LOS ANGELES— Several thousand Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) members and friends from 51 states and 41 other countries will convene at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, August 6-12 for the 2017 SRF World Convocation. The annual event is a weeklong immersion in the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda—widely regarded as the father of Yoga in the West, author of the celebrated spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi and founder of Self-Realization Fellowship. Yogananda established SRF in 1920 to disseminate his teachings on the ancient science and philosophy of Kriya Yoga, and its sacred tradition of meditation.
The SRF Convocation provides a unique opportunity for spiritual communion and practical instruction for attendees hailing from New Zealand to Nepal to Botswana to Peru. The program includes group meditations, “How-to-Live” classes based on the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, kirtans (devotional chanting), fellowship, and spiritual counsel from SRF monastics.
The teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda have inspired many through the years to approach life with a sense of calm and peace, helping them to achieve their goals – personally, professionally, and spiritually. At the heart of the SRF teachings is the science of Kriya Yoga, which includes a sacred technique of meditation that serves to quiet both body and mind, making it possible to withdraw one’s energy and attention from the usual turbulence of thoughts, emotions, and sensory perceptions. In the clarity of that inner stillness, one comes to experience a deepening interior peace and attunement with one’s true self.
Among the evening talks that will be presented by SRF monks and nuns at this year’s Convocation are:
“Transforming Your Life by the Power of Consciousness and Positive Thought”
“Make Your Meditations Come Alive”
“Cultivating the Power of a Devotional Heart”
“Calmness: Spiritual Strategy for Overcoming Life’s Tests”
“Prayer: Embracing Our World With Compassion and Understanding”
While some of the program activities are open only to students of the Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons, the evening talks are available to the public ($35 per class).
Attendees who have traveled from outside of the local region to attend Convocation are given the opportunity to participate in pilgrimage tours to several of the temples and sanctuaries established by Yogananda in Southern California, including the Encinitas Retreat and Hermitage, where Yogananda wrote most of his spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi.
For more information about the 2017 SRF World Convocation in Los Angeles, please visit Yogananda-SRF.org and “Highlights from Past Convocations”
or call Self-Realization Fellowship’s headquarters in Los Angeles at (323) 225-2471.
Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) 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. Together with its sister organization Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS), SRF has grown to include 800 temples, retreats and meditation centers throughout the world.
Paramahansa Yogananda first arrived in America in 1920 from his native India, the invited delegate at an International Congress of Religious Liberals convening in Boston, Massachusetts, where he delivered a speech on the science of religion. It marked the beginnings of his profound impact on Western spiritual seekers and of the growing recognition of his role as the father of yoga in the West. Five years later, a transcontinental speaking tour brought him to Los Angeles, where he established the headquarters for his worldwide spiritual and humanitarian work atop Mount Washington. Interest in his teachings has grown steadily over the years, with readers of his numerous books (including the best-selling classic Autobiography of a Yogi) numbering in the millions. The highly acclaimed documentary, AWAKE: The life of Yogananda, was released in 2014.
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