Self-Realization Fellowship Blog

A joyous holiday tradition in Self-Realization Fellowship is the annual Christmas Open House held at the SRF International Headquarters on Mount Washington in Los Angeles. This year’s event was especially meaningful, as the year 2025 marked the 100th anniversary of Paramahansa Yogananda’s founding of the International Headquarters — where he lived, taught, and communed with God for more than 25 years. From this 12 ½-acre site, lovingly named by him as the Mother Center, his teachings on Kriya Yoga meditation and the underlying unity of the world’s great religions are disseminated worldwide.

The Christmas Open House took place December 5 – 7 this year. SRF monks and nuns welcomed members and friends who came from all over California, Arizona, and beyond to enjoy fellowship and refreshment, view the lovely decorations adorning the glittering Christmas tree, meditate in the chapel where Paramahansaji led many meditations and classes, and hear caroling led by singers from one of the local SRF temples. A highlight each year is the special opportunity to visit Paramahansaji’s living quarters, now preserved as shrine rooms in the International Headquarters Building.

We welcome you to enjoy images from these events below:

We also conducted a Christmas Open House for our Mt. Washington neighbors and their children.

Held on Friday evening, December 5, the festive event drew more than 240 neighbors to the Mother Center, where they were greeted by SRF monks and nuns. Visitors were able to view the many unique decorations in the Reception Hall of the main building and enjoy visits with Santa Claus and his elf under a decorated tent on the tennis court, where refreshments were offered and carolers uplifted the gathering with Christmas cheer. It was a special joy to share the universal spirit of Christmas with our neighbors. 

Then on Wednesday, December 10, 50 second graders from the nearby Mt. Washington Elementary School — along with their teachers and volunteer parents — were hosted by monks and nuns for a special tour of the Christmas decorations and caroling inside the main building, as well as exploring the gardens and meeting with Santa Claus on the tennis court.

Over ninety years ago, in 1931, Paramahansa Yogananda inaugurated the custom of devoting an entire day during the Christmas season to inner communion with the Divine and attunement with Christ Consciousness — the omnipresent, universal consciousness manifested by Jesus and other divine teachers down the ages.

As Paramahansaji explained: “The ideal is to honor Christ in spirit in meditation from morning till evening, absorbed in feeling in one’s own consciousness the Infinite Christ that was born in Jesus. That experience is one of profound peace and joy, more than a human heart has ever known — expanding into an all-embracing consciousness.”

This tradition continues today in the annual all-day Christmas meditations conducted at SRF ashrams and at SRF temples, centers, and meditation groups throughout the world. SRF monks and nuns traveled to various cities for the purpose of conducting these special meditations, which are for many one of the spiritual highlights of the entire year. In addition to periods of silent meditation, the all-day meditations include devotional prayer and chanting, and inspirational readings from the talks and writings of Paramahansaji.