Lake Shrine Meditation Gardens - Paramhansa Yogananda

Amongst the countless trips we have taken in the US exploring the serenity and natural beauty of this marvelous country, the visit to Lake Shrine Meditation Gardens last Saturday was a class apart. The center was founded by Paramhansa Yogananda in 1950. Swami Yogananda was an Indian yogi and guru instrumental in introducing the ancient teachings of meditation and kriya yoga to the West. He is also the author of the famous book Autobiography of a Yogi .

I have still not completed reading the book. However, influenced by my mother's repeated mentioning of a place in Los Angeles where Swami Yogananda has an ashram prompted me to research more and make a visit. The shrine is located on Sunset Boulevard, one of the most posh localities in that region.

The natural beauty and landscaped gardens spread across 10 acres are awesome. Everything in the meditation center seems to be hand crafted with an aura and blessings of yogic gurus in the surrounding air. A green water lake greets you at the entrance, the sight of which would make a permanent registry in your sub-conscious mind. The aroma of flowers mixed with the scent of incense attacked another one of the 5 senses.

The pathway around the lake is blessed with flora and fauna of an unimaginable variety making it one of the most bio-diverse places I ever visited in a relatively small patch of land. A meditation room at the entrance of the path way was so quiet that for the first time I could feel myself breathing and experiencing my heart beat. We sat there for a couple of minutes and finally our curiosity took us to the walking tour around the lake.

There were stone benches surrounding the path way at strategic locations over viewing the lake and each of the positions provided a spiritual experience. The meditation center in its true sense provides a relaxing feeling for both the mind and the body. The view of the lake, the surrounding trees and the waterfall in the middle of the path way each added to the serenity of the surrounding.

The path way revolves back to the entrance where one can experience the bliss of being in the lap of GOD. Undoubtedly, after numerous trips to various holy shrines in India as well as in the US, this place provided me with a truly unexpected and pleasing experience. While, I would like to go there again, I would highly recommend people from all walks of life to visit Lake Shrine for inner peace and happiness.