Self Realization Fellowship

Los Angeles


When Parmanhansa Yogananda first came to LA from India in the 1920s to spread his yoga love, he set up shop at this beautiful estate, which remains a working monastery that offers stunning views of the Downtown skyline from its garden. The house doors are also open. Peek into the library where you’ll find a number of books by ‘yogiji’ (as he’s affectionately called), as well as his letter opener, robes and locks of his hair.

You'll also find tomes from great philosophers and poets from Plato and Dostoevsky to Gandhi (one of his contemporaries). It's said that if you sit in an area where Yogananda sat for a prolonged period, you may feel his calming vibration – word is that every night before bed he sipped tea on the sofa by the fireplace.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Los Angeles attractions

1. Los Angeles Police Museum

2 MILES

Crime fighting goes under the spotlight at Police Station No 11, now better known as the Los Angeles Police Museum. Exhibits trace the history of the LAPD…

2. Dodger Stadium

2.39 MILES

LA loves its Dodgers, and the team's ballpark (circa 1962) is one of Major League Baseball’s most classic and most beautiful. It's best experienced at a…

3. Neutra VDL House

2.52 MILES

Built in 1932, burnt to a crisp in 1963 then subsequently rebuilt, the light-washed former home and laboratory of modernist architect Richard Neutra is a…

4. Brewery Art Complex

2.52 MILES

Across the LA River is LA’s largest artist colony, housed in a former brewery. Most lofts and studios are generally closed to the public except during the…

6. Tom of Finland House

2.72 MILES

This craftsman cottage was once home to artist Touko Laaksonen (aka Tom of Finland), internationally renowned for his illustrations of well-endowed,…

7. Chinatown

3.09 MILES

Walk north from El Pueblo and you'll breach the dragon gates. After being forced to make room for Union Station, the Chinese resettled a few blocks north…

8. Echo Park Lake

3.14 MILES

Surrounded by shingled craftsmen homes that rise with the steep streets and looming hills to the north, and blessed with keyhole Downtown views to the…