“Americans love to experiment, so why not experiment on yourselves: on your attitudes toward life, on your thoughts and behavior? Find out what life is, and how human life might be improved.”
—Paramhansa Yogananda
Suggestions for newcomers
Welcome & Orientation for Newcomers
Your questions answered
Wednesdays, May 26, June 23, July 28, August 25, September 22, 7:30 pm, free
Offered the 4th Wednesday of each month
Teaching Center (the building just behind the Temple)
There is so much happening at Ananda, it can sometimes take a little time for new folks to find their way around, and discover all the opportunities available. You are welcome to explore at your own pace, or you are warmly invited to this orientation for newcomers which is offered on the 4th Wednesday of each month. This informal gathering is designed to meet the needs of those present, and may include:
- A chance to meet other newcomers
- Discussion about programs available that can help you meet your spiritual goals
- Ananda’s spiritual roots
- A tour of classrooms, temple, and grounds
- An opportunity to ask questions, or to share what might be helpful to you on your spiritual journey.
How to Meditate classes are a great way to begin. Meditation brings clarity and peace of mind, and a deep sense of connectedness with the world around us and with ourselves. Western medicine also recommends meditation for its many health benefits, from relief of insomnia and pain, to lower blood pressure. A four-week series begins the first Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm. The cost is $50.
Friday night kirtan is a joyful evening of chanting with short periods of meditation. Chanting is a sacred practice to open the heart and lift us into higher states of awareness. The chants are simple to sing and powerfully transforming. Kirtan is at the main Temple in Palo Alto. Friday night kirtan begins at 7:30 pm and is free.
Sunday morning worship offers relevant and satisfying answers to questions that many people have been asking for a lifetime, shared with humor and intelligence. Service begins with chanting, music, prayer, meditation, and a talk, most often by minister Asha Praver, a remarkable and gifted speaker. The Bible and the Bhagavad Gita are the guiding scriptures. Sunday service begins at 10 am.
Saturday morning classes are offered on a wide variety of topics and are usually three hours starting at 10 am. We also offer many classes in a 3 or 4 week series, so Saturdays are an excellent way to explore a topic in a single session.
Remarkable books
Autobiography of a Yogi, First Edition
Paramhansa Yogananda
This book appears regularly on lists of the most influential spiritual books of the last 100 years. Yogananda’s extraordinary stories of saints and miracles are startling testimony to humanity’s capacity for direct, personal communion with God. Written in 1946, it has been translated into 19 languages and is used in colleges as a textbook in Yoga and Indian philosophy.
Purchase
The New Path: My Life with Paramhansa Yogananda
Swami Kriyananda
A companion to Yogananda’s Autobiography, The Path is the captivating story of a young American man’s longing for truth, his many adventures along the way, and a remarkable meeting with Paramhansa Yogananda, when he became a disciple at the age of 21. With hundreds of stories about Yogananda not found anywhere else, this book is a remarkable guide to walking the spiritual path.
Purchase
The Essence of Self-Realization—The Wisdom of Paramhansa
Yogananda compiled by Swami Kriyananda
A compilation by Swami Kriyananda of his guru’s words as he remembered and recorded them. Each chapter is devoted to an essential aspect of the spiritual life, including karma, reincarnation, grace, the need for a guru, meditation, and prayer.
Purchase
More books by Swami Kriyananda
How to Meditate
John Jyotish Novak
Complete with photos and illustrations, this book is the classic, step-by-step guide to the art and science of meditation. Meditation can bring increased vitality, clarity of mind, and ultimately, inner communion with God. You’ll learn ancient techniques for relaxing body and mind; how to develop devotion and intuition, and the fundamentals of Yoga philosophy.
Purchase
Swami Kriyananda as We Have Known Him
Asha Praver
Asha has been a student and friend of Swami Kriyananda since their first meeting in 1969. From the beginning, she has taken copious notes of her own experiences and conversations with him, and the experiences of many others. A gifted storyteller, she draws universal life lessons from these personal reminiscences—200 remarkable stories of love, extraordinary compassion, and of miracles.
Purchase
On-line inspiration
You may wish to bookmark these pages, and return often to see new inspirational video and audio talks. The internet is a great gift to spiritual seekers in every corner of the world, who may not have the support of other like-minded souls nearby.
