Ananda is a global movement founded by Swami Kriyananda in 1968, based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, who showed how everyone can realize God in their daily lives as a tangible, loving reality.
From his youth, Swami Kriyananda had dreamed of creating small communities based on cooperation and high ideals. When he became Yogananda’s disciple in 1948, he discovered that Yogananda, too, was committed to the concept of “World Brotherhood Colonies.”
Yogananda often predicted that world brotherhood colonies, based on the twin principles of “plain living and high thinking,” would be the social pattern for the future. Kriyananda vowed to do his utmost to make this dream a reality. Since that time, he has founded many communities, retreats, teaching centers, and meditation groups around the world.
Yogananda’s non-sectarian teachings embrace the truths that underlie all the great religions. People from all faiths and backgrounds are welcomed at Ananda.