Welcome to Shaftsbury Hollow Retreat! Our group is composed of devoted members and friends of Self-Realization Fellowship, a worldwide spiritual organization with international headquarters in Los Angeles, California. Self-Realization Fellowship was founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda for the purpose of disseminating Kriya Yoga, a definite scientific technique for attaining direct personal experience of God. Paramahansa Yogananda is widely considered to be the “Father of Yoga in the West” and is regarded as one of the preeminent spiritual teachers of our time.
Nestled in the beautiful Green Mountains of southern Vermont, Shaftsbury Hollow Retreat offers an ideal setting for spiritual rejuvenation and practice of the SRF techniques of meditation. We host a weekly Sunday meditation service and inspirational reading service, special commemorative services, and conducted spiritual weekend retreats throughout the year. Shaftsbury Hollow Retreat has a rich history as a spiritual sanctuary and special place of inspiration for SRF members and for seekers who wish to learn more about the spiritual teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda.
The main building of the Retreat features a beautiful meditation chapel, spiritual library, living room, kitchen and refectory, along with breathtaking views of the Green Mountains. Venturing outside for a walk on the grounds, one has the opportunity to spend time at our meditation pond and explore wooded trails and tranquil pastures. As we let go of the busy activity of daily life, it becomes easier to feel our true nature of inner peace, joy, and freedom. Please take a moment to enjoy our Photo Gallery of this unique spiritual haven.
“When you know that beneath the wave of your life is the great Ocean of Life, and beneath your joy the bliss of God—then you are really living.” – Paramahansa Yogananda
Shaftsbury Hollow Retreat – A Rich Spiritual History
In 1970, Anne Forbes, a long time SRF member from Boston acquired property in Shaftsbury with the intention of moving to Vermont and opening a retreat for SRF devotees in the East. Previously it had belonged to a group of Catholic nuns of the Congregation of Saint Thomas of Villanova, who had made the farmhouse into a retreat. They turned the living room into a chapel, converted the garage into a refectory, and put bedrooms in the attic.
The first SRF monastic-led retreat was held in April of 1973 with Mukti Mata and Sister Lakshmi. Anne hosted twenty-seven more monastic-led retreats before her retirement in 2005. She also hosted many, many individual, small group, and work retreats. During those years all retreatants stayed in the house. All food was prepared on site with the help of local volunteers. Most of the vegetables were grown in the prolific Retreat garden. Anne passed away in 2018, at the age of ninety-nine.
In 2006, the property was transferred legally to Self-Realization Fellowship. Since that time, the Retreat has been managed and maintained by volunteers under the direction of SRF Center Department.
Please enjoy our website and visit our Contact Page if would like any further information about Shaftsbury Hollow Retreat and the teachings of Self-Realization Fellowship.