Mount Madonna Center for The Creative Arts & Sciences

Information may not be reliable

Interested in a yogic lifestyle? Consider our Yoga, Service, and Community program, or look at our list of yoga programs.

Mount Madonna Center is a conference and retreat center located on 355 acres of mountain-top redwood forest and grassland overlooking Monterey Bay, between Santa Cruz and Monterey, in Northern California.

We are a community designed to nurture the creative arts and the health sciences within a context of personal and spiritual growth, inspired by Baba Hari Dass and sponsored by the Hanuman Fellowship, a group whose talents and interests are unified by the common practice of Yoga.

We offer a supportive community atmosphere for relaxation, reflection, and a wide variety of learning experiences. Program participants are invited to join in all ongoing Center activities – celebration, work, and play. Amenities include hiking trails, volleyball, tennis, and basketball courts, a pond (we call it "The Lake") for swimming, a hot tub, a gymnasium for volleyball and basketball, and bodywork at the Kaya Kalpa Wellness Center.

A 12 WEEK RESIDENTIAL SERVICE LEARNING PROGRAM called Yoga, Service and Community is available at Mount Madonna Center for those interested in living and working within an intentional community with service as a primary value. Depending on the Center's needs, work is assigned in housekeeping, event set-up, kitchen, recycling, general maintenance, gardening and landscaping. Participants receive single accommodation, meals, daily yoga classes, regularly scheduled group meetings, and participation in community activities. Please contact ysc@mountmadonna.org

WEEKEND AND LONGER PROGRAMS: In addition to the main classes, most programs also include an optional morning yoga class as well as time to relax and unwind. Weekends begin on Friday with registration beginning at 4:00 pm, and dinner at 5:30 pm, and end Sunday at noon unless otherwise noted. To help reduce costs, a Work-Study Program is available to program participants. Contact the Programs Office.

We offer FREE YOGA CLASSES every Saturday, 7:30 – 9:30 a.m., and most other mornings of the week. The Saturday class includes the basics of the Ashtanga (Eight-limbed) Yoga system taught by Baba Hari Dass: philosophy and practice of purifications, breathing practices, basic postures, and relaxation and meditation techniques.

PERSONAL AND GROUP RETREATS: The Center provides a peaceful environment for individuals and groups from 5 to 500 to refresh and recharge. Facilities may be used for meetings or workshops, with vegetarian meals, lodging, and workshop space provided inexpensively for groups of all sizes. Individuals are welcome to stay with us before or after a group event, or at another time when some unique rest and re-creation are wanted.

MEMBERSHIP: The Hanuman Fellowship comprises two closely interwoven communities– a resident staff community at Mount Madonna Center, and a much larger general membership that provides physical, moral, and financial support without which the Center could not exist. New members are always welcome. Discounts on Center programs and facilities are available to members.

Mount Madonna Center • 445 Summit Rd, Watsonville, CA 95076
Direct Line to Programs Office: (408) 846-4064 • Phone (408) 847-0406 •Fax (408) 847-2683
e-mail programs@mountmadonna.org