A weeklong experience of yoga meditation and the universal wisdom of Paramahansa Yogananda, offered free of charge July 14-20
LOS ANGELES — This summer, thousands of yogis from around the world will gather for a week of divine inspiration and fellowship, an immersion in the Kriya Yoga teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, world teacher and author of the best-selling spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi.
The Self-Realization Fellowship World Convocation will be held July 14 to 20 — in person at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles for the first time since 2019 — and livestreamed free of charge, so that anyone can participate from anywhere around the globe. Last year over 22,000 participants from more than 130 countries attended Convocation online.
Widely regarded as the father of Yoga in the West, Paramahansa Yogananda established this annual tradition in 1950 to provide an opportunity for aspiring yogis to take a break from daily routines and immerse themselves in spiritual classes, devotional chanting, and group meditation, while receiving practical guidance on how to successfully meet the challenges of daily living.
“I wish that, as seekers of Bliss, which all of us are, you would try to experience for yourselves that universal truth which is in all and may be felt by all,” says Yogananda. “This state is not an invention of anyone. It is already there; we have simply to discover it.”
Led by the monks and nuns of Self-Realization Fellowship, the society founded by Yogananda in 1920, Convocation events for this year include:
- A meditation and a satsanga with Brother Chidananda, president of Self-Realization Fellowship (a satsanga can be translated as “fellowship with divine truth” and in this instance is a talk based on questions from members and friends)
- Daily talks on the “How-to-Live” teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda
- Group meditations each morning and evening
- Classes on meditation techniques as taught in Yogananda’s Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons. Those interested in participating in the technique classes can enroll in the Lessons prior to Convocation.
- Kirtan (devotional chanting) led by the Self-Realization Fellowship monks’ and nuns’ kirtan groups
- Satsangas (informal talks based on questions from Self-Realization Fellowship members and friends)
- Spiritual fellowship in person and online — online participants will have the opportunity to meet informally with monastics and other Convocation attendees joining from around the world.
- Virtual and in-person pilgrimage tours of sacred sites throughout California where Paramahansa Yogananda lived and worked, including Self-Realization Fellowship International Headquarters, Lake Shrine, Hollywood Temple, Encinitas Ashram Center, and more
During the “How-to-Live” talks, Self-Realization Fellowship monks and nuns will offer insights on Paramahansa Yogananda’s Kriya Yoga teachings, giving his counsel on how to navigate life’s challenges as they share their own experiences of journeying on the spiritual path. Talks will focus on such topics as: finding joy in life, introspection for success, intuition, the love and wisdom that come from meditation, and more.
“When we go within and contact our own soul awareness, and we do that in the company of other souls — where jointly all of us are operating, at least for a short time, from that higher soul level of consciousness — automatically we develop love; automatically we develop respect and appreciation, and that deepens into the sweetest divine friendship,” says president of Self-Realization Fellowship Brother Chidananda.
Self-Realization Fellowship monks and nuns will also travel to cities across Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America to host Convocation activities; and many Self-Realization Fellowship meditation centers around the world will hold in-person Convocation viewing events. 
More information about the event, including registration, can be found at Convocation.Yogananda.org. For more information about Yogananda’s Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons, please visit: Yogananda.org.
Background information:
Paramahansa Yogananda first arrived in America in 1920 from his native India, an invited delegate to an International Congress of Religious Liberals convening in Boston, where he delivered a speech on the science of religion, marking a pivotal point for Yoga in the West. He founded Self-Realization Fellowship that same year to disseminate his Kriya Yoga teachings. Today he is widely regarded as the father of Yoga in the West. His spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi continues to be recognized as one of the world’s most influential books.
Self-Realization Fellowship is the international nonprofit spiritual organization founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda to introduce to people of all races, cultures, and creeds the ancient science and philosophy of Yoga and its time-honored tradition of meditation. Through its spiritual and humanitarian service, the society seeks to foster greater harmony and goodwill among the diverse peoples and nations of the world, and a deeper understanding of the underlying unity of all religions. For more information, please visit: Yogananda.org
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Contact:
Blythe Fraser
Self-Realization Fellowship
323 225-2471
[email protected]
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Religion News Service or Religion News Foundation.
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