“You may be surprised at what seclusion with God will do for your mind, body, and soul....Through the portals of silence the healing sun of wisdom and peace will shine upon you.”

— Paramahansa Yogananda

SRF Retreats and How-to-Live Retreat Programs

Self-Realization Fellowship’s How-to-Live Retreat programs are open to anyone seeking spiritual renewal and who desires to leave behind the pressures of everyday life — if only for a few days — to deepen their awareness of the Divine. The daily Retreat programs provide, in the words of Paramahansa Yogananda, “a dynamo of silence where [you] may go for the exclusive purpose of being recharged by the Infinite.”

Retreat Activities   

Retreat activities include daily group meditations, practice of the SRF Energization Exercises, inspirational classes and programs, and where available, services at nearby SRF temples. There is also ample free time to relax and enjoy God’s presence in the beautiful retreat settings. Self-Realization Fellowship books and recordings are available for private listening and study, and the Retreat chapels are open for meditation. 

Two types of How-to-Live Retreat programs are offered:

— General retreats are loosely structured, with classes and inspirational programs, and opportunities for spiritual counseling. Participants join SRF monastics in their morning and evening periods of meditation.

— Conducted weekend retreats, in addition to the above, offer a concentrated program of classes, led by monks and nuns of the SRF monastic order, on the SRF teachings and meditation techniques. Conducted retreats are scheduled at SRF Retreat facilities on many weekends throughout the year — and at various other locations around the world.

To maximize the effects of the retreat experience, guests are expected to participate in the full retreat program and not to engage in other activities during the time of their stay.

Silence 

Guests at all retreats maintain silence throughout their stay to deepen their retreat experience. As Paramahansa Yogananda said: “The value of silence cannot be understood except through experience....What joy awaits discovery in the silence behind the portals of your mind no human tongue can tell.” 

 

 

Planning Your First Retreat? 

While it is not necessary to be a member of Self-Realization Fellowship to participate in our retreat program, it is important that guests be familiar with meditation and be comfortable spending their time at the retreat in silence. For those new to the SRF teachings or to meditation, a stay of two or three days is usually suggested for a first retreat. A list of books by Paramahansa Yogananda and information about SRF temples, lecture tours, and the printed SRF Lessons  are available upon request by contacting Self-Realization Fellowship Headquarters.

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