A Yogananda-founded Self-Realization Fellowship temple on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles
On Sunday mornings at 4860 West Sunset Boulevard, a silent group meditation opens at ten. An hour later a monastic of the Self-Realization Fellowship Order leads an inspirational service that includes a brief meditation. Hollywood Temple was opened and dedicated by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1942, and it is a branch of Self-Realization Fellowship. The temple's history page traces the idea to the late 1930s, when Yogananda became interested in a vacant parcel on Sunset. He had come to America in 1920 and spent fifteen years in nearly ceaseless travel, teaching yoga to hundreds of thousands in the country's largest cities. Now he was giving his time to writing and to classes for serious students. "I am not interested in building huge edifices of stone wherein God is absent," the page quotes him as saying. "We should have many small temples filled with a true spirit of devotion for God and of united seeking of God." Donations from followers bought the land, and he set about building during the wartime years. In his own telling, he prayed to be shown a church that could be moved onto the property. The week now runs on a steady rhythm. Energization Exercises and group meditation fill Sunday and Friday evenings. Sunday School serves ages 3 to 12, and a teen group meets on second Sundays. A young adults group for ages 18 to 39 gathers in India Hall on third Wednesdays for prayer, chanting, silent meditation and discussion. Kriyabans serving the temple meet on fourth Wednesdays. On Thursday evenings a Hatha Yoga class for women meets in Lower India Hall, with a suggested donation of $10. A Day of Service on the first Saturday of each month begins with monastic-led prayer and meditation before volunteers divide into work teams. The temple and grounds are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The Bookroom opens on Sundays from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m. It carries Yogananda's writings, among them Autobiography of a Yogi, along with recordings, incense and harmoniums from India. On November 14, 2026, a Self-Realization Fellowship Minister leads a one-day retreat that includes Energization Exercises, meditation, kirtan and a talk. It is held in person and livestreamed.
Traditions: Kriya Yoga, Meditation, Energization Exercises, Hatha Yoga, Kirtan, Chanting
Programs: Sunday Morning Meditation, Sunday Inspirational Service, Sunday School and Teen Group, Energization Exercises and Group Meditation, Women's Hatha Yoga, Young Adults Group, Day of Service, Hollywood Temple One-Day Retreat