Spiritual Travel: Retreats and Pilgrimages
Providing you relaxing, uplifting, and spiritually deep vacations and pilgrimages
Pilgrimage
We journey to places of authentic spiritual magnetism. Our leaders are joyful, knowledgeable, and experienced pilgrims who offer very personal attention to each guest to help you achieve your piligrimage vision.
Vacations
We offer uplifting vacations so that you can rest and renew your body, mind, and spirit. Lovely accomodations that are affordably priced at times of the year when the weather is good but the crowds are less.
Healing Retreats
Our lives are can be more expansive when we are healthy and calm. These healing retreats bring you to the highest quality healing locations with excellent food, treatments, and time for enjoyable activities.
UPCOMING ANANDA SPIRITUAL TRAVELS
Israel Pilgrimage: Holy Sites of Christianity
Ayurvedic Healing and Yoga Retreat, Kerala, India
Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage, Spain
A Sacred Himalayan Pilgrimage
Enjoy truly relaxing travel that supports your spiritual life in all ways. We choose inspiring sites and lovely accommodations. Our experienced Expanding Light staff leaders create travel that strengthens your spiritual practice, and a journey that leaves you feeling uplifted and renewed.
We plan trips using the following criteria:
- Journey to a place of magnetism
- Lovely accommodations that are reasonably priced
- Travel at affordable times with pleasant weather
- Programs consistent with the Ananda vibration
- Personal contact with leaders and like-minded people
- Programs that support a spiritual vibration and spiritual practice
WHAT GUESTS ARE SAYING
I can't say enough about the many wonderful and powerful experiences I had on our pilgrimage! Feeling the amazing power of the several sacred places stands out. And being a part of a group of like-minded people was a strong confirmation of how real our spiritual journey is. More...
—V.B., Aptos, CA
OUR SPIRITUAL TRAVEL HOSTS
Gyandev and Diksha McCord
Nayaswamis Gyandev and Diksha are long-time teachers and ministers at Ananda, as well as experienced leaders of retreats at home and abroad. Diksha directs Ananda’s Meditation Teacher Training program. Gyandev directs Ananda Yoga® and Ananda Yoga Teacher Training. Both lead workshops on a wide range of topics in the spiritual life. They have led retreats and pilgrimages to India, Hawaii, Costa Rica and Israel.
Nayaswamis Krishnadas and Mantradevi are longtime teachers and ministers of Ananda, Krishnadas and Mantradevi have helped establish Ananda communities in Seattle, Portland, Dallas, and Los Angeles. Currently, they both work at The Expanding Light, regularly leading pilgrimages to India, Europe, and other places of inspiration. They have been sharing Yogananda’s teachings for decades and lead many workshops at The Expanding Light.
Keshava Taylor is the spiritual co-director of Ananda's meditation center in Delhi, and he has been leading pilgrimages in India for the past 13 years. In 1984, Keshava became a founding member of Ananda's European center in Assisi Italy. There he began his love of leading pilgrimages while guiding groups in the footsteps of St. Francis and tours of Renaissance cities. Keshava and his wife Daya have lived in India since Ananda's work began there in 2003.
Sitabai has decades of experience as a walker and hiker in the California Sierra Mountains leading children and families and has twice completed the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.
Nayaswami Lalaan is an experienced pilgrim who has traveled in Spain, Italy and Ireland in search of the Divine. Lalaan is an experienced walker and has many years experience interacting with and supporting guests of the Expanding Light Retreat.
Latika Parojinog, pilgrimage co-host with Gyandev, is a veteran of a number of Ananda pilgrimages (including this one to the Holy Land), and she will share her many insights as a means to help deepen your own pilgrimage experience. Latika is a long-time Ananda minister and currently serves as the General Manager at Ananda Village, where she lives with her husband.
