New Hostel at Ananda Kalyani, Portugal
Daniela Koehler and Isabella Johansson
Bliss is a place of complete happiness and great joy, where paradise, stillness and contentment are found in reconnecting with the divine, nature and deep within.
We are Ananda Kalyani and have grown into a vibrant, holistic development project and intentional community in central Portugal. Coexisting with nature, we work together and share our land as a model for an ecological, social, economical, cultural and spiritual regenerative way of life.
We are rapidly growing. Spiritually, educationally and ecologically driven aspirants, families, students, kids, youth, eco-villagers, educators and changemakers are finding more and more interest in coming to visit, learn and thrive in Ananda Kalyani. Gradually we are transforming to our fullest potential and growing also on the physical level with more events, more people and more structures.
Our current journey is to collectively realize the vision of building a hostel to accommodate all of these people through developing a Regenerative Tourism Hub for holistic wellness and self-development through experience, education & expansion. The people that cross our path can, through the hostel, have a comfortable space to rest, dream, progress, be inspired, feel the divine energy, and come out of Ananda Kalyani after one day, weekend, month, year or a whole life-time as a more holistic, service-driven and spiritually connected being. Through these people also comes new knowledge, techniques and inspiration to go inwards and learn how we, as Ananda Kalyani, can grow in the best possible way. Our hostel is one step away from becoming more accessible to different types of people, as well as accommodating more people with a higher standard and with better facilities than we have had before.
THE STORY OF ANANDA KALYANI
In 2010, we set out to find land in Serra da Estrela to build and establish an Ananda Marga Master Unit in Portugal. The dream was to create a model integrated development project and blissful community for collective spiritual practice, self-realization and service to all beings.
Our community has grown over the past 12 years from a small group of visionaries into a network of seven prosperous Ananda Marga departments, being a recognized GEN European ecovillage and ERASMUS+ Partner, and a community of people from different ages, knowledges and corners of the planet. We host youth exchanges, training courses, events, workshops, and retreats, and have formed lasting connections with the global Ananda Valley family, the ecovillage network, the local area, and the Ananda Marga network.
THE HOSTEL
- 32 beds allocated into three dorms
- Located in a secluded valley forest surrounded by the Serra da Estrela mountain views
- Fully equipped professional kitchen for hygienic food preparation and cooking classes
- Community space
- Basement for high-impact storage such as seed banking, food preservation, and food storage
- Modern toilets with ecological plumbing system: A water outlet system that will re-use gray & blackwater for agricultural irrigation
- Solar panels for energy and burning local wood as a source of heating
- Only natural and eco-friendly cosmetics and cleaning products will be used
Through the construction of our hostel, and the extended possibility to visit Ananda Valley you can:
- Connect deeply to the surrounding environment of the valley
- Discover and get involved with the local village community
- Experience and learn more about self-sustainability, permaculture and community living.
- Harvest growth and self-development with our spiritual practices, events & workshops AND contribute to the sustainability and blossoming of Ananda Kalyani and the surrounding local community who we dedicate our work towards.
- a purposeful impact during the time of your stay as it will nourish the Ananda Kalyani circular ecosystem, especially the local Portuguese villages and community, as it directly supports our ecological, social, economic and spiritual regenerative work
Partly crowdfunded through: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ananda-valley-hostel-regenerative-tourism