title: Ashrama, California
text: # Ashrama, California
  
  Shanti Ashrama is a spiritual retreat located in the Upper San Antonio Valley in unincorporated Santa Clara County, California, United States as a branch of the Ramakrishna Mission. It is approximately 40 miles (64 km) east of downtown San Jose.
  
  ## History
  
  The retreat resides on 160 acres (65 ha) of oak-studded chaparral scrubland near Upper San Antonio Valley Road, about 18 miles (29 km) southeast of Mount Hamilton. The land was gifted to the Vedanta Society at the turn of the 20th century, as a place for meditation and contemplation. A meditation cabin there serves as the site for annual retreats.
  
  