We welcome you to a meditation retreat at Ananda Girisuta Master Unit (Prama Institute), close to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, from February 12 – 16, 2025. This retreat will include a full-day schedule with yoga, meditation, classes, walks in nature, and various other activities. You can expect the mind to undergo a profound positive mental and spiritual transformation during those four days. We will keep the daily routine harmonious with a balanced combination of getting up early, resting early, enjoying good food and classes, getting plenty of fresh air, and enjoying meditation and social interactions. Apart from the classes and activities, we will have breakfast, lunch, and dinner according to our schedule, prepared by our volunteers, Dada and Didi.
Didi Ananda Acira and Dada Diiptimanananda will be leading this retreat.
What to Expect
- Lots of Kiirtana (mantra chanting)
- Three sattvic vegetarian meals per day
- Silence (Maonavrata) except during classes, sharing, and Kiirtana
- Yoga classes in the morning and evening
- Collective meditation five times a day
- Inspirational talks on meditation, yoga, philosophy, food, nutrition, and healthy living.
- Fun games and workshops
- Outdoor walks and activities
- Relax your body and calm your mind in a tranquil, beautiful environment
Schedule for the Retreat
Please click on the link for the Google Doc with the schedule.
Meditation and Kiirtana
The practices presented in this retreat encompass various techniques for physical, mental, and spiritual development.
The central practice is meditation. Meditation means looking within your mind to feel the bliss that is the essence of your existence. That bliss is within you, just as it is within everybody and everything.
The meditation and chanting done in this retreat
Meditation is an essential tool for self-transformation and spiritual development. The meditation that will first be presented uses the mantra Baba Nam Kevalam, which is sung along with a simple dance before sitting down for meditation.
The spiritual Master Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, the founder of the Ananda Marga tradition (Path of Bliss), has adjusted the practice of Rajadhiraja yoga to suit the modern environment.
Kiirtana
Kiirtan is singing a mantra aloud while ideating on the Supreme Being. It inculcates a feeling of bliss and prepares the mind for meditation because all the motor and sensory organs are engaged and directed toward the Supreme. It can be done anywhere, but it is essential before meditation.
The mantra used for Kiirtana is:
Bábá Nám Kevalam
The easiest way to conceive of the Infinite Consciousness is to think of infinite love. This mantra is, therefore, often translated as “Love is all there is.”
A more detailed meaning of the mantra is Bábá means infinite Love /Infinite Consciousness/Supreme Consciousness, or “my most beloved One,” Nám means “name of” or “to identify with,” and Kevalam means “only.” So the meaning of the mantra is “My most Beloved is the only One.”
The inner idea we use when meditating (ideation) is: “Everywhere I look, in everything I hear, feel, see, taste and smell, I perceive that one Supreme Consciousness which pervades all things.”
Kiirtana has many benefits. It purifies the mind and prepares it for meditation, accelerating the speed of movement toward the Supreme.
Because of the mental clarity achieved, one can easily find solutions to problems while performing a task and get relief from physical and psychic ailments.
Lalita Marmika Dance
The Lalita Marmika dance helps to prepare the mind and body for meditation and is taught during the retreat.
Many people experience sore knees when sitting regularly for meditation during a meditation retreat. Therefore, we introduce the Laliita Marmika dance early in the retreat to avoid sitting both during mantra chanting and meditation.
The dance is used during the mantra chanting before sitting down for meditation. It helps limber the knees, relax the brain and body, and develop surrender and a feeling of devotion to the Supreme.
According to Indian spiritual traditions and scriptures, Parvati, the spouse of Sadashiva, invented this dance around seven thousand years ago. A great Indian saint of the 15th century, Caetanya Mahaprabhu, revived the tradition of Kiirtana with Lalita Marmika and experienced many kinds of samadhis through this dance, along with Hari Kiirtan. Shrii Shrii Anandamurti gave the Baba Nam Kevalam mantra in 1970, and it is used to sing and dance Kiirtana using the Lalita Marmika dance.
This dance arouses the deepest feelings of love and devotion, dissolves egotism, and prepares the mind for meditation.
Location
Ananda Girisuta Master Unit (Prama Institute) is located on forested hilltops and grasslands surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains. It sits in Marshall, NC, near the French Broad River, about 25 minutes outside Asheville, NC. This meditation and retreat center has a beautiful dome-shaped meditation hall, simple but comfortable accommodations, a dining hall, and other retreat facilities. It is the perfect place for you to go deep into your meditation, enjoy walks in the hilly forested nearby areas, and meet others interested in meditation and spirituality.
You will have access to free Wi-Fi during your stay. We ask participants to keep their phones on airplane mode during classes and meditation. Most cell phone companies provide service to the area around Ananda Girisuta, although Verizon and US Cellular users get the best service.
Ananda Girisuta MU (Prama I.) has shared accommodation for 36 people.
How To Get There (Flights, Airport Transfers, Buses, Trains)
The nearest airport is Asheville Regional Airport (AVL), and the center is about a 45-minute drive from the airport. There is also a Greyhound station in Asheville.
Uber may be available from the airport and costs about $49 – $100, depending on the time of the day. However, getting an Uber from the retreat center to the airport is difficult, so please get in touch with the organizers for transportation arrangements. We also have contact information for an Uber driver who used to drive to Ananda Girisuta, but we need to contact him well in advance to see his availability.
We can arrange pick-up or ride-sharing from the airport (as long as your flight arrives at a reasonable time, not too late at night or early in the morning.) Please contact the organizers to arrange that. There is a $30 pick-up fee, preferably paid directly to the driver in cash, but you can also pay to the organizers upon arrival through PayPal, Venmo, debit, or credit card. If we have many pick-ups, you may have to wait for the next passenger so we can combine two pick-ups in one ride. We cannot pick up late night or early morning. Please select a flight arriving during the daytime or early evening.
Additional Info About The Retreat
General Rules and Practical Recommendations
Please let us know if you have any food allergies so we can adjust the menu or prepare special items. Most of the food is gluten and dairy-free.
During the retreat, we will have three meals a day. We can also arrange some snacks if they are needed or requested.
Parents who want to bring their children to the retreat must take full care and responsibility for them. We are unable to provide childcare during the retreat. The children are welcome to join the meditation sessions, classes, and other programs during the retreat. However, the parents are requested to attend to their needs and ensure they do not disturb other participants during the programs.
Mobile phones are allowed during the retreat. Please turn the phone off or put it on airplane mode during meditation sessions and classes. Please minimize disturbances caused by your mobile phone or any other electronic gadgets—do not talk on your mobile device during silence periods.
What To Bring
Please bring your toiletry, water bottle, pen and paper, towel, clothes, personal items, shoes for walking outdoors, and slippers. All beds have a mattress cover, pillow, and pillowcase. Prama Institute has limited yoga mats; you can bring your own.
Prohibited Items:
It is not allowed to bring any tamasik items, such as tobacco, alcohol, drugs, intoxicants, meat, fish, eggs, onion, garlic, mushrooms, or any food containing those items. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us for more information. The food during the retreat is plentiful and delicious, so you don’t need to worry about going hungry!
No strong perfumes or lotions should be used out of respect for our guests with scent sensitivities.
Pets are not allowed at the Prama Institute.
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