True friendship lies in seeking soul progress together...By being true to yourself and a true friend to others, you gain the friendship of God.Paramhansa Yogananda

Our Teaching Staff

Our core teaching staff are long time devotees of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of the spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi, and the lifelong students of the Self-realization teachings of Raja Yoga. You will find in us a friend and guide for your personal or guided retreat.

Nayaswamis Roma and Haridas- Teachers & Spiritual Directors

Nayswamis Haridas and Roma have been the Spiritual Directors of the Ananda Meditation Retreat from 1995 to 2001. During that time they ran the Discipleship Training Program for Ananda. They have also served as co-directors of the Ananda Sacramento Community, and helped to manage the Ananda Palo Alto Community before being transferred to India by Swami Kriyananda in 2005. They travelled extensively giving classes and workshops throughout India and in 2012 started the Ananda Bangalore Center and served there as Spiritual Directors for 14 years.  

Nayaswami Susan – Teacher & Manager

Susan has been a meditator and Kriya Yoga practitioner for over 30 years. She was one of the early members of Ananda’s community in Seattle. Susan helped to start and then manage East West Bookshop, providing the greater community with a gathering space and programs for seekers of all traditions. She served as a Lightbearer Minister for the Seattle Sangha, and taught their popular Raja Yoga course, as well as other classes.

Here at Ananda Meditation Retreat, Susan helps to direct the retreat, working with guest services, teaching, and counseling. Her many years of connecting with people in all walks of life help her to share the transforming teachings of yoga and meditation in creative, down-to earth, and practical ways that anyone can relate to and use to uncover their inner joy and live happier, more fulfilling lives.

Susan also volunteers with OnlinewithAnanda, sharing with meditation students around the world.

Matt Stickney- Teacher & Manager

Matt Matt is a Lightbearer Minister who has been associated with the Ananda community for many years. He was a founding member of Ananda Sacramento community and served for a long time as a co-director of that community.  Matt is a teacher of meditation and Raja Yoga, and a beautiful example of spiritualizing everyday life.

Nayaswami Anandi Gray- Teacher & Seva Yoga Coordinator

Anandi lives, serves and teaches at the Ananda Meditation Retreat in Nevada City, California. She has a gift for clarifying the teachings of yoga and making them practical. Her deep calmness helps everyone around her feel comfortable and relaxed. Anandi is a longtime practitioner of Kriya Yoga and founder of the Ananda Yoga & Meditation Center in Ashland, Oregon. Before moving to the Meditation Retreat she was adjunct instructor of Raja Yoga, Hatha Yoga, and Psychology at Southern Oregon University. She is an Ananda Minister and member of the Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society.

Nayaswami Sahaja Sims- Teacher

Nayaswami Sahaja has been practicing meditation since 1984. She visited Ananda Village for the first time in 1986 and became a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda later that year. Sahaja moved to Ananda Village in 1995 and has served in many different roles over the years.  In 1998 she became a certified Ananda Yoga teacher and has taught yoga and meditation ever since, both at Ananda Meditation Retreat, and The Expanding Light Retreat. She is a Lightbearer minister and coordinated the  Ananda Meditation Centers and Groups throughout the U.S. 

Nayaswami Gopal Sims- Teacher 

Gopal has been studying and living the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda since 1976 and has been teaching meditation since 1979. He has taught and served Ananda in many capacities  – in the Bay area, Sacramento and Ananda Village. In recent years, while teaching yoga and meditation at Sierra College, Gopal developed a program called “Peace for Warriors” bringing the transformative techniques of yoga and martial arts to help veterans and others suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders. 

 

Charles Evans

Charles is the resident gardener of our 5-acre meditation gardens. His list of credentials speaks to a adventurous and curious soul. Author of several landscaping books, he has also been a building engineer, chef, art gallery owner, and even enjoyed a brief stint as a cowboy in Oregon.

Charles is Findhorn trained in the art of intuitive gardening. And this is what the guest invariably feels when he takes them on a tour and gives a talk on this subject. This is how Charles has integrated yoga and nature. He has a gift of tuning into the spirit of plants and trees, so that the love they receive from his care and attention is what the gardens share with you.

He loves to share his experiences of intuitive gardening as well as the history of the land with visitors. His nature and gardening stories will be a favorite part of your stay here.