YSS Chennai Retreat has been upgraded to yss Ashram
These providential words of blessing from Sri Sri Daya Mata, former sanghamata and third president of YSS/SRF on the occasion of the dedication of Chennai retreat in 2010, encapsulate the evolution of the Yogoda Satsanga Sakha Ashram, Chennai.
The ashram is a culmination of a labour of love — a sweet testament to the spirit of tireless service to God and Guru. What started with a small meditation hut in the wilderness has steadily grown into a spiritual oasis for devotees seeking rejuvenation amidst the hustle and bustle of city life.
Located an hour’s drive from Chennai at Mannur village near Sriperumbudur, the ashram was purchased as a piece of land by a long-time devotee of YSS, Sri Gaitonde, in 1973, and eventually donated to YSS in 1998. On December 31, 2006, Swami Shantananda laid the foundation for the main building. Swami Suddhananda inaugurated the retreat on July 25, 2010, and conducted its first-ever monastic programme attended by more than 1,000 devotees.
The Yogoda Satsanga Sakha Ashram in Chennai is punctuated by sacred spaces that enable devotees to rejuvenate their sadhana, study, and discover Paramahansa Yogananda’s Raja Yoga teachings. In addition to attending Sunday Satsanga and daily meditations, devotees are welcome to seek spiritual counsel and guidance related to the meditation techniques given by Paramahansa Yogananda from the YSS sannyasis.
With great joy we share with you that on September 15, 2024, during a live-streamed satsanga held during the closing programme of the Sadhana Sangam, Swami Chidananda Giri, president and spiritual head of Yogoda Satsanga Society of India/Self-Realization Fellowship, has formally announced that the YSS Chennai Retreat would be designated as a YSS Ashram, and would be developed as a full-fledged ashram in the years to come.
Watch this special announcement made by Swami Chidanandaji below.
A Spiritual Oasis
Located 40 kilometers from the centre of Chennai city, this 17-acre spiritual oasis was inaugurated in 2010 to serve YSS devotees as a retreat centre. Nestled between a lake and a reserve forest, it provides an ideal sanctuary of silence, seclusion, and serenity.
As all four YSS ashrams are located in northern and eastern India, devotees from South India had to travel long distances to visit them and benefit from interacting with the sannyasis. In order to cater to the growing number of devotees in the South (resulting partly from the release of the YSS Lessons in Tamil and Telugu), YSS decided to place sannyasis on a continuous basis at the Chennai Retreat starting in February 2024. This continuous monastic presence has significantly benefited the devotees, leading to overwhelming participation in Sadhana Sangams, retreats, and outreach programmes conducted in English, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada. Encouraged by this progress, Swami Chidanandaji formally announced that the retreat would now be designated as a YSS ashram.
Join Us for Personal Retreats and Upcoming Events
We warmly invite you to visit our new Ashram in Chennai, where the serene natural surroundings foster an uplifting environment for spiritual progress. Here, you can immerse yourself in deep sadhana, participate in transformative spiritual programmes, and experience the peace and tranquillity of this blessed sanctuary.
Schedule of events
Next Steps in This Journey
We are currently working with architects to create a Master Plan that will include all the essential facilities required to function as a fully operational ashram. However, finalizing the plan and completing the construction of these facilities will take time, and we anticipate several years of development ahead.
In the meantime, with the growing number of devotees participating in spiritual events, the retreat is facing space limitations. These include a shortage of rooms and facilities for monastics and sevaks, limited private accommodations for devotees, and insufficient office space.
To address these challenges promptly, we are upgrading the existing facilities to better meet the needs of visitors, devotees, sevaks, and monastics. This includes converting dormitories into guest rooms with attached baths for more privacy, building additional rooms for both male and female devotees, and constructing separate blocks for monastics and sevaks to stay and work, along with an additional office and reception building.
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Your Help and Support Will Be Appreciated
As we continue to develop and expand this spiritual haven, we humbly seek your support in the form of prayers, volunteering, and active participation in seva activities. Your generous contributions will play a vital role in nurturing this ashram, helping it blossom into a vibrant centre of spiritual rejuvenation for all.
