Retreat

The purpose of a retreat is to withdraw one’s consciousness from the many distractions of daily life, and in the words of Paramahansa Yogananda, to provide ‘a dynamo of silence where you may go for the exclusive purpose of being recharged by the Infinite.’

The SRF Toronto Meditation Centre hosts an annual weekend retreat at Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre, in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Retreat participants are provided with accommodations in furnished single or double rooms, and with wholesome vegetarian meals. Mount Carmel is wheelchair accessible.

Retreat activities include daily group practice of the SRF Energization Exercises, conducted group meditations, a Kirtan Service and group showing of an SRF DVD. There is also ample free time to relax and enjoy God’s presence in the beautiful retreat settings. Self-Realization Fellowship books are available in the retreat library for private study, and the retreat chapel is open for meditation.

To maximize the effects of the retreat experience, guests are expected to participate in the full retreat program and not to engage in other activities during the time of their stay. Guests maintain silence throughout their stay to deepen their retreat experience. As Paramahansa Yogananda said: ‘The value of silence cannot be understood except through experience….What joy awaits discovery in the silence behind the portals of your mind no human tongue can tell.’

Please note that registration for October 2024 weekend retreat, to be held at Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre, Niagara Falls, Ontario is now closed.

Next year’s weekend retreat will be held at Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre, Niagara Falls, Ontario from September 19, 2025 to September 21, 2025.