Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashrams

Om Namah Sivaya, Greetings from the Headquarters. The month of March at the Yoga Camp brought the snow back to the Camp. During the week there were a bit more guests so we were able to do some more activities.  The guests were offered a relaxation class which they all enjoyed very much.  On Wednesday we also had a puja at the Camp with visiting priest Siva, bringing good energy. Staff have continued to work on the projects around the Camp and we had some Karma yogis from Montreal join us this week. They were a good help and the projects are coming along.  Overall the staff is doing well and keeping up with their sadhana. Over the weekend Bhagirathi came to offer a Relax and Rejuvenate workshop. We had about 34 people register for the course. The weekend consisted of a lecture and practical class where everyone left feeling great. It is always very nice having her at the Camp and the guests enjoy her workshops.  Since the Camp was full over the weekend the staff were busy making sure everything ran smoothly.

By the middle of March the Camp was  May the Grace of Master and Swamiji bless all. Om Shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/camp

Namah Sivaya to all. The month of March at Dhanwanthari Ashram was interesting between the end of ATTC and start of a new TTC. We offered a two day Samkhya Yoga workshop with guest speaker Suchitra Pareekh from the Yoga Institute, Mumbai. She simplified the subject to suit the audience. The interactive games to illustrate the different gunas and states of mind were effective ways to demonstrate the subtle concepts. Midweek, a group including Swami Shivabhaktananda took the opportunity to visit Sabarimala and have the darshan of Ayyapa Swami. Thursday evening we were treated to Hindustani music concert by Jonathan Kay (saxophone) and Vishnu (tabla). Jonathan, from Toronto started his music career playing jazz but now has been studying music in India for number of years. He has adapted the saxophone to classical ragas. Jonathan was accompanied by his wife, Sivajyoti who will be assisting the upcoming TTC. On Friday Nataraj, Salar and Nassim met up with a film crew in the Trivandrum centre to shoot a video demonstrating Surya Namaskar. This is part of a build up to International Day of Yoga. Sunday finally came around with inauguration of TTC. One hundred ten have enrolled and are looking forward to the journey.

By the middle of the month the Ashram was  May Master and Swamiji guide them to liberation. Peace and Pranams to the Sivananda family. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/neyyardam

Om Namo Narayanaya – Greetings from Uttar Kashi. The month of March at the Ashram: The ATTC started with a group of 28 students from many different European countries as well as from Argentina, Mauritius and China. The course  is taught in English with translation into German and French. It is a quiet, sattvig group who plunged right away into the intense Sadhana schedule of the ATTC and continues to be inspired. We had a powerful Ganapati Homa on Monday to invoke divine support for removing all obstacles from the course, a special Satsang with Swami Janardanananda on Wednesday and took the group to Swamijis Jalasamadhi rock for Om Namo Narayanaya chanting and Arati on Sunday.

Highlight of the week was a trip to Gangotri on Friday where we spent a most blessed day on this sacred pilgrimage spot. We did Satsang on the Ganga Ghat, took a VERY refreshing dip in the icy waters of Mother Ganga and walked to Swamijis cave where we had a delicious lunch, that was, as everything else for the trip, lovingly organized and prepared by Swami Parameshwariananda and the Ashram team.

The second week of the ATTC started with a beautiful Maha Mrjitunjaya Homa. The week proceeded smoothly with the students going deeper into their Asana- and Pranayama practice and study of philosophy. With the weather getting warmer, we were able to hold a sunrise Satsang at Swamijis Jalasamadhi Rock and everyone enjoyed the gentle lapping of the waters of Mother Ganga against the rock as accompanying music to meditation and Jaya Ganesha. Afterward we told the students the story how Swamijis body was given into the Ganga on his Jalasamdhi day. During our weekly silent walk we stopped at the Ganeshpur temple in a neighbouring village for a short meditation and some Mantras and then continued our walk in the morning sun through the hilly fields in full spring beauty.

Swami Janardanananda was a very welcome guest for our Wednesday evening Satsang and Srinivas Pulluri arrived and started to introduce the students into the beauty of the Sanskrit language. On the day off we took the students to Uttar Kashi for Darshan in the Vishvanath temple and Durga temple.  May Master and Guru be with us all. The Ashram will be closed until March 2018. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/uttarkashi

Om Namo Narayanaya. At the beginning of March the final week of TTC breezed past gifting all the participants many lovable and unforgettable memories. Their four week long hard work was well paid with the awarding of diploma certificates proclaiming them as instruments to spread the teachings of our Masters. We thank all the staffs who dedicated their time and patience in moulding them as certified Yoga teachers. We wish them success in all their future endeavours for the betterment and enrichment of one’s life through Yogic Science and Philosophy.

By mid March Praying for the well being of all from all our Ashramites. Om.

www.sivananda.org/madurai

Greetings from the Yoga Ranch. The Yoga Ranch saw the second nor’easter snow storm in a week during early March. The beauty has been dazzling, but wide-spread internet outages that continued all week long in the area created additional challenges for staff, particularly around the registration system. Yet by the Grace of the Gurus, all continued well, and staff got plenty of adapt-adjust-accommodate practice. On Monday, Radha arrived from Chicago Center to stay for a week, and we had the monthly 5-day Yoga Immersion for Beginners course, led by Swami Satyapremananda. The weekend was another very busy one, during which we offered three programs: Teachings from the Bhagavad Gita, led by Swami Paramananda; Yoga & Hiking, led by Mahadevi; and Beginners Weekend, led by Mokshapriya, who joined us for the weekend from New York Center. On Saturday and Sunday, students started arriving for TTC. The inauguration was Sunday evening, with 10 students, including work-study Kenzie. Main Lectures for the TTC are being shared by Srinivasan and Swami Paramananda; Bhagavad Gita and Chanting classes are led by Swami Satyapremananda; and teaching Hatha Yoga are Swami Paramanda (How-to-Teach classes, assisted by Hamsa) and Swami Satyapremananda (Asana practice classes, assisted by Prashanta). Over the week, we welcomed Brahmaswaroop and Prashanta to the team of staff and wished Amy and Adam farewell with many thanks for their sadhana and service here.

By mid March Our Staff are well, feeling grateful for the grace of the Gurus and sending pranams to all from The Ranch. Om.

Om Namah Sivaya. The Ashram energy was high in March as staff are dedicating themselves to their sadhana and care for the Ashram. Swami Dharmananda this week taught the Positive Thinking course with teachings on the nature of thought and thought power, how to turn negative thoughts to positive and apply PT techniques from the 4 Paths of Yoga. Weekend programs included the Stress Relief weekend with Rudra, the Ayurveda Massage weekend with talks from Monika Manohar, and the Yantra Painting workshop with Gauri. The Ashram is receiving much rain recently, with all the plants and trees coming to life and many birds returning for the spring.

By mid March  We could say we were all feeling the blessings of Master and Swamiji this month. Om Namah Sivaya to all Blessed Selves from the Yoga Farm. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/farm

Om Namo Narayanaya, Blessed Selves. During March we held a powerful Ganapati Vidya Homa, performed by the priest and his assistant.
During this week we held the “Classical Indian Music and Dance Festival”. We welcomed Aashish Khan, a renowned master of the sarod; Swapan Chaudhuri, who is considered to be one of the top masters of tabla in the world; Sohini Ray, PhD, a classical Manipuri dancer; Raginder Singh Momi, an up-and-coming violinist and music composer; Nitin Mitta, who is one of the most versatile and sought-after tabla players of his generation; and Jayanti Sahasrabuddhe, an accomplished Hindustani classical vocalist. Everyone enjoyed the beautiful performances and concerts very much.
We also welcomed Ramesh Parmar, and the Jain nuns Samani Satya Pragya and Samani Rohini Pragya, who taught a wonderful course on “Preksha Meditation to Harness Energy for Holistic Well-Being”.
On Friday Dan Millman, a former world-champion athlete, university coach, college professor and author, started his inspiring program “The School of Life”.
Bessel van der Kolk, MD, who has been active as a clinician, researcher and teacher of post-traumatic stress and related phenomena, arrived to the Ashram on Sunday. He gave a very insightful program on “Yoga, Neurobiology, and Trauma”.
Pooja Goswami Pavan and A. Pavan taught the 2nd Annual Classical Indian Music School, in which they taught foundational concepts of voice, raga, melodic form, tabla, and time measures.
Krishna Chaitanya and Pranava taught an Essentials of Yoga III Course for guests and Karma Yogis by mid March.

Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/nassau

Om Namah Sivaya.  OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/tyrol

Om Namah Sivaya. May all live under Master’s and Guru’s grace for this coming year. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/orleans

Om Namah Sivaya from DaLat Ashram where the month of March ushered in the ATTC course into full activity, with early morning pranayama sessions taking place on our outdoor terrace. TTC continued strong and steady throughout their second week of practice. The highlight of our week was a visit from Dr Ramkumar, founder of the Vaidyagram Ayurvedic village in Coimbatore, India. Dr Ramkumar delivered inspiring talks on healthy lifestyle and the basics of Ayurveda, creating a lot of interest among students. We watch with anticipation as the construction of a large swimming pond by the owners of the property nears completion.

By mid March were happy to welcome Swami Jnaneshwariananda this week, stopping for several days in Vietnam on her way back to California from the TTC course in Madurai. Swamiji jumped straight in to helping teach the TTC course, taking over the lectures on anatomy and physiology. TTC students are doing well, serious and steady in their study and practice. ATTC students also continued steady with sadhana. On one day this week they started their early morning pranayama practice even earlier than usual, so that they could walk up to the mountainside and do their practice there, with a wonderful view of the early morning skies and the sunrise. TTC students joined them a little later for some joyful outdoor kirtan. We were also able to hold one of our evening satsangs outdoors, with the light of a bonfire. Early on Thursday morning 63 of the students made a clear commitment to practice and meditation by taking mantra initiation. In the evening they were delighted to receive spiritual names. On Saturday students of both courses entertained with a wonderful talent show, featuring songs and dance from the many different national groups currently represented at the ashram. Om.