Retreats - Testimonials

Profession: Yoga Teacher

The Kriya Yoga retreat took me to deep places within myself. I was able to access both sublime moments, mystical and transcendental experiences, as well as moments I’ll call “dark,” parts of myself that needed light so I could see how much anger, hurt, and resentment I was carrying inside. I felt as if the Kriya performed a cleansing in me, in my mind and in my body. I am profoundly grateful for the experience. I am very happy that I managed to make it to the end, because at several points I thought about giving up. The physical pain, the irritation of having to meditate for long hours, it often left me desperate. But we receive support at every moment during the retreat, and that gave me the strength to continue.

The ashram is wonderful, in the middle of the mountains, filled with nature, birds, cows, trees, and a beautiful starry sky. The monks radiate peace, and being in their presence calmed me. The food is DIVINE, something you eat while praying. Gratitude! The accommodations are very clean and comfortable.

But the best of all is the opportunity to listen to the Satsangs, the Master's teachings that touch the soul. It is a blessing to be able to hear them. During my retreat, the Master was present, and I also received a lot of support and the opportunity to have an individual Satsang.

I am very grateful. Gratitude.

Profession: Technology Consultant

I had a different expectation for this journey. I thought it would bring me more peace and comfort, but instead, right at the beginning, it brought me COMPLETE AND TOTAL CHAOS, and with that came learning. It reminded me of a line from a character played by Morgan Freeman in a movie, when he asks: “If you ask God for faith, do you expect Him to simply give you faith, or to place events in your path so you can learn to have faith?”

And that is exactly what happened to me. Many times, I asked God to help me find myself again, to bring me well-being, to quiet my thoughts, and that’s how I ended up at the retreat.

Today I leave with a work begun, the first step taken. The chaos is still here, but I understand its necessity for my learning and evolution.

My advice, if I may: take this journey, and don’t let anything convince you to give up, because in the end, you’ll see that it was truly worth it.

Retreat: Retreat January 3rd to 14th, 2023

Thinking about a Meditation and Silence Retreat for 10 days may seem crazy to anyone who is immersed in everyday life. However, when you arrive at the Ashram City of Angels and have contact with the people, the nature, and the vibrant peace that emanates from that place, you quickly realize that the choice of facing the challenge and the madness of stopping everything for 10 days is worth a lot.

However, it must be said that the Retreat is far from being a vacation camp. Meditation is not a fad. It takes respect, devotion, and discipline. The body ached! The head boiled! 10 hours of meditation a day was not easy. However, the daily practice leads us to overcome the challenges that arise. Discipline leads us to improve our technique and to deepen ourselves. Besides being beneficial, it is a spiritual revolution that you experience within yourself. It is still necessary to say about the Satsangs (daily teachings of the Master): they are words of encouragement, strong words that can sometimes disturb you, but that are fundamental to follow in the Retreat and later in life.
 
Finally, it is important to highlight the kindness, the quality of the accommodations, and the perfection of the food.
All magnificent! Thank you!

When the opportunity for this Meditation and Silence Retreat was presented to me, I had no idea of the loud inner work I was about to face.

So many memories I didn’t even know affected me so deeply. So many repressed feelings that were keeping me from even expressing gratitude to God for everything I already have. Over these days, I realized I had been giving attention to things I had long thought about letting go of.

At specific moments, I felt my body burning and my mind refusing to quiet down. Slowly, things began to settle, and then I would take a deep breath and understand the “why” behind so much. Life does not forgive, and these days at the Ashram showed me that attachment will never move you forward, and that if I truly want a deep connection with God and with myself, I must free myself from the chains that keep me imprisoned.

I could spend a long time telling every detail of what this experience was like, but lived experience is difficult to put into words.

I wish that all seekers may find a place that provides the best possible experience, just as the Ashram did for me.

With love