Nayaswami Parvati Hansen read the Autobiography of a Yogi in 1971, found a meditation class series which led her to Ananda. She has lived and taught at Ananda ever since. As a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda and her spiritual teacher, Swami Kriyananda, Parvati has dedicated her life the teachings of Yogananda and his direct disciple, Kriyananda. Currently, she is the administrator of the Janaka Foundation, and continues to teach and serve at Ananda Village, in California.

She has engaged deeply and regularly in meditation and the practice of Kriya Yoga. The spiritual teachings and broad scope of understanding of the meaning of life offered to me by Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda, have brought increasing understanding, expansion of awareness, and joy. It has been a life dedicated to the practice of the teachings of Self-realization, to living in a spiritual community dedicated to finding God, and to making the ongoing personal effort needed to bring about an ever-deepening experience of fulfillment and joy in God.