Vedanta Center of Phoenix Winter 2025 Retreat

with Swami Sarvapriyananda

Sat. Dec 6th – Tue. Dec 9th, 2025

Event Details:

ABOUT THE RETREAT SPEAKER 

Ramakrishna-Sarada Vedanta Center of Phoenix is pleased to organize this 3-day retreat conducted by Swami Sarvapriyananda.

Swami Sarvapriyananda has been the Minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of New York since January 2017. He joined the Ramakrishna Math in 1994 and received sannyasa in 2004. He served as an acharya (teacher) of the monastic probationers’ training center at Belur Math, India. He also served in various capacities in different educational institutes of the Ramakrishna Mission in India and as the Assistant Minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California.

During 2019-2020 he was a Nagral Fellow at the Harvard Divinity School.

Swami Sarvapriyananda is a well-known speaker on Vedanta, and his talks are extremely popular globally via the internet. He has been a speaker on various prestigious forums such as TEDx, SAND, Google Talk etc. He has also been invited to speak at several universities across the world, including Harvard University. The swami has engaged in dialogue with many eminent thinkers such as Deepak Chopra, Rupert Spira, Rick Archer, David Chalmers and Sam Harris.

RETREAT TOPIC/TEXT 

Topic: Nonduality-Insight & Meditation

Text: Vivekacudamani of Sri Sankaracarya

Join us for a retreat exploring the Nondual meditation verses of the Vivekachudamani, where Adi Shankaracharya vividly describes the inner state of a realized soul, the Jivanmukta—one who is liberated while still alive. Through reflection, guided discussion and meditation on these powerful verses we will contemplate what it means to live in the world as a Jivanmukta: serene, centered in the ultimate reality and experiencing the bliss of the Self.

RETREAT DAILY PROGRAM:

SATURDAY DECEMBER 6th Evening

4:00 to 6:30 PM: Registration 

6:30 to 7:30 PM: Dinner

7:30 to 8:30 PM: Welcome and Introduction to the Retreat

*********

SUNDAY December 7th - MORNING

6:30 to 7:00 AM: Guided Meditation 

7:00 to 8:00 AM: Yoga 

8:00 to 9:00 AM: Breakfast

10:00 to 11:00 AM: Nondual Meditation - An Introduction

11:15 to 12:30 PM: Nondual Meditation I 

SUNDAY December 7th – AFTERNOON

12:30 to 1:30 PM: Lunch

3:00 to 4:30 PM: Chat-Chaat-Chai or Bhajan

5:00 to 6:00 PM: Nondual Meditation II

6:30 to 7:30 PM: Dinner

7:30 to 8:30 PM: Satsang with Swami

*********

MONDAY December 8th - MORNING

6:30 to 7:00 AM: Guided Meditation 

7:00 to 8:00 AM: Yoga 

8:00 to 9:00 AM: Breakfast

10:00 to 11:00 AM: Nondual Meditation III  

11:15 to 12:30 PM: Nondual Meditation IV  

MONDAY December 8th – AFTERNOON

12:30 to 1:30 PM: Lunch       

3:00 to 4:30 PM: Chat-Chaat-Chai or Bhajan

5:00 to 6:00 PM: Nondual Meditation V 

6:30 to 7:30 PM: Dinner

7:30 to 8:30 PM: Satsang with Swami

********** 

TUESDAY December 9th - MORNING

6:30 to 7:00 AM: Guided Meditation

7:00 to 8:00 AM: Yoga 

8:00 to 9:00 AM: Breakfast

10:00 to 11:00 AM: Living Nonduality

11:00 to 12:30 PM: Q&A with Swami Sarvapriyananda

12:30 to 1:30 PM: Lunch

Retreat concludes after lunch on Tuesday December 9th, 2025. 

RETREAT VENUE

This 3-day retreat will be held in the Spirit in The Desert Retreat Center – about 25 miles north-east of the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The Center is located at 7415 East Elbow Bend, Carefree, AZ 85377.

Call the Center at (480) 488-5218 if you need directions.

PARTICIPATION LIMIT

Retreat attendance is limited to the first 100 registered participants.

Participation in this weekend’s retreat is by pre-paid registration only for both Resident and Commuter participants.

REGISTRATION FOR VEDANTA PHOENIX WINTER 2025 RETREAT:

Registration is now open and will remain open until 6 pm October 31st, 2025. Please note that the Registration Fee should be paid in full at the time of registration.

Registrations are accepted in the order in which they are received. If you are registering for yourself and a friend or friends, we need all your email addresses AND names of those registered in the group to hold those seats. The names of all the registrants in the group should be sent to VedantaPhoenixRetreat@gmail.com. If you should have questions, please reach out to us at the same email address.

Your seat at the retreat will be confirmed once your registration fee is paid and acknowledged by Vedanta Center of Phoenix in an acknowledgement email to you.

REGISTRATION FEE AND OPTIONS:

Participants can register either as a Resident or Commuter participant.

REGISTRATION FEE (RESIDENT & COMMUTER PARTICIPANTS) – 

$525 Per Person

ROOM & BOARD FOR RESIDENT PARTICIPANTS - $575.00 PER PERSON

BOARD ONLY FOR COMMUTER PARTICIPANTS - $265 PER PERSON 

BOARD ONLY FOR SINGLE OCCUPANCY PARTICIPANTS - $265 PER PERSON 

RESIDENT PARTICIPANTS

The Spirit in The Desert Retreat Center has excellent lodging and dining arrangements for Resident Participants.

Vedanta Center of Phoenix has blocked 24 double occupancy rooms. There are no single occupancy rooms available. Resident Participants will be staying in assigned rooms on a double occupancy basis. 

For participants who want single occupancy rooms, we have secured 20 rooms at the Hampton Inn by Hilton at the edge of the Spirit in The Desert Retreat Campus (2 Easy Street, Carefree, AZ - 85377). You will have to call Hampton Inn by Hilton directly at 480-476-9200 to make your reservation. You will also make your payment directly to Hampton Inn for your room. 

Room assignment at the Spirit in The Desert will be done by the Vedanta Center of Phoenix on a first-registered first-served basis. Please do not call the Spirit in The Desert Retreat Center for room reservation for this retreat.

A Resident Participant who wishes to share a room with a preferred roommate is advised to register for both participants and specify on the registration form the name of that roommate. Alternatively, if a Resident Participant knows a fellow participant who has or will register as a Resident Participant, and wishes to share a room with that participant, then please email us at VedantaPhoenixRetreat@gmail.com the name of that preferred roommate. Similarly, the preferred roommate should also email us at VedantaPhoenixRetreat@gmail.com indicating his/her preferred roommate. Please note that once an assignment is made, it will be difficult to make changes to the assignment.  

COMMUTER PARTICIPANTS

Local participants commuting daily from their place of residence and some out-of-town participants who may wish to stay with a friend or at another hotel/motel close by may register as Commuter Participants. Please note that the Commuter Participants are responsible for their own transportation arrangements.

For both residents and commuter participants all meals are included in the BOARD Fees.

HOW TO REGISTER

If you are using a desktop or laptop, then scroll back to the top of the page, and look at the right-hand column. Select participant type, Resident, Resident Single Occupancy, or Commuter and number of registrants, then continue following the instructions provided.

If you are using a smartphone, then scroll below and select participant type, Resident, Resident Single Occupancy, or Commuter and number of registrants, then continue following the instructions provided.

Resident Participants wishing to stay in the Spirit in The Desert Retreat Center are encouraged to register early for room reservation.

COVID POLICY

No proof of vaccinations is required. Wearing a protective mask is a personal choice. Prevailing health and safety protocols in Carefree, AZ will be followed.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Vedanta Center of Phoenix has a firm cancellation policy. Please read below.

Your registration fee is non-refundable but is transferable.

Please note that you are registering and reserving a seat in a limited seating retreat; seating is limited to the first 100 registered participants. 

Our policy is very FIRM; please be clear about our policy at the time of registration. In the event you have registered and are unable to attend we will make every attempt to help you transfer your seat to someone else. 

RETREAT CONTACT

If you have any questions, please send an email to the Vedanta Phoenix Retreat Team at VedantaPhoenixRetreat@gmail.com

Have a safe trip to Phoenix. See you soon!

Vedanta Phoenix Retreat Team