Four-Day Meditation Retreat at Ananda Vrati Master Unit – Quest Center
We welcome you to a meditation retreat at Ananda Vrati Master Unit—Quest Center, Pennsylvania, from December 5 to 8, 2024!
This retreat will include a full-day schedule with classes, workshops, yoga, meditation, games, and walks in nature. We will try to 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. During the retreat, there will be a chance to have personal guidance and recommendations on yoga, meditation, diet, and other lifestyle habits. During those five days, you can expect the mind to undergo a profound positive mental and spiritual transformation.
What to Expect
- Lots of Kiirtana (mantra chanting)
- Three sattvic vegetarian meals per day
- Yoga classes in the morning and evening
- Kiirtana and meditation four times a day
- Inspirational talks on meditation, yoga, philosophy, food, nutrition, and healthy living.
- Fun games and workshops
- Outdoor walks and activities
- Individual meditation lessons with our teachers (optional)
- Relax your body and calm your mind in a tranquil, beautiful environment
Ananda Vrati Master Unit – the Quest Center
Ananda Vrati is a beautiful retreat center about a 45-minute drive from Scranton, PA, or a 3-hour drive from Manhattan, NY.
The retreat facilities have been under renovation for the last few years. They are now ready with mostly hardwood floors and wall panels, a professional kitchen, a beautiful dining area, a large meditation hall on the second floor, and five rooms accommodating eighteen people in bunk beds. The neighborhood around Ananda Vrati has forests, meadows, and walking trails.
Sattvik Food
The food will be Sattvik vegetarian, i.e., no meat, fish, eggs, mushrooms, onion, or garlic. Most of the items will be vegan and gluten-free. If you have any special food requests or allergies, please inform us at least one week before your arrival.
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.
Transportation
We expect most people from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and other nearby areas will drive to Ananda Vrati. If you need a ride or a pick-up from one of the nearby airports (JFK, LGA, EWR, PHL), please get in touch with us, and we will try to arrange a ride-share. We will not be able to pick you up from the airport if you arrive late at night or at other inconvenient times. Therefore, please get in touch with us before booking your flight if you will need a pick-up from the airport.
There is a Greyhound bus from New York, NY (Port Authority) to Scranton, PA, twice a day, early morning and afternoon. We may be able to pick you up from Scranton or arrange a ride-share, or you can take an Uber.
Arrival for the retreat is at 3 p.m. on Thursday, December 5, 2024. Please communicate with us before the retreat approximately when you plan to arrive.
The address is:
Ananda Vrati – Quest Center
411 Quicks Hill Road
Hop Bottom PA 18824-7950
USA
What to Bring?
Please bring your own toiletry, clothes, personal items, warm clothes, shoes for walking outdoors, and slippers. We have yoga mats for all the participants.
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 Ananda Vrati.
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