Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Om Namah Sivaya. October started well this year. The monthly open house was well visited, students enjoyed the different activities like cooking workshop, trial class and intro into meditation. The asana demo was also well received by all. Yoga 1 courses as well as several higher courses started during the month, students are thankful for the continuous practice in a steady group. A Meditation course, thought power course and Gita course are the philosophy courses for the moment, all with good groups of students. Spiritual highlight were the Pujas for Navaratri conducted every day. A devoted group of close teachers and students joined all the morning Pujas. The evening Pujas attracted many students and teachers. More and more flowers came in every day and transformed the altar in an ocean of beauty and the energy was nicely uplifted. Beginning of the month the preparation for the reconstruction of the first floor of the Centre started. Ishwara and Fritz, father of our staff Amba, started to empty all rooms and deconstructed the old kitchen. The following Saturday a good group of highly motivated Karma Yogis helped to finish the preparations. All curtains, lamps, pictures, furniture were put out of the rooms and stored safely. Everything was ready for the work to be started with professionals, who demolished all interior walls and created a new big asana space as well as a smaller kitchen. The electric system was renewed and the new floor is to come. The work is ongoing for the next few weeks. Classes and courses are running without much disturbance, students are positive and looking forward to the planned changes and the new space. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/berlin

Om Namah Sivaya. Prem & Om to all.

http://www.sivananda.org/baires

Om Namah Sivaya to all Blessed Selves from the Chennai Centre. Towards the end of October we started an evening beginner’s course. We saw a drop in the students’ number, as vacations took place. On the 21st and 22nd we had a Saraswati Puja, and celebrated dussera along with the students. We also enjoyed watching a classical dance performance called Mohiniatam. The rest of the activities in the Centre were going on smoothly. Staff members were performing their karma yoga activities efficiently and productively. With the blessings of God and Masters, everything was fine here. Sending Pranams to the Sivananda family.

http://www.sivananda.org/madras

Om Namah Sivaya. In mid-October we took great joy in celebrating Navaratri. Attendance for Pujas has been good, with a core group of regulars joining us and the altar getting more radiant each night. We have had, however, some additional competition for people’s attention lately: the Chicago Cubs baseball team made it to the playoffs, which is a very rare occurrence and rather exciting for their large, loyal fan base. This means lower attendance and income for our evening and weekend classes and courses. Other area Yoga teachers, as well as area theaters, were noticing a corresponding dip also. All else continued well, particularly morning Satsangs. Kamala Chaitanya settled in well and will remain here for a few more weeks. The weather, in true Chicago style, kept making quick shifts from summer-like to winter-like to spring-like over the course of several days, though the tree in front of the Centre is adamant about Fall, displaying a more brilliant yellow every day. We are harvesting enough greens from the garden to share with teachers and karma yogis.

Towards the end of October all continued well here, by the grace of the Gurus. We had a wonderful finish of our Navaratri celebration with Vijaya Dasami Puja. Morning classes and Satsangs were well attended, though evening classes and courses continued to be a little quiet. A new fully registered Positive Thinking & Meditation course started, and the Bhagavad Gita study class will resume, both of which will bring more group Sadhana and thus more prana back into the evenings. We were also putting extra effort into scheduling and promoting upcoming courses. Staff were well and send pranams to all. We felt great gratitude for the guidance and protections of the Gurus. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi.

http://www.sivananda.org/chicago

Om Namah Sivaya. In mid-October three residents from different part of the world share their culture and yoga life with such an amazing Karma yogi’s attitude (Ireland, Austria, American). Open classes were almost full of residents and students. We offered a beautiful online Satsang Q&A with Swami Sita. At the result, everyone who attended the Satsang got a lot of inspiration and cleared out their doubt about their spiritual practice. Guru’s grace is always with us.

Towards the end of October one staff from Hochiminh Centre, Dharmini, came to Dalat to serve and learn various experiences in different Centres. She brought with her such a enthusiastic energy to the Centre. Two new residents from Argentina were impressed by yoga philosophy and eager to learn more in their spiritual path to continue after the time in the Centre. We offered a successful cooking workshop – Japanese style, lead by Mirabai – a Japanese staff from HCM Centre. Guru’s grace is always with us. Pranams to all Sivananda Staff. Om.

https://sivanandayogavietnam.org

Om Namah Sivaya. Towards the end of October, by the God Grace and Gurudev’s blessings, the Centre’s activities went well. We offered a beginners course at 6.30pm with sufficient numbers of students. On October 22nd we celebrated the Vijayadashmi with a Havan and Pooja early in the morning, attended by many of our regular students and teachers. Otherwise, everything was fine. We hope all the Sivananda family are happy and doing well. Sending all our love and wishes. Pranams. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/dwarka

Om Namo Narayanaya. In mid-October we started two beginners’ courses, one at 6:30am and the other at 4:00pm. The Navaratri started on 13 the Oct. On the same day, Swami Keshavananda arrived to the Centre on the way to Rudraprayag for TTC. Swami ji joined us for Chanting Sree Lalitha Sahasranama and offering of the flowers by evening. Although a short time notice Swamiji was happy to conduct a ‘Yoga for Spine’ workshop. A good number of students attended the class & it was enjoyed by all. He also conducted our daily morning Satsang and taught an open class. The priest, his wife and daughter arrived at the Centre on 14th. They also joined the Navaratri program by evening. We had a special Satsang with Meditation, chanting Shree Lalita Sohasranama/Om Parashaktaye Namaha and Devi chants followed by Aarti. Milan went to Kolkata for a month long Holiday. Babesh went to serve Noida Centre. Kapoorji left for the Madurai TTC. Swami Keshavananda and the Priest with his family left for the Rudraprayag TTC.

Towards the end of October the holiday week started with one beginners’ course at 6:30pm. We continued chanting Shree Lalita Sahasranam every day evening until 22nd Oct. In celebration of Dasara we performed Durga Puja in the presence of the priest. We felt very good energy during the day. Swami Kashi came to the Centre with his assistant on the way to Bahamas. We welcomed Prahladaji from Thailand. He conducted our regular Saturday morning Satsang at 6:30am. His presence makes the Satsang more energizing and connecting us with the Gurus. He left for Sivananda Kutir, Uttrakashi on the same morning. Prahladaji came back from Uttrakashi. Abeba and Bishma left for Jammu to conduct “Healthy Living Through Yoga & Pranayama” workshop for three days.

Delhi Noida: With the blessings of the Guru’s, October’s activities went well. Open classes were getting busier with more beginners successfully finishing their course and joining in for Open practice. The kids class was doing well with two more children joining in. With the grace of the Masters, we started chanting Lalita Sahasranama every evening from the 13th of October. The Sunday Satsang was attended by staff and one guest. Aarthy left Noida Centre to be at the Delhi Centre for a short term. Babeesh from Delhi Centre joined us here at the Noida Centre.

Towards the end of October, with the grace of the Masters’, all went off well. Owing to the festivals and holidays there have been a little less number of students coming in to practice or enroll. We approached parents and students outside schools about the newly opened Centre in their neighborhood and handed over our brochure. On Vijay Dashmi day we had a concluding Lalita Sahasranama Puja in the morning with the priest. The Puja went off beautifully and was attended by the staff and 5 students. Sunday Satsang with the blessings of the masters was attended by staff. Pranams

http://www.sivananda.org/delhi

Om Namah Sivaya. During mid October courses and classes were well visited. One weekend we had a beginner’s intensive course with most of the students continuing the following week. A Y2 started. Navaratri started with inspiring Pujas which create a devotional and pure atmosphere. Many of our teachers came with flowers and Prasad. The energy of the Centre built up beautifully. Madhavi, who just did her TTC in Orleans, started to teach open classes and is quickly improving her teaching skills. A meditation course started with a nice group of students. The celebration of Navaratri ended with a beautiful Pujas. Students participated actively and especially the chanting of the Devi Mantras was enjoyed by everyone. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/geneva

Om Namah Sivaya. In mid-October our new staff member, Mahalakshmi, from the last TTC here in Vietnam, started her first Yoga One course with 10 students. Other beginner courses were also finished. During one weekend we had many successful workshops, starting with the “Yoga Asana Hip-Opening” for the teachers taught by Priya, with 14 teachers. We had a Kriya work shop, taught by Ganapati, with 7 students, all very excited and happy to learn the yogic technique for cleansing. After that in the same evening was the special Satsang online with Swami Sitaramananda. The Students and karma yogis got many answers about spiritual path, and felt connected with the energy of Gurus. We also welcomed Swami Pranavananda back to HCM safely from China TTC.

Towards the end of October Ganga returned from the China TTC, with much prana, inspiration and nice presents for all of the staff.  Mirabai went to our Dalat Centre for a weekend to teach workshops in Japanese cooking. We started a new Meditation course, with seven serious students, many of whom are already regular participants in the evening Satsangs.  The course was taught in English with Vietnamese translation. The students seemed to appreciate the teaching.  The staff were doing well and send their pranams to all. With Guru’s Grace all were well and happy. Pranams.

https://sivanandayogavietnam.org/ho-chi-minh-center/

Om Namah Sivaya. In mid-October the London Centre was blessed by Navaratri, the daily Puja’s and worship of the Divine Mother filled the Centre with a sweet and radiant energy. Several students have taken the opportunity to join the morning Pujas. The garlands and flowers have brought much colour to the altar. The Centre was also pleased to welcome Swami Gayatriananda as well as a new staff member, Santosha, who just graduated from the TTC in Poland. The renovations of the middle house progressed well and after several months of preparing the structural framework, the phase of decorating, tiling and laying wood flooring was now about to start.

Towards the end of October the daily Pujas for Saraswati brought much sattva and light to the Centre. The Navaratri celebrations culminated in a beautiful last Puja for Vijaya Dasami. Students came early in the morning bringing their auspicious items to be blessed by the Divine Mother. The focus during one weekend was the annual Yoga Show Exposition. We organized the show, printed leaflets, packed boutique items and set up the booth. The response was strong, with much sincere interest in the Centre and particularly in yoga vacations, retreats and the TTC. A well-attended class was taught at the exposition. Sunday Satsang was enriched by stories from the Mahabharata shared by Dr Shastry, a Sanskrit scholar. OM & Prem to All.

http://www.sivananda.org/london

Om Namo Narayanaya! During mid-October 60 people came to join Navaratri Durga Puja, setting a Centre record on attendance. The Centre was packed to the brim and charged with high energy and devotion. Cub Scouts came to join Lakshimi Puja as part of their project on Reverence. The children prepared the flower petals as their offering to the Divine Mother and enjoyed very much the Puja and Her sweet prasad at the end. Every night’s Pujas were all well-attended. A Positive Thinking Course completed successfully with students continuing to the Meditation One Course. A Yoga Two Course started on Thursdays. The Centre held a Head Stand Workshop and an Ayurveda Workshop on Fall Cleanse, with good attendance. The Staff send their Pranams. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/la

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves! With the beginning of the fall season in Madrid, classes and Satsangs were well visited. Nine TTC graduates from Aluenda started assisting on the normal classes. Gopala went to Barcelona to lead the yoga retreat which went very well, with and an inspired group of 34 students and the support of Rajeswari. Saraswati Chaitanya arrived from Geneva to serve in the Madrid Centre for the next weeks. Navaratri started with elevating morning and evening Pujas. Both close students and teachers enjoyed the satvic and serene atmosphere and the altar is shining with beautiful fresh flowers. We are also happy to have Lakshmi back after her holidays. The main Centre projects were Boutique re-stock and the planning of the upcoming Centre reform. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/madrid

Om Namah Sivaya. October began with us starting two fresh batches for beginners, 06:00 – 07:30 am (Common Batch) 10:00 – 11:30 am (Women’s batch). A contemplative week, we had a meditation course as well on the 28th of September, which went on really well. Students were asked for feed backs and meditational experiences, they had loads of questions to which tons of answers were given. Many of our students and random people we met said ” It looks like now everyone in and around MADURAI seem to know SYVC”. A very motivating phrase to hear, with which in mind we were working hard with the blessings of the Gurus and the Supreme. Kannan from the Thiruvananthapuram Centre arrived early the morning of the the 27th. He was here to help out until Yashpalji is back from Thailand. God Bless. The Staff convey their Pranams to all. Om Shanti!!

http://www.sivananda.org/madurai

Om Namah Sivaya! In mid-October we continued with regular, beginners and pregnancy yoga classes. Some advanced students and teachers prepared themselves to demonstrate Advanced Asanas for Christmas’ Satsang. We started a new Friday beginner’s course, with a good number of students. Jagadamba Chaitanya, returned to Buenos Aires. She enthusiastically helped in the preparation of each Navaratri Puja. The week was full of devotion. Every day the Centre was cleaned and the altar set with love to celebrate the grace of the divine Mother. Kanti Devi performed all the Pujas and she prepared delicious prasads. Staff again travelled to Piriápolis to arrange last details for the next yoga retreat.

Towards the end of October the Center’s Sirsasana workshop was very successful. The students loved the experience. Atmadev was very happy teaching the course for the first time. Lalita came back to the Centre after spending a month in Chile. Vijayadasami was very beautiful. The altar shined with the devotion from all participants. Beautiful flowers and delicious Prasad were offered. Kanti Devi talked very nice about the meaning of this victory over our lower nature. People left full of joy and peace. Narayan from Franca, Sao Paulo came over for a short visit. Also visiting were Tandava Chaitanya and Adhyatman from Porto Alegre. During one weekend we had a Yoga retreat in Piriápolis, Uruguay, the place where Swami Vishnudevananda gave the first Teachers Training Course in South America in 1986. Many teachers and many students participated. Kanti Devi directed all the program and Swami Premananda, Swami Dayananda and South American staff helped with classes. Everybody enjoyed the retreat!!! The weather was cool but we went in a nice walk to the beach nearby. The rest of the activities continued normally. With Prem and Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/montevideo

Om Namah Sivaya. Greetings from Montreal. In mid-October we started two Yoga 1 courses. We held the celebrations for Navarathri, with Pujas every morning. In the evenings we had a Puja for Durga then a Puja for Lakshmi. We had the blessing to have the priest with us for both Pujas, all students and karma yogis enjoyed these celebrations. We had one busy weekend with a full kids yoga class and a “How to Teach” workshop with Narayani and Omari, a workshop was for our yoga teachers at the Centre. We got very good comments from this workshop as Narayani and Omkari did a very good job. We had a nice group of karma yogis for a photoshoot session for the Centre. We had good time. Saraswati took very nice pictures.  We are ever grateful for Master and Swamijis grace.

Towards the end of October we started a Sanskrit course with Mirabai. The Yoga I & 2 courses are running smoothly and we introduced many courses and workshops in to which many students were signing in. We continued with the Navarathri celebrations, with Pujas every morning, plus evening Puja for Saraswati. We ended with a big Puja for the 1008 names of the Mother Divine. We were blessed for having the priest with us, who performed a beautiful Puja. We were very happy to have Swami Shivabhaktananda and all karma Yogis from the Yoga Camp for the Sunday Puja. All students enjoyed the beautiful energy created with these celebrations. We welcomed Joanne from the Yoga Camp. We enjoyed her presence at the Centre for a week. We are ever grateful for Master and Swamijis grace. Om Namo Narayanaya. Pranams from Montreal.

http://www.sivananda.org/montreal

Om Namah Sivaya. In the last weeks we had a special program with Swami Sivadasananda. Swamiji gave two very interesting 2.5 hour asana-workshops about the effects of asanas on the muscles and the fascia. The Satsangs had the topics “Who am I – the aim of yoga” and “Light, Power and Wisdom”. A further special program was with an Indian priest who performed several Pujas – among them a Krishna Puja, a Durga Puja and a Siva yantra Puja. We started a course “Mind and Evolution” with many practical Raja Yoga exercises and a “Yoga and Music” course with lots of mantra recitation and kirtan singing. Teaching cooking we had a cooking class “Healthy Cooking in 30 Minutes” and a four week “Yogic Cooking” class. This course consists of four sessions with 40 minutes of theory about a healthy and balanced yogic diet and 50 minutes of practical cooking. We performed the festival of Navaratri with daily Pujas. One of the special events of the next weeks will be an Ayurvedic Cooking program with Ayurveda Acharya S.K. Kamlesh on 12 and 14 November. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/munich

Om Namah Sivaya! In mid-October we completed the Introduction to Meditation Course, started a new Yoga 2 course and completed a Yoga 1 Course. All of the students who have attended enjoyed their experience. Regarding staff at the Centre, Pranava left for India to assist Mahadev Chaitanya with the November TTC at the Neyyar Dam Ashram. He will be traveling as well, which will definitely be a wonderful experience for him. We have warmly welcomed Monia as staff to the Centre who will be with us until December. It was also really nice to have Janaki with us for a weekend who helped us by teaching a few classes and caught up on some needed rest. Also, Neeti went up to the Ranch for the weekend to lead a cooking workshop on Indian sweets. Furthermore, it’s been a blessing to celebrate another Navratri here at the Centre. The Pujas have been wonderful, thanks to the support from the Karma Yogis and regular students. Everyone has been of great help and it’s very much appreciated. We had a specially beautiful Puja with Mahadev Chaitanya (who also came to teach the Advanced Asana class), where close to 60 people attended. It really was an uplifting and joyful experience for us all.

Towards the end of October we celebrated the last few days of Navaratri. It really was a beautiful experience for everyone and we really appreciate all of the help from everyone who came to participate, as well as the karma yogis and staff who all worked very hard during the festival. We had a special program for 2 groups from FIT College, which was coordinated by their Professor who has been involved with Sivananda for many many years. The students participated in a 75 minute asana class taught by one of our staff, which was then followed by a vegetarian lunch. It was a nice experience for all of the students and we hope that they will come back and take some classes at the Centre. As for courses, we started Yoga 1, 2 & 3, as well as Positive Thinking. All of the students really seem to be enjoying their classes. We had 2 special classes at the Centre. We had Deaf Yoga in the morning and most of the students stayed for lunch afterwards. Later in the afternoon, one of our teachers Chandrika brought her Middle School students (12-13 years old) and taught them an asana class here at the Centre. All the Staff are well and send their pranams. With Guru’s grace, we are blessed and inspired to carrying on his peace mission. Pranams to all.

http://www.sivananda.org/ny

Om Namah Sivaya. After the enlightening program ‘The essence of Divine Love’ at the end of last month, students, teachers, karma yogis and the staff expressed their gratefulness to Swami Durganandaji, Swami Kailasananda, Swami Sivadasananda and Sri Venugopal Goswami for the inspiration. When the special guests left, the priest, Kumara Swami conducted a powerful Durga Puja next day in the morning. The reorganization of the Centre was done in a very quick time with the help of many hands, and the decoration material was stored away safely. Swami Kailasananda gave two inspiring Satsangs to a large audience with the message of chanting for the soul and leaving the ego aside. Everyone felt uplifted and inspired. Swami Gopalananda gave a spontaneous and interesting Satsang on how to avoid worries from Swami Sivananda’s book:  ‘How to cultivate virtues and eradicate vices’. The high light of the second week of the month was the two days program ‘The beauty of asanas’ with Kailas from Orléans Ashram. Kailas gave two asanas classes, one on “How to develop muscle strength” and the other one on ”How to deepen awareness in stretching”; he also lead an inspiring evening Saturday Satsang on “The beauty of asanas”. Swami Kailasananda went to Rudraprayag with Sudha Chaitanya for the TTC. We welcome the priest Kumara Swami again to stay with us for Navaratri. We had beautiful Pujas during the evening’s Satsangs and also morning’s Puja with some students joining. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/paris

Om Namah Sivaya from Brasil. In early October Kanti Devi made a beautiful retreat at Maquine one weekend, we finished painting the doors and windows. Started a Yoga 1 with 9 students and Yoga 2 with 12.  Caue left for a Buddhist retreat.

Towards the end of October we had a retreat with Kanti Devi in Piriapólis, Tandava Chaitanya and Adhyatman went by car in a beautiful trip. Bhaskari stayed on the Centre. Pranams to the Sivananda Family.

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed selves. In early October we added another Satsang during with a series of lectures. A good group of students came for the first time. Many new students registered for the Yoga 1 courses. Our 2 hour advanced class one Saturday had new students who liked to challenged themselves in this class.

In mid-October daily Pujas for Navaratri brought to the Centre amazing energy. Students were happy to participate. During one weekend we had a stand in the fair of the neighbourhood, it was a very good opportunity to advertise the Centre. Karma yogis helped a lot with the preparations. Om Shanti to the Sivananda Family from the Rome Centre.

http://www.sivananda.org/rome

Om Namo Narayanaya, Blessed Selves. In mid-October the Divine Mother has blessed our nightly Navaratri celebrations. The energy was vibrant. Swami Jnaneswariananda visited for a day and led that night’s Puja. Gajananam led Puja on Sunday night and two very talented Odissi dance students performed to a mesmerized audience of 30. A celebratory feast was enjoyed by all. We welcome Rama back on the teaching schedule.

Towards the end of October the final Navaratri Pujas were joyful. The Wednesday evening Puja was especially sweet, with children of a regular student in attendance. During the Vijaya Dasami Puja, we were startled to hear drilling outside. Auspiciously, our exterior signage was being installed! We also got a public bench placed in front of the Centre. There has been an upsurge in people dropping by for information on the Centre. Yoga teacher Anita Joubel gave a chronic pain workshop based on mindfulness principles. Pranams to all from the new San Francisco Centre.

http://www.sivananda.org/rome

Om Namah sivaya. In mid-October we were fortunate to have Swami Brahmananda staying with us for another week as a hurricane storm would not allow him to go back to the Bahamas. Swami Swaroopananda had the brilliant idea to seize the opportunity and have a second Urban Retreat with him. In a matter of one day we managed go register 20 people to the event which was a great success. Rukmini started a new Meditation course, with 19 participants. Jnaneshwari opened a Bhagavad Gita course with 11. Sri Devi left us for 2 weeks, travelling to Ukraine to visit her family.

Towards the end of October a new Prenatal Yoga training course for teachers
started on Mondays, with 6 students. The course was taught by Sita, the director
of our Jerusalem Centre. A new Indian Cooking workshop with Chef Etay (Iswara) started on Tuesdays, with 6 participants. A new Yoga 1 started, with 20 participants. Our Prana was focused on promoting the many new courses and introduction lectures taking place in the next couple of weeks. Narayani and Sri Devi landed in Israel. Both were eager to come back and join us at the Centre. Blessings of Peace to all the Sivananda Family.

http://www.sivananda.org/telaviv

Om Namah Sivaya. In mid-October we had a busy weekend with trial class, a Kirtan workshop, and a Puja. Kirtan workshop, taught by Mahadevi Maho from Nagoya City, attracted 15 students. And most of the students stayed for the next program which was Lakshmi Puja, performed as a part of Navaratri cerebration. We continued performing Puja every day until October 22nd. We also had a class called “Open Class in English” on Sundays. The class was added as our regular classes since September and had been gradually gaining popularity with 12 students attending the class so far.

Towards the end of October the Navaratri Pujas came to an end. We were glad to find out that students were eager to participate in a Puja despite the differences of the religion. A South Indian cooking workshop by Padmavati was held, with 12 participants. Then there was a tasting session. Teacher, students, and staffs all enjoyed tasting “Dosa” and “Sambhar”. After spending whole summer as a worker in mountain lodge, Chandrika came down from Fuji mountain and joined us as a full time staff again. She started to teach classes right away. Students and karma yogis were happy to see her after several months of absence. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om and Prem to all the Sivananda family.

http://www.sivananda.jp

Om Namah Sivaya. In mid-October regular classes picked up after the Thanksgiving long weekend. Our morning Satsangs were well attended, with several university students and a high school students coming regularly. We started a Bhagavad Gita course on Sundays. Kumari, our teacher from Ottawa, taught “Yoga for Back Care” course to a group of enthusiastic students who appreciated her knowledge and sensitivity with which she conveys it. We celebrated Navaratri during our evening Satsangs, very busy with a group of 45 students. There was lots of chanting, stories and reflecting on how Divine Mother guides us all in our lives helped us lift our spirits and stay inspired.

Towards the end of October we started several courses, including early morning Yoga 1 course as well as a weekend Yoga 1. A group of students continued into new Yoga 2 course. One Sunday we had a Headstand workshop. Open classes were attended well with many regular and consistent students. Lots of them very often signed up for our dinners which is also helping create a strong community of yogis. Our upcoming  weekend Yoga Retreat was getting filled. Several groups of teenagers from the local residential mental health Centre also attended classes, one on a weekend and another on Tuesdays. We partnered with Doctors Without Borders to fundraise and support their work in Syria and in refugee camps. We spent a lot of time planning the events and doing the fundraising promotion. It was an ongoing one month campaign with several events planned over the month. A lot of teachers and students were happy and eager to participate and contribute to this good cause. Everyone here felt uplifted this month, inspired to continue the path given to us by Master and Swamiji. Pranams.

http://www.sivananda.org/toronto

Om Namah Sivaya. In mid-October, by the grace of God, the current ladies and evening beginners’ batches successfully completed their courses. We look forward them to join the practice classes. We distributed notices in the neighboring areas regarding the upcoming courses. The Director Rajesh returned from SriLanka. We chanted Lalitha Sahasra Nama on Fridays. The best part was the visit of Prahlad ji. It was a very pleasant surprise for all of us. He conducted staff meeting and gave his advice for the better functioning of the Centre. Our Karma Yogi, Sreejith, went to Madurai to attend the TTC course. We wish him all the best for a bright future. We purchased a washing machine. The staff members were very happy for that. We conducted Ganapathy Homa on the first day of the new Malayalam month. Satsang was led by Sri. Rajesh, which helped to increase the positive vibes in the Centre.

Towards the end of October, with the blessings of God and revered Gurus, we had started 4 new batches on Mondays. A beginners’ batch for ladies in the morning and a mixed beginners’ batch in the evening. A fresh batch of Gentle Class started in the evenings of Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Along with these classes we had also started a 6 day long Meditation course, which will definitely help those students to attain tranquility of the mind. Due to Navratri all were in a celebratory mood. But still students found time to do their regular practice. We had conducted special Pooja on the auspicious days of Durgashtami, Mahanavami &  Vijayadashami. We had also distributed Prasad to everyone. Friday was a holiday. As usual Lalitha Sahasra Nama Pooja conducted on this day. Sunday Satsang was led by Sw. Govindanandaji. Pranams to all. Om – Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi.

http://www.sivananda.org/trivandrum

Om Namah Sivaya. We had a wonderful and active month: in the beginning Swami Ramapriyananda came for a special weekend program on Prana & Vitality. The asana class with focus on breathing and stretching and the following Satsang on The Power of Positive Thinking were well attended and carried the energy of the Masters. The weekend included a mantra initiation and teacher’s meeting: Swamiji gave inspiring news from the organization and there was a lively workshop on how to teach and correct the forward bend. The teachers had a good opportunity to reflect on their own teaching experience. This month our first regular Yoga 1 course on a Saturday mornings started which was well attended and we had a cooking course for new vegetarians. We also had a headstand workshop and an introduction into meditation. Drop In classes were running well and also the Satsangs were well attended. We were very happy to welcome Swami Bhagavatananda, who arrived form the Ashram in Orleans to support the Centre for the next 2 months. Swami Mangalananda paid the Centre a short visit for a few days and Vishnu, a new Karma Yogi began coming to the Centre on a regular basis.
Another highlight was the Navaratri festival. Swami Bhagavatananda was guiding the Pujas which transmitted their strong energy into the Centre. Many students and teachers attended the morning and evening celebrations and the Karma Yogis supported the Centre in household and maintenance very well. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vienna

Om Namah Sivaya. In mid-October we were delighted to start with Navaratri celebration. Almost all our Pujas were held in the morning and we were nicely surprised to see so many students and teachers attending. The altar is fully decorated with flowers offered by students. Devi Mahatmyam was read and Devi Suktam was chanted, giving more depth and meaning for this celebration for Divine Mother. Parvati, our close karma yogi and teacher prepared special prasads for each Puja. We also started two Beginners courses.

Towards the end of October we started a Yoga 2 and Yoga 14, and we continued with Navaratri Pujas. For Pujas we saw our closest students and teachers, new students. We also welcomed families, students from Germany and India. Energy of the Vijaya Dashami Puja uplifted everyone`s mind to go onwards more diligently with spiritual practices and positivity towards fellow beings. A “Yoga for the Back” course took place with a nice group of students. We were happy to tell the news about our first Yoga Show in Vilnius, which continued for a whole weekend. Our program included three different events: Asana class for everyone, an Intro into Yoga with Asana demonstration and a group meditation with Mantra chanting. All was very well accepted. We received over two hundred fifty students for these events. Beside this activities we had an opportunity to distribute info leaflets, to talk to people and to invite them to Yoga Centre and to our monthly Open Day. Many Karma Yogis wholeheartedly helped. We were grateful having so many opportunities to serve and to share teachings of the Masters. Pranams and Love to everyone. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vilnius