Ananda Washington’s

Pilgrimage to Paramhansa Yogananda’s Shrines in Southern California

October 3 – 7, 2018

You are invited to join Nayaswamis Hriman and Padma on this inspiring spiritual adventure! We will visit and meditate at Paramhansa Yogananda’s shrines in Southern California. To allow the vibrations to penetrate our hearts and souls, the pace of the pilgrimage is leisurely. 

“Everything else can wait, but our search for God cannot wait.” – Paramhansa Yogananda

This spiritual adventure will include visiting and meditating at Paramhansa Yogananda’s shrines in SouthernCalifornia. To allow the vibrations to penetrate our hearts and souls, the pace of the pilgrimage is leisurely. The pilgrimage will take place from October 3 to 7, 2018.

In Encinitas our hotel is situated minutes from the Encinitas Hermitage. In Los Angeles we will stay at the Biltmore Hotel (lobby pictured below), the place where Yogananda left his body in 1952. Each day we will have opportunities to meditate together, and for tuning into Yogananda’s vibrations at the shrines.

PILGRIMAGE  ITINERARY

Wednesday, October 3: Our chartered bus will pick us up at the San Diego Airport at 1pm. Please see suggested flights at the end of this brochure. Your flight to/from So California are not included in this pilgrimage (or price), to allow you the most flexibility. Our bus will bring us to Encinitas for lunch, then check in at the Days Inn. Then we will gather and go to Swami’s Beach in Encinitas (named for Yogananda after he established the Hermitage nearby!). We will meditate and relax on the beach, and then the bus will drop us at the Lotus Café for a meal of choice. The bus will escort us back to the Inn when we are done.

Thursday, October 4:  We will have breakfast at the Inn. The bus will take us to Casey Hughes’ home for meditation, where the local Ananda Meditation Group will join us for meditation as well. This day we devote to visiting the Encinitas Hermitage where Yogananda wrote his spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi. We will meditate on the beautiful grounds of the Hermitage, and have an opportunity to shop in the large book/gift store next to the grounds. In the afternoon, the bus will bring us both Swami’s Beach and/or a convenient swimming beach for a bit of fun in the sun. The bus will also bring us to restaurant areas for lunch and dinner times, and then back to the hotel.

Friday, October 5: We will have breakfast at the Days Inn in Encinitas, and then the bus will take us to Lake Shrine. This is the stunning lake and garden that Yogananda created for the upliftment of all! The beauty of the lake invites us to meditate and quietly tune into Yogananda’s vibrations which are alive and well there. We will also have the opportunity to meditate on the houseboat that he placed on the lake back in the day. Next we will stop for lunch along the way to visit the Crypt at Forest Lawn Mortuary in Glendale that afternoon. We will have the opportunity to chant and meditate there in the area where Yogananda’s body resides. The vibrations are amazing! The bus will then take us to the Biltmore to check in, and for easy access to dinner restaurants and a free evening.

The Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles is where Yogananda left his body in 1952. Throughout our stay, we will have the opportunity to meditate in the area where The Last Smile photograph was taken, just before his Mahasamadhi, which is now in the reception area of this classic hotel.

Saturday, October 6: We will have breakfast at the Biltmore, and meditate in a meeting room that has been rented for that morning’s meditation. A lovely, gourmet breakfast buffet at the Biltmore is included in this pilgrimage. Then the bus will take us to Hollywood Church. This is the church where Swami Kriyananda first met Yogananda, and it is also the church where he was the main minister for a few years.

Next we will stop for lunch along the way, and go to Mt. Washington, the ashram and headquarters that Yogananda established in the 1920’s. It was here that Yogananda had his primary residence. We will be able to meditate there, and receive a tour of his rooms, the chapel, and the grounds. After this the bus will take us back to the Biltmore for a free evening and dinner restaurants galore in the hotel and nearby.

Sunday, October 7: We will have another scrumptious breakfast at the Biltmore. Then we’ll depart on our bus for the purification/meditation ceremony and the Sunday Service & Festival of Light at Ananda Los Angeles. After service, we will check out of our rooms & store our luggage safely with the staff, while we enjoy a pre-ordered group lunch together at the Biltmore as a farewell and celebration. Some of our friends from Ananda Los Angeles will join us as well. After lunch we will take the bus to LAX airport for departure from Los Angeles back to Seattle. We will arrive at the airport by 4pm to check in for our respective flights home.

Costs

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:

The cost of all hotel lodgings
Breakfasts at the hotels
Closing lunch on Sunday October 7
The cost of all ground transportation 
All programs, meditations & tours
All taxes on the above items

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:

Your flights from Seattle to San Diego, and from LAX back to Seattle
Any meals other than breakfast and closing lunch listed above
Any donations or tips you may wish to leave at the shrines & churches (we usually gather our donations at each shrine to offer as a group), restaurants, porters etc.

Personal items, laundry, phone, or any other charges beyond the group’s pre-paid hotel rates

Payment: In order to reserve your space, please submit a down payment of $ 300 with your reservation form.

Early bird discount: If we receive your full payment by May 13, 2018, you will receive a $175 discount (as shown in the rates above).

Cancellation Policy: If you cancel by Sunday, August 19, 2018, your payment will be refunded, less a $200 cancellation fee. If we have purchased your lodging, meals and ground transportation, any applicable cancellation fees will also be subtracted from your refund. After August 19, 2018, sorry but no refunds are possible.

We will continue taking reservations, as long as space is available. Space is limited, so we encourage you to register as soon as possible!

Recommended Flights: Prices keep going up, so please book early!

Flights are NOT included with the pilgrimage. On Wednesday October 3, you will want to arrive at the San Diego airport no later than 1 pm. Our bus will meet us at the airport and that is where the pilgrimage BEGINS! The likely flight from Seattle to San Diego you may want to explore is:

Alaska Airlines Flight #1176 departs Seattle at 10:15 am and arrives in San Diego (SAN) at 12:56 pm.

Then, on Sunday October 7, you will want to find a flight to depart LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) no earlier than 5:30 pm. The likely flight from LAX to Seattle you may want to explore is:

Alaska Airlines, Flight #1797 departs LAX at 5:30 pm and arrives in Seattle at 8:21 pm.