Annual SRF World Convocation 2027

The Annual SRF World Convocation is a week-long spiritual gathering devoted to the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, the founder of Self-Realization Fellowship. It takes place at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California, and is also offered online for those who cannot travel. It is open to anyone drawn to Kriya Yoga, group meditation and devotional chanting, whether they are new to Yogananda's path or have followed it for years.

Each year thousands of seekers from many countries gather for the week. The program is offered free of charge, in person and online.

What to Expect

The week is an immersion in Yogananda's "how-to-live" teachings, which offer practical counsel on meeting life's challenges. SRF monks and nuns give talks on his Kriya Yoga teachings and share their own experiences on the spiritual path. Group meditations and kirtans, led by SRF monastics, bring everyone together in practice, and the organizers describe the sense of shared devotion as a hallmark of Convocation.

For everyone attending, in person or online, the program includes:

- A satsanga with SRF/YSS President Brother Chidananda
- Classes on the "how-to-live" teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda
- Classes on the SRF meditation techniques
- Group meditations and kirtans
- Special video presentations
- Pilgrimage tours to SRF locations made sacred by the Guru, with virtual pilgrimage tours for online participants
- Time to meet SRF monastics and other attendees in a spirit of friendship, with virtual fellowship events for those online

The full daily schedule is expected to be released in the spring before the event, when registration also opens.

About Paramahansa Yogananda

Paramahansa Yogananda is the author of Autobiography of a Yogi and the founder of Self-Realization Fellowship, which he established in 1920. The Fellowship describes him as the Father of Yoga in the West and a beloved world teacher. His teaching centers on the Kriya Yoga path of meditation, and also covers the true meaning of yoga, the unity of the scriptures, and the science of prayer and affirmation. Devotional chanting and kirtan are part of the tradition he began.

He held the first Convocation in 1950 at the SRF headquarters on Mt. Washington in Los Angeles. Self-Realization Fellowship carries on his spiritual and humanitarian work, including the SRF Lessons, a home-study course on meditation and spiritual living that begins with a nine-month series. In India his work is known as Yogoda Satsanga Society of India.

Before You Go

All levels are welcome, and no prior experience is needed to take part in the general program. Classes on the SRF meditation techniques are the one exception. They are open to current and graduate students of the SRF Lessons, and to anyone who enrolls in the Lessons before or during Convocation.

Those who cannot be in Pasadena can follow the online program instead. Recordings from earlier Convocations are also available for free registration and on YouTube, including a playlist of classes, meditations and kirtans, which gives a good sense of the atmosphere beforehand. Note that the classes on the meditation techniques are viewable only by students of the SRF Lessons.