Spacious interior of a retreat with wooden beams and large windows in Virginia.

Anahata Education Center

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 1995

What we do

Anahata is a intentional community and gathering place situated on 22 pristine acres along the Little River in Floyd County, Virginia. We have adjoining properties with extended community member-owners on an additional 25 acres.
Since 1995, we have explored the sacred interrelation of people, nature and the cosmos. Our aim is to create a sustainable and mutually thriving connection with nature and each other. We invite you to come explore, learn and share with us as we live from the Anahata Chakra – a Sanskrit word for heart center.

Our Mission

OUR CORE VALUES:
CO-ENLIGHTENING KINDNESS ~ We practice being fully present to one another, deep listening, truthful sharing, and mutual encouragement. We commit to loving communication and skillful conflict resolution, supporting and one another to do and be our best.
SELF-DISCOVERY ~ We explore the inner dimension of self, cultivating a humble heart, ‘beginner’s mind’, self-reflection, self-responsibility, self-empowerment, self-healing, and self-actualization.
CO-EMPOWERMENT ~ We share responsibility and leadership, each person making a significant contribution to the overall vision and activities of the community, with consensus decision-making wherever practical.
SACREDNESS ~ We deepen in our chosen spiritual paths, find our place within nature/the cosmos, commune together in spiritual brother-sisterhood, serve the greater good, and celebrate the deeper meanings, rhythms and passages of life.
CREATIVITY & CELEBRATION ~ We flourish through the arts in our playful ‘renaissance community’, which cultivates merrymaking and creative expression through song, music, dance, visual arts, games, crafts, and the practice of living fully in each moment. Co-enlivening!
LEARNING & EVOLUTION ~ We strive beyond our current parameters of understanding to embody the dynamic flow of new ideas, skills and attitudes that will enable collective evolution, while appreciating our individual dreams and perspectives, styles of expression, and unique contributions to the common good.
HOLISTIC WELL-BEING ~ We strive for a mostly organic, whole food, locally sourced diet, active lifestyles, connection to nature, and use a variety of holistic healing modalities to cultivate full-spectrum well-being.
ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY ~ We work toward ecological sustainability through permaculture landscaping, organic gardening, food preserving, wildcrafting, green construction methods, alternative energy production, supporting the local economy, and more.
ECONOMIC THRIVANCE ~ We seek individual and collective economic well-being, through stewardship of various enterprises, including our educational and guest programs and member-initiated cottage industries. We encourage economic self-responsibility and autonomy while celebrating expressions of interdependence as we share resources and simplify our lives, in gratitude for present moment abundance.
CONNECTION & SHARING ~ We reach out to others, sharing our many gifts, network within the local and global new-paradigm community, and create space for the larger community to gather to celebrate, learn and share.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • Coliving
  • Ecovillage
  • Sustainability practices
  • Permaculture design
  • Activities
  • Property management
  • Farming
  • Education
  • Experiences
  • Networking
  • Services Business

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1995
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1998
  • Started living together

Gallery

  • 4 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
10

How to join

We first get to know each other. We share information, a visit and orientation, and ask for an interested person to fill out a sharing form or two. We meet, visit, work and play together, and really get to know each other. A visit, then time apart for some reflection seems to work best. Then we ask that someone live here for 6-12 months minimum to see how it flows. There are check ins and mentoring along the way.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Contact us to book a stay with us at a mutually convenient time. We have Airbnb links on our site, or contact us directly. Warm season camping and van/RV/camping are an option. We are part of an intentional communities tour in early September 2024.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Decision-making process

  • Leadership Decides

A single person, couple, or small group makes most major decisions.

Governance structure

  • Founder/Leader-led

Primary authority rests with the community’s founder(s) or designated leader(s).

Conflict resolution approach

We are moving into a phase of self-governance through the taking on of leadership domains with the support, input and feedback of the group. We also hire out basic tasks that support the community and retreat/event center.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Join fee: $25000
Regular fees: $125
Labor: Yes (3 hrs/week)
If not (yet) an owner of one’s own space, a community member pays a monthly ‘community contribution’ akin to rent. Once an owner, a smaller community contribution helps to cover the costs of repair and maintenance of community roads and driveways, shared tractor, truck, tools, equipment, spaces – also property taxes, property insurance, utilities of the ‘community co-house’, etc. The membership council, consisting of all owner-members, determines how the community contributions are spent.

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Swimming pond or pool, Hot tub or hot springs, Outdoor Kitchen, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Stage or Auditorium, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Recreational vehicles, Waterfront access, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • About once a week

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced
  • Wildcrafting / Foraging

Dietary restriction

  • People can cook and eat what they want in their own residence

Community activities and engagement

  • School, Educational Institute or Experience
  • Volunteer, Internship, or Apprenticeship, or WWOOF’ing
  • Neighborhood, Community Housing, or Homeowner's Association
  • Ethical Business, Investment Group, or Alternative Currency
  • Organization, Resource, or Network
  • WWOOF'ing, Guest Farming
  • Festivals, Conferences, Events

Substance use culture

  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Substance use is prohibited in the community
  • Religions
  • Buddhist
  • Hindu
  • Sufi
  • Native
  • Wiccan, Paganism, or Earth Religions
  • Unitarian Universalist

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Multi-generational (all ages well represented)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a single individual, couple, or Family Trust

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Community type

  • Cohousing

    Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
    interaction while maintaining independence.

  • Coliving

    Shared living spaces with private bedrooms/bathrooms and communal
    kitchens, dining, and social areas.

  • Ecovillage

    Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.

  • Spiritual Retreat Centers

    Residential communities focused on providing space for meditation, spiritual practice, and personal growth retreats.

Sustainability approach

  • Permaculture design

Land practices in our community

  • The community practices permaculture

Self-produced energy

  • 33 - 66%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • 33 - 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Greenhouse / aquaponics
  • Livestock / poultry
  • Land area size
    47 acres

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • Virginia, United States

Anahata Education Center

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
Need
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Promoted
  • Events
3 weeks ago

Healing Love Healing Money: Trust As The Foundation For A New Culture

Money, love and power are among the hardest things any community works with, and many of us carry the same fears into both: not having enough, losing what we have, and the sense that if someone else gets money or love, we won’t. Healing Love, Healing Money: Trust as the Foundation for a New Culture is taught by two intentional communities. Karen McAllister and Duncan Cryle are from Clear Sky Meditation and Retreat Center, a Buddhist-lineage community in the BC Rockies. Monika Alleweldt and Benjamin von Mendelssohn from Tamera Healing Biotope, a community of about 160 people in southern Portugal that has spent decades studying love, trust and relationship. Clear Sky has spent years working on its relationship with money, and our two communities found surprising parallels in the fears beneath both. Over four sessions we explore the roots of fear around money and belonging, love, possession and power, trust as infrastructure (community as a container for healing), and ethical livelihood. We use short meditations, body-based practices, reflection and small-group conversation. You do not need to be in a romantic relationship or live in community. When: October 27, Nov 3, 10, 17. All four sessions: 12–2pm Vancouver, 1–3pm Alberta, 7–9pm UK and Portugal, 8–10pm Central Europe. Note: US and some Canadian provinces change clocks on November 1, so the US west coast is 12–2pm on October 27, then 11am–1pm for the remaining sessions, and Eastern is 3–5pm on October 27, then 2–4pm for the rest. Cost: sliding scale Details and registration: https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/healing-love-healing-money-online/  
October 27, 2026 13:00 – November 17, 2026 15:00
Need
  • Communities with Openings
1 week ago

Needs: Quiet nature focused community with work exchange

About Me Hello, I’m Nanu. I’m 46 years old in need of a peaceful, nature-centered community where I can contribute, maintain my independence, and potentially establish a long-term home. I’m autistic and sometimes experience periods when I’m nonverbal. I appreciate direct communication, clear expectations, and people who respect different communication styles without making assumptions. I’m independent, value personal boundaries, and do best in environments where people can coexist comfortably without constant social interaction. The Environment I’m Seeking I’m looking for a wooded, green setting with mature trees, grass, and access to nature. Forests, trails, gardens, and peaceful outdoor spaces are important to me. I’d prefer a region with relatively mild winters, avoiding both desert landscapes and areas with harsh, snowy winters. Privacy is essential. I’m interested in a residential community where people respect one another’s space and participation in social activities is optional. I’m not looking for a retreat center, event venue, or community that regularly hosts outside groups, workshops, classes, or large gatherings on the residential property. Occasional visitors are understandable, but I prefer a quiet environment where residents can enjoy their homes without a constant flow of people coming and going. Work Exchange and Housing I’m interested in exchanging practical work for housing. Possible contributions include community gardening, planting, watering, harvesting, kitchen assistance, meal preparation, property upkeep, and other mutually agreed-upon tasks. I’d like the responsibilities, schedule, and expectations clearly established in advance. A trial stay or introductory period would be ideal so both sides can determine whether the arrangement is a good fit. Potential for Long-Term Ownership My longer-term goal is to explore purchasing a small home, a defined parcel of land, or a legally documented ownership interest in an established cooperative community. I have limited savings available for a potential investment and want to use those funds carefully toward lasting housing stability. I’m not interested in vague promises of future ownership or arrangements that depend entirely on one person’s continued involvement. I’d want clear documentation of ownership rights, decision-making, ongoing expenses, and what happens if a resident leaves or the community dissolves. I’m also not interested in traditional HOA-style arrangements or unpredictable fees. Reasonable, transparent shared expenses are open for discussion. Community Culture I’m looking for people who value mutual respect, personal autonomy, honest communication, and practical cooperation. I appreciate companionship but also need quiet and solitude. I don’t expect everyone to share my interests, only to respect one another’s boundaries. What I’d Like to Know If your community offers work exchange, a private and peaceful living environment, wooded surroundings, and a realistic possibility of long-term housing or ownership, I’d love to hear from you. Please share information about your location, climate, current residents, available housing, work-exchange expectations, visitor policies, ongoing costs, and potential ownership arrangements. I’d like to visit and get acquainted before making any commitments. My goal is to find a genuine mutual fit. Thank you for reading!

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