceremony
This evening is experiential with powerful spiritual practices to herald in the New Year. The ancient Vedic fire ceremony will include chanting the Mahamrityunjaya mantra 108 times.  After each repetition, rice, which is symbolic of our past karma, will be offered into the sacred flame to be burned up and purified. This holy ritual gives all participants the opportunity to offer up all attachments to last year and set their intention for the New Year to come. The evening will also include: chanting, extended affirmations, meditation, and ringing of the gong to bring in the New Year.
This New Year's Retreat goes beyond the ordinary, offering you a powerful boost for peace of mind and a rejuvenated spirit. Embrace the coming year with purpose and positive intentions!



Comments from New Year's Guests:

This retreat allowed me to truly express what I felt was built up after years of struggle....Now that I have been introduced to Yogananda, The Expanding Light, and Ananda Village, I'm certain I can return to the energy when I make the effort. Thank you for helping me access the joyful spirit within me."
—K. B., Midland, MI

An outstanding way to start the New Year! To clear away the old clutter of life, to begin anew with clearly defined and magnetized goals.
—C.R. San Jose, CA
I came with the desire to be different in 2017. I leave with 3 really easy, self-generated goals to meet and fulfill this inner calling. The program in deceptively simple yet incredibly powerful. Thank you.
—S.K. Palo Alto, CA
I have read countless books and attended many seminars on goal setting and achieving those goals. This program was by far the best for me—I think largely because of the spiritual integration. I hope to return next year.
—J.B. Sacramento, CA

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
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change

Getting Here

Location icon Expanding Light Retreat

Directions

Yes, our retreat is a little out of the way. And once you get here, you’ll be glad it is!

Our address is 13930 Expanding Light Drive, Nevada City, CA. If using Google Maps. We are located 1.5 hours away from the Sacramento International Airport, as well as the Reno/Tahoe International Airport. If you need a ride to or from the bus, train, or plane, please contact us and we can share contact information for a drivers who have helped our guests in the past.

Accommodation

PRIVATE ENSUITE - King

Accommodation
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

Accommodation
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

Accommodation
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

Accommodation
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

Accommodation
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

Accommodation
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

Accommodation
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

Accommodation
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

Accommodation
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

Accommodation

Venue & Amenities

Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms icon A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi icon Free Wifi
Spa icon Spa
Sauna icon Sauna
Pool icon Pool
Towels icon Towels
Free Parking icon Free Parking
Kitchen icon Kitchen
Tour Assistance icon Tour Assistance
Hot Tub icon Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea icon Coffee/Tea
Cafe icon Cafe
Restaurant icon Restaurant
Fitness Center icon Fitness Center
Yoga Studio icon Yoga Studio
Housekeeping icon Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent icon Bicycles For Rent

Meals

Menu Types

What's Included

  • 3 Organic Vegetarian Meals per day
  • 2 Yoga and Meditation sessions per day

Customer Reviews

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