Setting

The first thing you notice about our setting is forests, nature and quiet. We’re located on 70 acres of beautiful wild forests in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, about 90 minutes from Sacramento two hours from Reno and 75 minutes from North Lake Tahoe.

Forests of Sugar Pine, Cedar, Douglas Fir, Oak, Ponderosa Pine, Madrone and Manzanita surround the campus on all sides. There’s a steep hike down to the South Yuba River about 1,000 feet below us. We’re at 3,000 feet elevation, so in the winter we might get occasional snowfall, usually a few inches. Fall here is warm and colorful, we’re one of the few counties in California that actually has some fall colors. Spring and summer our meditation gardens and ponds come alive. Like most of Northern California, our climate is mild, though we do experience the change of seasons.

The college has vegetable gardens and a large passive solar green house for growing our own food. Solar panels and wind turbine provide our electricity.

Nevada City & Grass Valley

Nearby is Nevada City and Grass Valley, California, two historical Gold Rush towns about 30-40 minutes from the campus. Nevada City is a popular tourist getaway and has charming shops and restaurants, art galleries and theatres. Grass Valley has many larger shopping malls and department stores, theatres and cafes. Both these towns are right next to each other and offer easy access from Highway 49.

Ananda Village

Ananda Village is located five miles from our campus. This is the main community of Ananda Sangha, located on 1,000 acres. Many of our faculty members reside here, and some of our college classes are held here each week. On Sundays, students attend meditations and services at the main Hansa Temple located in this community. The village is home to about 250 residents who are all disciples of Paramhansa Yogananda. The village includes the Living Wisdom School for pre-school through high school, a market and bakery, a thrift store, radiant health center, The Expanding Light guest yoga retreat, a goat dairy, gardens, car mechanic, and more.

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