Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine to reopen August 27

Meditation Gardens will open following Palisades fire closure

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, August 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine is preparing to welcome visitors back to its meditation gardens on August 27 after a devastating wildfire shut down the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles in January of this year.

The outdoor areas of the lake, known for their lush pathways and beautiful meditation nooks, will open first. Other areas of the Lake Shrine, including the Windmill Chapel, Houseboat and hilltop Temple, will open at other times over the coming months, due to ongoing remediation work across the 10-acre spiritual sanctuary.

The meditation gardens will be open Wednesdays to Sundays starting August 27, and those planning a visit are asked to make a reservation online. Visiting the meditation gardens is free, and all are welcome.

“We are deeply grateful to be able to welcome back visitors to this sanctuary of peace and tranquility,” says Brother Satyananda, minister-in-charge at the Lake Shrine. “As a safe and quiet place full of nature’s beauty, it is our hope that the Lake Shrine can offer comfort and healing during this time of recovery.”

“We share our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this reopening possible — firefighters, staff, volunteers, and members and friends of the SRF Lake Shrine from Los Angeles and around the world.”

Most areas of the Lake Shrine were spared from the utter devastation that the fire caused in the surrounding community. None of the legacy structures dating from Paramahansa Yogananda’s time were burned — only a public restroom and some other buildings further away from the Lake suffered serious damage. Unfortunately, one of the buildings that housed some of the Lake Shrine monks was completely destroyed.

The survival of the main areas of the Lake Shrine was not only because of the heroic efforts of first responders, but due to some fortuitous events, and the courageous actions of Self-Realization Fellowship members Billy Asad and his two adult children Nicky Asad and Gabriella Asad — whose fire-safety credentials allowed them to enter the Pacific Palisades during the fire.

Ongoing rehabilitation work and a gradual reopening

Because the outdoor areas were partially damaged by wildfires, including massive amounts of ash, many months of work have gone into getting the meditation gardens ready to welcome visitors. While most structures at the Lake Shrine survived the fire, the interiors of all the buildings had significant smoke damage from the thick fumes carried by the hurricane-force winds that accompanied the massive fire. Before re-opening, the buildings and their furnishings are being restored and cleaned — with items such as carpets, draperies, and upholstery being replaced where necessary. This work began months ago and will continue throughout the remainder of the year. Work on the Retreat, the main monks’ ashram, and the Temple is expected to be complete in the first months of 2026, with a full reopening of all Lake Shrine facilities in the spring. (In the months since the fire, members of the Lake Shrine Temple congregation — many of whom tragically lost homes and property during the catastrophe — have been gathering online for meditations or attending one of the other Los Angeles-area SRF temples.)

75 years as a world-renowned shrine to harmony and world peace

Self-Realization Fellowship founder Paramahansa Yogananda established the Lake Shrine in August of 1950 as a means of furthering the cause of world peace and spiritual fellowship. In the 75 years since then, the Lake Shrine Meditation Gardens and Temple have welcomed visitors from all over the world — receiving over 100,000 guests in 2024 alone.

Yogananda envisioned the lakeside gardens as an open-air shrine to all faiths. A prominent feature of the Lake Shrine is the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial, residing in a “temple without walls” behind a striking archway crowned by golden lotuses. The Lake Shrine also features a “Court of Religions,” an idea of Yogananda’s which includes monuments to each of the five principal religions of the world: Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam. In this way, he wanted to show that his teachings welcome everyone, and that they recognize the underlying harmony of all religions and faiths.

“We must recognize the unity of mankind, remembering that we are all made in the image of God. There must be world brotherhood if we are to be able to practice the true art of living. This Shrine has been created for all religions, that all may feel the unity of a common faith.” — Paramahansa Yogananda

August 20, 2025, marks the 75th anniversary of this beloved spiritual sanctuary. Because of the fire and this year's focus on reopening, celebrations originally planned for the 75th anniversary of the SRF Lake Shrine have been postponed until next year, when Self-Realization Fellowship will invite the community, members and friends, and honor some special guests.

In the meantime, visitors can enjoy the peace and beauty offered by the meditation gardens. To make a reservation, please visit: lakeshrine.org

Background Information

Paramahansa Yogananda first arrived in America in 1920 from his native India, an invited delegate to an International Congress of Religious Liberals convening in Boston, where he delivered a speech on the science of religion, marking a pivotal point for yoga in the West. Yogananda founded Self-Realization Fellowship that same year to disseminate his Kriya Yoga teachings, which have inspired many through the years to live with greater peace, joy, and purpose. Yogananda’s spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi continues to be recognized as one of the world’s most influential books.

Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) is the international nonprofit spiritual organization founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda to introduce to people of all races, cultures, and creeds the ancient science and philosophy of yoga and its time-honored tradition of meditation. Through its spiritual and humanitarian service, the society seeks to foster greater harmony and goodwill among the diverse peoples and nations of the world, and a deeper understanding of the underlying unity of all religions.

Blythe Fraser
Self-Realization Fellowship
+1 323-225-2471
blythef@yogananda-srf.org
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