Ananda Course in Meditation
Learn Paramhansa Yogananda's Scientific Meditation Techniques
Whether a beginning or experienced meditator, take this meditation class to develop or deepen your daily meditation practice and connect with your higher Self.
Next Session: June 22 to August 31
Cost: $129.95
The Powerful Tool of Meditation
Daily meditation helps us overcome our limitations and achieve our highest potential. Meditators worldwide testify that meditation helps transform commonly experienced emotions such as stress, fear and anxiety into the peace, calmness and joy. Regular meditation also naturally enhances our concentration, energy levels and creativity.
For the past 50 years, Ananda has taught Paramhansa Yogananda’s meditation techniques that show us how to attain optimal wellbeing on all levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
With our Ananda Course in Meditation (formerly Lessons in Meditation) you, too, can learn to meditate deeply and consistently and can reap all the benefits of a vibrant meditation practice.
- 10 hours of live webinars, available to watch anytime
- 6 hours on demand video
- 10 lesson PDFs & 25 articles
- Personal feedback from your instructor
- Lifetime access upon graduation
Why Take This Meditation Class?
Make Daily Meditation a Reality
Our 10-week online meditation class is structured to guide you step-by-step through the various tools and meditation techniques you need to create a sustainable practice.
Weekly assignments and inspiration will help you build a routine that works for you.
Receive Caring Support from Experienced Instructors
We all face unique challenges with our meditations.
Your instructors are there to answer your questions, to offer individual feedback, and to encourage you as you learn to meditate or deepen your existing practice.
Learn Meditation Techniques for Self-Realization
These universal scientific techniques taught by Paramhansa Yogananda are for mind, body, and soul healing. But most of all, they will help you connect with your higher Self, the Divine, or God.
These meditation lessons are also the first step toward learning Kriya Yoga, Yogananda’s highest technique for Self-realization.
Join a Worldwide Community of Truthseekers
With our cohort model, you will go through the course and meditate online with like-minded classmates from all over the world.
Upon completion of the course, you will also receive a free one-month membership with Ananda’s Virtual Community.
Curriculum
Week 1: Learn to Meditate: The What, When and How of a Consistent Meditation Practice
Week 2: Learn to Relax
Week 3: Interiorization and the Hong Sau technique
Week 4: Learn to Control Your Energy with Yogananda’s Energization Exercises
Week 5: Practices for Focusing the Mind and Heart
Week 6: Expansion and Going Beyond Techniques
Week 7: Bring Meditation into Daily Life
Week 8: Yogic Dietary Principles for Health and Vitality
What You'll Receive in This Meditation Class
- How to sit properly for meditation
- Hong Sau technique of meditation for relaxing the body, calming the mind and stilling the heart
- Ancient pranayama techniques for relaxation and interiorizing energy
- Energization Exercises for developing willpower and life force control as taught by Paramhansa Yogananda
- Prayer, chanting and visualization for focusing the mind on the Divine
- Completion of Step 1 of 5 toward learning the advanced Kriya Yoga technique
FAQ
Yes this is a 10-week online meditation class.
This is a comprehensive meditation class for both beginners and long time meditators designed to help you learn to meditate deeply. You will receive 8 lessons in meditation with two weeks to pace your learning. This course includes step-by-step instruction as well as personalized guidance from instructors to help you cultivate a rewarding meditation practice.
If one of the following applies to you, you will benefit tremendously from this course:
- Beginners at meditation
- Those who struggle with consistency in meditation and want to develop a strong, daily meditation routine
- Those who have been meditating, or teaching meditation, for several years but want to dive deeper in meditation practice or clarify understanding of meditation based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda
- Those who want to begin their journey on the Path of Kriya Yoga
- Those who have read Autobiography of a Yogi and feel deeply inspired to practice Yogananda’s teachings and techniques
We often have over a 150 students from more than 30 countries!
Once you complete the Ananda Course in Meditation, you are eligible to enroll in the Ananda Course in Meditation Review course which will give you lifetime access to all course material. Additionally, you are able to download all PDF and MP3 material.
The online meditation classes are not at any particular time of day. One lesson is opened up each week. The content is available 24/7. Once opened, the meditation lessons will remain open for the duration of the course. Only the live events are at specific times.
The once a week webinar consisting of guided meditation and inspiration, and occurs from 12 Noon to 1 PM Pacific time, on Tuesdays for one cohort or Fridays for another. We also offer 2 additional webinars: Opening Orientation Webinar on course start date and a Next Steps Webinar in the final week of the course. All live events are recorded for those unable to attend live. Many participants watch the recordings as we have students from all over the globe.
If you have extenuating circumstances, and are unable to complete the course in the given time frame, you may request a one-time re-enrollment (within two years or course purchase) in the next session at no charge.
The time commitment varies with each student and varies with each lesson. Each week’s lesson includes readings, videos, and quizzes. It can take 1.5 to 2 hours to complete. Assimilating the contents deeply requires revisiting them. Additionally, participating in the live webinars and forum interactions add significantly to the benefits that can be accrued from the course.
This 10-week meditation class costs $129.95.
We currently use Zoom for our webinars.
- If you have never attended a Zoom Webinar before: Test Your Connection
- You will need the latest version of Zoom on your computer in order to attend our webinars:
- Once you have signed up for one of our webinars, simply log into the webinar event page. This is where you will find the link to the webinar along with instructions to join.
- You will also be sent by e-mail a link for the webinar through the course announcement forum
- Click on the link provided for the webinar shortly before scheduled starting time
- Select “Open URL: Zoom Launcher” to launch Zoom
- Enter your email address and name in the boxes provided
- Click on “Join Webinar”
Regardless of the time zone you are in, you can take any of our online courses. All material (reading, audio, and video) in our courses are open and available 24/7. You can engage in the course when ever it is convenient to your schedule or time zone.The only aspect of a course that is time specific are webinars and live broadcasts. They are recorded for those are unable to attend live. Recordings are sent to enrolled students and are also posted within the course itself.
Most of the videos on our site are copyright protected and not downloadable. However, there are some exceptions. Audio and reading material are downloadable in every course.
Meet Your Instructors
Brahmachari Sagar resides in the Ananda Monastery located at Ananda Village in Northern California. Born into a family of kriya yogis, Sagar read Paramhansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi at a young age, an influence that culminated in his decision to serve Yogananda’s mission through Ananda.
Sagar led Ananda’s work in Mumbai for about five years and has served Ananda’s work in India and the US as a teacher and counselor to students and as a meditation and stress-relief workshop facilitator for corporates.
Sagar currently serves in Ananda’s Online Ministry. He is one of the principal instructors for the Ananda Course in Meditation and has helped create several online offerings such as the full-length courses The Yoga Teachings of Jesus, Karma and Reincarnation and the webinars The Anatomy of the Astral Body, Losing the Fear of Death Through the Science of Yoga, and How to Stand Unshaken amidst Life’s Challenges. You can read some of his articles here.
Prior to commencing his life of service at Ananda, Sagar was a graduate student with full scholarship at Boston University and holds advanced degrees in Engineering.
Jitendra Guidon, Director of Online with Ananda’s Online Outreach ministry, is a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda living at Ananda Village in Northern California. While serving with Ananda, he enjoys spreading the ancient teachings of Yoga to all truth seekers around the world and look forward to connecting with new friends from different backgrounds and affiliations.
After reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda, Jitendra began his journey with the teachings and meditation in 2006. He continues to feel the inner transformation that comes with the power of the techniques. He is a certified Yoga and Meditation Teacher with Yoga Alliance (RYT 200).
Jitendra is originally from Rhode Island, where he helped lead the Ananda Yoga and Meditation Center and aided in spreading the path of Self-realization in Boston and New York City. He has taught meditation in diverse settings including yoga studios, colleges, high schools, rehabilitation centers and more.
Suzanne Ilgun was born, raised, and schooled in Santa Barbara, CA. She started studying Ananda’s Lessons in Meditation while she was an ICU nurse. Learning meditation and studying the science of yoga was key in her ability to continue working in the high-stress, hectic-paced world of intensive care medicine until she retired from the field in 2006.
Suzanne and her husband Koral now live near Ananda Village in the beautiful Sierra Nevada foothills and are active members in the Ananda community. Suzanne is a certified Ananda Yoga & Meditation teacher. Outside of her meditation and yoga practice, Suzanne enjoys cooking, hiking, and paddleboarding.
Bandhu Kinsey has been a meditator and a member of Ananda since 2007. Living now at Ananda Village in Northern California, he takes part in leading community meditations from time to time. “Chanting is half the battle” says our Guru Paramhansa Yogananda, and Bandhu might want to run that percentage higher, being a musician and classical guitarist . He plays the harmonium and has transcribed some of the chants from there to the guitar.
Bandhu has also served as a P.E. instructor at Living Wisdom High School at Ananda Village emphasizing the notion of the flow of peaceful inner will power toward physical movement.
Ashima Cardona has been a meditator for 34 years and a member of Ananda since 1988. She has served at East West Bookstore in Seattle and for Ananda University online. Additionally, she served by playing the cello and singing in the choir as a part of the Ananda Music Ministry. She has a varied educational background in Social Science, English, Music and Art. Previously, she taught English, Writing, History, and a Leadership class—think spiritual principles in secular clothing—in a local charter high school that she helped to found.
Above all, Ashima has a passion for developing meaningful relationships with students in order to inspire them to develop tools that empower the creation of a joyful life.
Marissa Riojas lives in Folsom, CA. She read Autobiography of a Yogi as a young adult and has tried to grow in Yogananda’s teachings ever since. She is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a Wellness Educator & Coach. Before studying medicine, she was involved in social justice advocacy and education.
Marissa has completed Ananda’s Spiritual Counseling and Meditation Teacher Trainings and is a member of the Ananda Prayer Ministry. She has spent time at Ananda Village as a seva yogi, serving at The Expanding Light Retreat. She views meditation and the cultivation of higher consciousness as the ultimate form of worldwide healing and service.
Marissa enjoys connecting with the Divine through creative expression, such as art & design, writing, intuitive cooking, and spending time outdoors alongside her partner Paul.
Nayaswami Nefretete lives in Ananda Village and serves in various capacities in the community. She feels blessed to live and share the teachings of this path. She began meditating as a teenager and later became a disciple of Yogananda. She moved to the community as soon as was possible after reading the Autobiography of A Yogi.
Originally from the East Coast, she has a rich and varied background in the arts. She also received her doctorate from New York University and worked in New York City for many years as an artist, educator, and therapist.
Transform Your Life in Just 10 Weeks
Why wait to find peace and happiness within you? Join us today to enrich your inner life with a daily meditation practice.
Next Session:
June 22 to August 31
Cost: $129.95
