Five-Day Meditation Retreat

Ananda Vrati Master Unit – Quest Center, Pennsylvania

August 20–24, 2025

Join us for a transformative five-day meditation retreat at Ananda Vrati (Quest Center), nestled in the peaceful hills of Pennsylvania. This deeply rejuvenating retreat is designed to bring balance, clarity, and inner peace through a full schedule of yoga, meditation, inspiring workshops, outdoor activities, and nourishing vegetarian meals. The program is led by Dada Diiptimánánanda and Didi Ananda Acirá, experienced sannyásins who have guided spiritual seekers for over a decade.

What to Expect

• Daily collective meditation and Kiirtana (mantra chanting), with four sessions per day
• Morning and evening yoga classes, suitable for all levels
• Inspiring classes and workshops on meditation, yoga philosophy, and spiritual lifestyle
• Three sattvic vegetarian meals daily — mostly vegan and gluten-free
• Outdoor walks, light games, and peaceful time in nature
• Optional personal guidance and individual meditation lessons

Core spiritual practices at the retreat include Baba Nam Kevalam mantra meditation, Kiirtana, and Lalita Marmika dance—each designed to harmonize body, mind, and spirit and prepare practitioners for deeper inner experience. Baba Nam Kevalam, meaning “Only the Name of the Most Beloved” or “Love is all there is,” is a universal mantra used to focus the mind and awaken inner bliss. It is chanted both silently in seated meditation and aloud during Kiirtana, a joyful, rhythmic repetition of the mantra with music and movement that uplifts the heart and purifies the mind. Accompanying the chanting is Lalita Marmika, a simple yet powerful dance that helps loosen the body, improve circulation, and cultivate devotion by engaging physical expression in spiritual ideation. Together, these practices serve as a foundation for personal transformation, emotional balance, and expanded awareness, creating an atmosphere of inner joy and spiritual depth throughout the retreat.

Meditation, Mantra Chanting, and Yoga

Meditation

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.

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.

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 during both 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.

Retreat Location

Ananda Vrati – Quest Center
411 Quicks Hill Road
Hop Bottom, PA 18824, USA

The center is a 45-minute drive from Scranton, PA, and about 3 hours from Manhattan. The newly renovated facilities include hardwood floors, a professional kitchen, a spacious dining area, a large upstairs meditation hall, and five guest rooms with bunk beds (accommodating up to 18 participants). The property is surrounded by forests, meadows, and walking trails ideal for relaxation and spiritual reflection.

Transportation and Arrival Info

Most participants arrive by car from New York, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania. Rental cars are available at New York and New Jersey airports. We are not able to offer airport pickups.

Please plan to arrive by 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 20. Free parking is available in the designated gravel area (please avoid parking on the grass).

Sample Daily Schedule

• 5:00 a.m. – Kiirtana and meditation (optional sleep-in)
• 6:30 a.m. – Yoga class
• 7:30 a.m. – Morning meditation
• 8:00 a.m. – Breakfast
• 9:30 a.m. – Morning class or outdoor walk
• 12:00 p.m. – Noon meditation
• 1:00 p.m. – Lunch
• 2:00 p.m. – Rest and free time
• 3:00 p.m. – Afternoon workshop or outdoor activity
• 5:00 p.m. – Evening meditation
• 6:00 p.m. – Evening yoga
• 7:00 p.m. – Dinner
• 8:00 p.m. – Short evening program
• 8:30–9:00 p.m. – Take rest

What to Bring?

Please bring comfortable clothing and shoes for trails and gravel roads, toiletries, a towel, a reusable water bottle, a notebook and pen, medications, sunscreen, insect repellent, a hat, and other personal items. A swimsuit is optional if you wish to use the sauna. Yoga mats are available, but feel free to bring your own.

Organizer

Meditation Steps USA and Canada

Meditation Steps offers in-person retreats to support deep meditation, optimal health, and a spiritual lifestyle. Participants are encouraged to begin their journey at home with our free online meditation course.

Our mission is self-realization and service to all. Our vision is to bring peace and happiness to the world by enabling people to experience blissful meditation and serve others.