We welcome you to a five-day meditation retreat at Ananda Dhiira, California, from April 15 – 19, 2026. During this retreat, you will have a chance to go deep into your meditation, enjoy delicious Sattvic vegetarian food, make good friends, relax in a natural environment, and enjoy classes, workshops, and other programs.
During the retreat, you can also learn individual meditation and get recommendations on yoga, diet, and other lifestyle habits.
We will also spend one day on an outing by the nearby South Yuba River, enjoying swimming, singing Kiirtana, meditation, and lunch in the beautiful natural environment.
Didi Ananda Acira and Dada Diiptimanananda will lead this retreat. They are experienced yoga and meditation teachers and can help you advance spiritually and connect to your inner self.
What to Expect:
- Lots of Kiirtana (mantra chanting)
- Three sattvic vegetarian meals per day, prepared by our spiritual teachers and volunteers
- 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.
- Outdoor walks and activities
- Individual meditation lessons with our teachers (optional)
- Mud Packs (optional and depending on weather)
- Outing to the South Yuba River
- Relax your body and calm your mind in a tranquil, beautiful environment.
What is Special About This Retreat?
Didi Ananda Acira and Dada Diiptimanananda will lead this meditation and yoga retreat. They are experienced teachers who can help participants advance spiritually and connect to their inner selves. Didi Ananda Acira and Dada Diiptimanananda are meditation teachers with decades of experience. They will guide participants in meditation and yoga practices to help them deepen their spiritual connection.
The retreat will combine yoga, meditation, classes, and spending time in nature. Participants can learn individual meditation techniques and receive recommendations on yoga, diet, and other lifestyle habits.
Participants will also have the opportunity to spend half a day by the nearby South Yuba River, where they can enjoy mud-packs, singing Kiirtana, meditation, and a picnic lunch in the beautiful natural environment. The river has pure, cold, mountain-fed water for those who enjoy cold plunges.
Ananda Dhiira Master Unit
Ananda Dhiira
19393 Sanctuary Road
Penn Valley, CA 95946, United States
Accommodation at Ananda Dhiira
Ananda Dhiira Master Unit is a beautiful retreat center in Penn Valley, California, dedicated to women’s welfare. The property consists of two buildings surrounded by peaceful forest and open space. The main building, which serves as the women’s center, includes one shared dorm room with three bunk beds and an additional thick mattress, accommodating up to seven women. There are also two private rooms: one with a bunk bed and a single twin bed, suitable for a small family or up to three women, and another with two twin beds, ideal for one or two women.
The second building includes a large meditation hall, used mainly for larger gatherings (not during this retreat), and a men’s dormitory that can accommodate up to five men.
For those who prefer to stay outdoors, camping is available near both buildings, with space for up to four tents. Campers may use the bathrooms and take water from the kitchen, but should bring their own tent, sleeping bag, and bedding.
Nature at Ananda Dhiira is breathtaking, and you can see many bright stars at night. The retreat center is surrounded by an oak forest and is a fifteen-minute walk to the South Yuba River. Didi Ananda Acira and her volunteers live at Ananda Dhiira, grow organic fruits and vegetables, and organize various retreats and fasting programs.
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 meditating 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.
How To Get There (Flights, Airport Transfers, Buses, Trains)
Sacramento International Airport (SFM) is the nearest airport, 45 miles from Ananda Dhiira. You can take an Uber from there to Ananda Dhiira or rent a car. If you arrive at SJC, OAK, or SFO airports, you can take an AMTRAK train to Sacramento or Auburn station and then take an Uber from there.
Please note that getting public transportation (shuttle or Uber) in the evening is not easy. It is better to arrive during the day, especially as the program also starts in the afternoon.
When you enter the entrance gate at Sanctuary Road, you will need a security code in case the gate is closed. We will share the code after you register and before arriving. We will also try to arrange a ride-sharing with other participants when possible, so please let us know your travel plans in advance.
Arrival By Car
The address is:
Ananda Dhiira
19393 Sanctuary Road
Penn Valley, CA, 95946
United States
After you enter the gated road, continue up the gravel road and take the second right to the main building of Ananda Dhiira.
What To Bring
Please bring comfortable clothing and shoes, toiletries, a towel, a notebook & pen, a swimsuit, medications (if you have any), sunscreen, insect repellent, a hat, and other personal needs. Ananda Dhiira has yoga mats, but you are also welcome to 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 Ananda Dhiira.
The Cancellation Policy
- The retreat fees are fully refundable up to 46 days before the retreat (minus any transaction fees).
- If you cancel 30-44 days before the retreat, you get a 50% refund.
- If you cancel 0-29 days before the retreat, no refund will be provided.
- All options include a transfer of the amount paid (deposit or full payment) to a friend or relative upon the hosts’ approval, up to 5 days before the retreat.
- If you cannot attend this retreat, you will have the option to transfer your credit to another retreat within 12 months of the retreat you booked. If the other retreat is more expensive, you will have to pay the price difference before attending the other retreat.
- If you check into the retreat and decide to leave early, there is no refund or transfer option for the retreat fees.
- There are no discounts for arriving late to the retreat. We encourage everyone to arrive on time. Arriving late is not conducive to the retreat flow.
- If the host has to cancel the retreat due to unforeseen circumstances, you will have the option to receive a full refund, less admin fees already paid, within 15 business days or use your retreat payment towards another retreat within 12 months.
- If you contract any transmissible disease, such as flu or COVID, and are not able to attend the retreat, we will transfer your fees to another retreat of your choice. You will need to give some proof of your sickness. Additionally, if you show up to the retreat sick with the flu, COVID, or a transmissible disease, then you will be asked to leave to keep everyone safe.
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