Meditation Retreat

Meditation retreats offer the sacred opportunity to perform many hours of meditation in an atmosphere charged with Amma’s divine protection and blessings. According to tradition, group meditation performed in a sanctified field of spiritual energy is far more powerful than meditation done alone.

Participants are guided to set aside worldly concerns and dive deep into the ocean of the Self within. As Amma teaches, it is only when we look within through meditation that we discover the true presence of the Divine Mother in our hearts.

The retreat environment allows participants to engage in sacred chants, mantras, and meditation techniques that deepen inner awareness. These practices, inspired by Amma’s teachings, help strengthen concentration and purify the mind.

The venue for the India retreats is the beautiful surroundings of Amma’s Penusila Ashram in Andhra Pradesh. Within this pristine setting, great rishis such as Viswamitra and Kanva Maharshi performed their tapas, or divine austerities. This is also the same Penusila Forest that has been sanctified by our beloved Amma’s presence during her own 10-year period of austerities.

Amma has designed the retreat format for participants’ maximum growth and purification. The day begins with meditation at 5 a.m. At sunrise, participants perform the sacred “Surya namaskara” practice, which involves offering flowers and water to the Divine in the form of the sun, while chanting sacred mantras. Meditation sessions are interspersed with deep esoteric teachings from Amma.

Retreat accommodations consist of 12′ by 15′ rooms with beds, bedding and attached baths with solar hot water showers. Men and women will be housed separately, with a maximum of two participants per room. Sattvic Indian vegetarian food will be served.

All participants are requested to maintain verbal silence for the duration of the retreat to preserve the spiritual energy of the environment. Silence allows the mind to rest and the soul to open fully to the presence of the Divine.

Beyond belief. Enter the world of tapas and experience inner peace. Be at the peak of the world of meditation–in the pure winds at the feet of the magnificent Garudachala Mountains.“The first time I set foot in the Ashram, after getting out of my taxi, I felt a wave of warm delicious energy pass over my body… It was like the Earth Herself was welcoming me to the ashram… I felt embraced. I knew that I had answered Amma’s (inner) call to come (for meditation)”

Looking for a change, for something new? Escape from the mundane world and dive deep into the stillness of your Self. Remodel your life by meditating in a temperate rainforest valley, situated in the foothills of the divine Penusila Mountains, hours away from bustling distractions of the nearest city.
Welcome to the best place for Meditation, a land of tapas, where the temptation to close your eyes and sink into the immense peace of your heart, is a pull too strong to resist.