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Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Zentrum, Berlin, Germany

Om Namah Sivaya! All our students are happy to continue their regular practice also during the summer holidays. We redesigned our garden which is getting more and more abundant with beautiful plants. Our Asana platform was provided with two additional shoe shelves. A Pranayama2 course started with many participants. On one weekend we had a Kirtan workshop which was very well attended. Many students came, inspired to learn new Kirtans and to chant collectively. The energy was full of joy. Several Beginners Yogas’ and higher courses were starting during the month. We also had a small photo shoot for the autumn brochure with inspired practitioners. We celebrated Masters Mahasamadhi with an elevating Puja. Many students and teachers joined the celebration full heartedly. The energy was very nice and everybody left inspired and recharged. OM.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America

Om Namah Sivaya. By Gods Grace and Masters’ blessings, all went well and smoothly at the Buenos Aires Centre in July. Swami Premananda and Swami Dayananda traveled to Colombia for the TTC Colombia. Remained at the Centre of Buenos Aires were Swami Sivapriyananda with Ganesha and Lili as staff. Two Beginners Yoga Courses started. We also gave a workshop on Conquest of Anger. We celebrated “Guru Purnima”, offering a ceremony with flowers, thanking all the Gurus who enlighten us the way and especially our great Guru Swami Sivananda. We said goodbye to Lily who returned to Uruguay. We had a lot of help from the karma yogis. We hope all of you are well. Pranams. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Chengdu, China

Om Namah Sivaya to all Blessed Selves from the Chennai Centre. During the month of July there were meetings regarding the new constructions in Madurai. Anoop and Bharati stayed in the Centre for that. Also Narayana from Kerala stayed with us. Our guest from France went back to home. All staff received the first class of Parvata, an old student of the Centre and a new TTC graduate. We started a new teaching method for the Headstand workshop. Seven students came for these 9 classes over 3 weeks. Regarding the staff, Anil went back to Gudur. Thanks to Master and Guruji, students and staff are well. Prayers from the Chennai Centre. Pranams! Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Om Namah Sivaya to all Blessed Selves from the Chennai Centre. During the month of July there were meetings regarding the new constructions in Madurai. Anoop and Bharati stayed in the Centre for that. Also Narayana from Kerala stayed with us. Our guest from France went back to home. All staff received the first class of Parvata, an old student of the Centre and a new TTC graduate. We started a new teaching method for the Headstand workshop. Seven students came for these 9 classes over 3 weeks. Regarding the staff, Anil went back to Gudur. Thanks to Master and Guruji, students and staff are well. Prayers from the Chennai Centre. Pranams! Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Chicago, USA

Om Namah Sivaya. Blessings from Chicago, where regular classes and courses continued as usual in July. Hamsa and Bhavani served at the Centre while Radhika was away at the Ranch for ATTC for several weeks. Classes and courses continued as usual, the Centre was closed on July 4th in observance of American Independence Day. The Positive Thinking Course, taught by Bhavani, started with engaged students who looked forward to learning about tools to change their thought patterns. Social activities (like breakfast and lunches) gathered the teachers together and continued within a positive and joyful atmosphere. The teachers also stayed engaged in Karma Yoga activities at the Centre. Other classes and courses continued as usual. The Early Morning Yoga & Meditation Course took place with beautiful classes at the Lake Michigan when weather permitted. The Yoga 1 course was taught by Hamas. We are grateful to the Gurus for continuing to protect and inspire our Sadhana. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta DÀ LAT Centre, Dà Lat, Vietnam

Om Namah Sivaya from the beautiful DaLat Centre. For the month of July the number of students remained stable. Many students joined free trial classes and almost all people registered for a Beginners’ Yoga class. Our Yoga for Beginners Yoga 1 and Yoga Gentle classes progressed well. An Ayurveda Workshop was offered with students very interested to join in. More students came to Satsang in July. Staff keep practicing Sadhana daily, maintaining the good energy and positive atmosphere in the Centre. We give thanks for Master and Guru’s grace. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta DWARKA Centre, Delhi, India

Om Namah Sivaya. By the guidance of the Gurus, the Dwarka Centre ran efficiently and effortlessly in July. A new weekday Beginners’ Yoga course started on 24th June at 10 am and 6:30 pm. Weekend Beginners’ Yogas and weekend meditation course started on 29th June at 8am. A new weekend kids’ yoga course also started on 29th June at 10am. All regular/open, advance, private, gentle, trial classes continued well. On 29th June, a special private class was conducted for a group of 12 people in the Centre. The weekly Satsang saw a lot of kids joining in, chanting merrily and then dinner and parshaad was served to all which had blessings of the Gurus.

By mid July we saw a raise of new energy in the Centre with the start of new weekdays Beginners’ Yoga batches on 15th July at 6am and 4pm and weekends Beginners’ Yoga batch on 20th July at 8am. A 4 day Meditation course started on 20th July. The remaining classes went well, with the blessings of the Gurus. A weekly Saturday Satsang was organized on 20th July, and each passing Saturday the number of people attending increased as they can feel the positivity. To keep the Centre up to date, a new online registration system was introduced for enrolling the students and to maintain their attendance. A few renovations were going on to beautify the Centre and to keep the functioning smooth. All the staff members are doing karma yoga at their level best and with the will to improve by each passing day. Thank you and good wishes to all the Sivananda community from Dwarka Centre, Delhi. Pranams to all. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta NATARAJA Centre, Delhi, India

Om Namo Narayanaya. July started with a Beginners’ Yoga courses, one at 6:30am and another at 4pm. We conducted the regular Bhagavad Gita study class on Thursdays at 12 to 1pm. Our regular scheduled programs – open classes, gentle yoga, Prenatal yoga, kids yoga, Satsangs, free trial class along with few private classes continued well. Chandani left after serving two months at the Centre. As July continued we offered two Beginners’ Yoga course, one at 6:30am and another at 4pm. We continued with the BG study circle. We conducted regular Satsangs, early mornings and Sunday evenings. With the grace of the Masters, July went well as per schedule and everything at the Centre was fine. We send our Pranams and hope everyone is happy and peaceful. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Geneva, Switzerland

Om Namah Sivaya. The Centre was on a reduced schedule in July. Teachers took care of teaching a few classes per week. Ananta and Girija went to Reith and Orleans to be part of the TTC teaching team. OM.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Om Namah Sivaya. In July we were inspired to see 18 people attending a special workshop of 108 sun salutations, taught by Mahashakti. We started a Yoga One course with six students, taught by Devika. We had many students coming for courses, continuing from one course to the next with good progress. We also saw many old students and teachers coming back for more practice and guidance in open classes and Satsangs. Durga led the SYHET program with 3 other SHYET counselors, continuing the education of Yoga Health Counselors. The topic was Counseling and Recovery from Diabetes. Doctor Hung came for the program. Devika started a Beginners’ Yoga course, with 5 people. Mahashakti and Durga continued Beginners’ Yoga Two. A long and heavy rainfall season, especially in the afternoon started, subsequently a little few less people attended open classes when it was raining. With Guru’s Grace, all staff continued to work well together and doing well in their Sadhana. We are happy to continue spreading the wisdom of Yoga follow the teachings of the Master and Guru. Pranams to the Sivananda Family. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, London, England

Om Namah Sivaya. This month, the Centre was blessed by a powerful and joyful Celebration of Swami Sivanannda’s Mahasamadhi. Two local priests were there to do the Puja. Guru Bhakti was in the air. Everyone was involved with the setting of the Puja guided by the priest. The participants of the Puja were grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with the Master. Before starting the Puja, we had some inspiring words about Swami Sivananda and a letter were he describes himself as a joyful and dynamic yogi. Auspiciously, that day was also an special day for Siva. On Tuesday Swami Nityananda from the Paris arrived to support the Centre during the summer. She was delighted to meet the London family, the luminous asana rooms, the peace garden and the bhakti atmosphere of the meditation room. On one weekend we had an Open House. The newcomers appreciated the teachings of the Masters and the peaceful atmosphere of the Centre. Swami Nityananda gave the public Satsangs with beautiful kirtans. Yukanan gave an inspiring and spontaneous lecture on the topic of fasting. The garden is blooming. The Masters have been sending cheerful hands to take care of the Centre. They also are sending more and more newcomers and some students are coming back after being away for a long time. OM.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Om Namo Narayanaya! May the blessings keep coming our way and shining the path. By Guru’s Grace and our sincere efforts may we be instruments of Peace. Om Namo Narayanaya! Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Madrid, Spain

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves! This month Marilyn Rossner came for Satsang and a lecture, “Yoga and the eternity of the Soul”. We had 120 visitors. Marilyn spoke about her life with Swamiji and also shared some knowledge about the effects of wrong diet in the astral body. The Centre started with the reduced Summer schedule. A main focus of the month was preparations for TTC Aluenda in August which has 41 inscriptions so far. On July 14, a well-received Puja for Swami Sivananda´s Mahasamadhi was performed. Students connected with Masters message in a respectful and sattvic atmosphere. OM.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Madurai, India

Om Namah Sivaya. Namaste from the Madurai Centre. We thank our Masters for all blessings and support bestowed. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Montevideo, Uruguay

Om Namah Sivaya! In July, it was understandably cold here in the Southern Hemisphere. A highlight was the Beginners’ Yoga course, with a good energy of the students. The regular programs continued normally, by the grace of Masters. We prepared many workshops and courses for this winter month. Radha directed a Friday Satsang. It was her first time in the Centre. The students were very warm with the staff. We celebrated the Mahasamadhi and Guru Purnima with wonderful Pujas, directed by Chandra and Madhavi. The energy of the Centre increased. The rest of the activities developed normally. May all live under Master’s and Guru’s grace. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Om Namah Sivaya and Greetings from the Montreal Centre! In early July, summer holidays started in Montreal. The students count went down a little bit and we had to manage with a small group of teachers. But everyone was happy to see that the schedule of the classes was still maintained during the summer. The free outdoor yoga classes in Parc Outremont and Parc Laurier continued very well. The students and the teachers appreciated the yoga outside, especially when the weather was so nice. We had the pleasure of welcoming Swami Vidyananada and Swami Gitananda, from Austria, for a Satsang. Forty-five students came to chant the Sunday Prayers with them. Swami Vidyananda gave Satsang on the topic of Yoga Vacation, sharing the principle of a real vacation: the vacation for the mind. The next day, Swami Gitananda animated the Monday morning Satsang. When they turned back to the Yoga Camp before noon. By the grace of the Masters and all the support of the community, everything ran smoothly at the Centre.

Mid month we had a nice surprise, someone painted over the graffiti on the front of the Centre building. We thought it was a mysterious person, but later we got to know that the city of Montreal is renovating the front of the places that were vandalized on St-Laurent Street. We felt very grateful. This was a blessing from the Masters. This happened after we decorated the front of the building with flowers, including orange Indian carnations, the favorite flower of Swami Vishnudevananda. The Centre was looking bright and beautiful. For a Sunday evening Satsang we hosted Gianjeet Ramburn, who gave a Bharata Natyam performance at the Satsang. She presented a dance piece, called Bhaje Mana, which was a Pushpanjali, or offering of flowers to Krishna. The students enjoyed the program a lot. Before the performance we explained the meaning of the gestures of this dancing poetry of South India. By the grace of the Masters and all the support of the community, everything ran well at the Centre. We feel our Guru’s grace guiding us. Pranams to all! Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Munich, Germany

Om Namah Sivaya. We had a good month, starting with a Music program with Shankara Schneider, which was very well attended. In two workshops staff and students learnt about the Nada and Bhakti aspect of Indian music and how to tune precisely to one tone. We sang different ragas and tried to follow Indian rhythms. In the Satsang Shankara talked about the importance of daily Sadhana and shared stories and wisdom from his time with Swami Vishnudevananda. Some intermediate courses started this month and a meditation course with very interested people. We had an Open House. Many new and old students came and stayed the whole afternoon. We tried a new schedule with more practical parts: Workshop “how yoga works” with asana demonstration, meditation-workshop and trial class. It was a very dynamic day. Many karma yogis supported us. Our outside class in the Munich cultural Centre Gasteig continued on the roof of the building, which is a very special atmosphere in the morning. Mid month we celebrated Swami Sivanandas Mahasamadhi Puja. Many close students joined the celebration. Chanting of Swami Sivanandas favourite Kirtans was followed by a Text from Sivananda Upanishad. A short recording of Master giving a lecture on Japa Yoga was played followed by the Puja. After moments of deep silence Masters message from Sivananda Upanishad reminded us to keep up the aspiration and regular Sadhana. The same day a good group of TTCs joined for a further training “Yoga for Beginners Yogas” with longer Asana class, lunch, lecture and Asana correction workshop. Many of the teachers stayed for the evening Puja. OM.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Neuquén, Argentina

Om Namah Sivaya from Neuquen. Om Shanti and Prem to everyone. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, New York, USA

Om Namah Sivaya. Greetings from Manhattan, New York City, where by grace, all continued well at the Centre in July. The hot, humid weather continued. Swami Satyapremananda traveled to the Ranch with Mokshapriya, Radhika, and Satyabhama, who are all taking July ATTC. A new Yoga 2 course started. After teaching the first two Sanskrit classes for the Ranch ATTC, Swami Satyapremananda returned just in time to lead an evening Satsang. On 4th of July the Centre was closed for American Independence Day, reopening for classes as usual on the Friday. Overall, it was a quieter week around the holiday, and staff spent some extra time and energy on garden, boutique, and cleaning projects.

In mid July we experienced even a hotter heat wave. By grace, we weathered it pretty well, though heat indices reached high enough to keep many people indoors which affected drop-in class attendance. Swami Satyapremananda traveled to the Ranch for a short visit. We welcomed Bhavani to staff for the rest of July. Neeti traveled to the Yoga Camp for a week’s visit. A new Yoga 1 course started. Tandava offered a headstand workshop. Contractors worked overtime to finish the top-floor bathroom renovation, which included some structural repairs and new floor, walls, tiling and fixtures. We were very happy with the result.

In 2019 we celebrate 55 years of the Centre in New York. Staff are doing well and sending our blessings from the New York City Centre. By Masters’ blessings and God’s Grace, all is running smoothly. Om.

Centre de Yoga Sivananda Vedanta, Paris, France

Om Namah Sivaya. The month started perfectly with a Siva Puja led by the priest.There were less students for all the activities because of the heat : some schools and offices closed because of the hot weather, some teachers and karma yogis had to cancel at last moment. In spite of the weather the Centre continued to be an oasis of peace and fresh air. We put prana on the brochure and on the teachers planning for the summer. Swami Nityananda went to Orleans and from there to London. That day, The Centre was happy to see Swami Kailasananda who passed by on her way back from London to Orleans. Swamiji guided the staff and gave prana to all. We had a yoga for the back workshop given by Jaya Bharati. OM.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Porto Alegre, Brasil, South America

Greetings from Porto Alegre. Winter arrived to Porto Alegre in July! We had very, very cold days with low temperatures, however, we continued to serve the Masters. We started a new group of Beginners’ Yoga, with very enthusiastic students.

By mid July we received a new staff, Deva Jyoti who did the TTC in Bariloche, Argentina this year. Deva Jyoti is from France and was visiting different countries of South America. She speaks Spanish fluently and wanted to learn Portuguese. In fact, the day after she arrived, she started teaching yoga classes, to practice the language. On Tuesday 16th, Guru Poornima Day, we offered a Puja with some bhaktas. The Guru Poonima Day coincided with a lunar eclipse that could be seen in the city, which is not something so common here. The rest of activities ran normally in July with less students, perhaps because of the cold weather and a month of winter vacations. Om.

Centro Yoga Vedanta Sivananda, Rome, Italy

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves. In July we had our 5 day summer retreat in Tuscany in a beautiful location, in a National Parc near the the famous Camandoli monastery were they also include Yoga and meditation in their pogramme. We had the opportunity to visit the monastery in one of our silent walks. For a couple of days we had Satsang outside and enjoy the amazing sunset while chanting the daily chants. It was a good gathering of teachers from different parts of Italy, new people and families. Jnanadev covered the Centre during the retreat with the help of teachers. OM.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, San Francisco, California, USA

Om Namo Narayanaya, Blessed Selves. In early July student activity was light at the Centre due to the 4th of July holiday weekend. Swami Sivasankariananda left for the east coast and Radha Chaitanya left for the Yoga Farm. Mahalakshmi Chaitanya arrived to make the Sunday classes and Satsangs available to students and cover for the upcoming week. Students and teachers rallied in support of longtime and beloved student Greg, who may be losing his fight with pancreatic cancer. The Gurus’ ways are mysterious.

Later in July we celebrated Guru Purnima with a festive Puja. At the end, no one wanted to leave. Saturday was Wellness Day with Fred Luskin giving the talk “Forgive for Good,” urging us to accept our pain and not require someone to pay for it. The program continued with asana class and a healthy dinner. The students connected enthusiastically. The evening finished with an meditative Classical Indian Music concert. Three new TTC grads stepped from assisting to start teaching. We started many courses: Yoga 1, Yoga 2, Yoga 3, Yoga 4, Mysteries of the Mind, Meditation 1 and Bhakti Yoga! We felt the Gurus’ blessings. May the Truth be spread far and wide. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, San Paulo, Brasil

Om Namah Sivaya. May the Masters continue to maintain prana and harmony in the Sivananda Centre of Sao Paulo. Om Shanti Shanti to all the Sivananda family. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Tel Aviv, Israel

Om Namah Sivaya. In July the Raja Yoga course ended with most of the students continuing to the next one in the series. We had a weekend Open House and a kirtan concert, drawing close to 200 people to the Centre. The energy was very happy and devotional. Pranava Chaitanya’s stay in the Yoga Retreat was extended by a week until the Vedanta course she was attending finished. We celebrated the Guru Purnima with a beautiful Puja in the morning. A group of very close devotees and teachers joined us. The kirtan was uplifting and powerful and the Guru’s energy was felt strongly. After the Puja, the Satsanga continued as everyone practiced together. We had two introductory classes for a new Positive Thinking course and one for an upcoming Meditation course. We recently opened many new courses and all went very well. Students were enthusiastic about the teachings and tools they received, managing to keep a regular home practice. During one of the Satsangs we were very happy to have Stephen Fisk with us who told us stories about his time with Swami Vishnu and sang songs for peace. The room was packed and everyone felt joyful and uplifted! Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Tokyo, Japan

Om Namah Sivaya. In July Kalyani and Sandeep, from Neyyar Dam Ashram in South India, visited us at the Tokyo Centre as a part of the annual Japan tour, accompanied by Narayani. They offered programs on “Stress Management”, “Bhakti Yoga”, “Asana, opening our mind and heart”, etc. Under difficult situations, despite Nataraj’s leg injury and their heavy schedule, they stayed positive and focused on teaching throughout the program. We were grateful for their service, offered with dedication and passion. After Tokyo they left for the next destination, located in northern part of Japan. On the same day, a Raja Yoga instructor Srinivas, who teaches Sanskrit at ATTCs held in Neyyar Dam Ashram in India arrived in Japan and gave a lecture on Bhagavad Gita, Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. We were so honoured to be able to have such an experienced knowledgeable Vedanta teacher here. For the month of July the Tokyo Centre was closed on Mondays, except for a national holiday called “Marine Day” when two workshops were offered. Manson Yoshiko, a disciple of Mark Halpern who is well known at Yoga Farm, California, gave a full-day workshop, joined by nearly 40 people. She shared with us some ideas how yoga practitioners can lead lives in accordance with the Ayurvedic knowledge, in addition to the relationship between asana and diet. Ayurveda is gradually getting popular in Japan. The other program, a Bhagavad Gita study session, was navigated by Mukthi. Her father provided us with lunch and all the students and staff enjoyed the vegetarian Sushi lunch. Kumari, a Taiwanese staff from Yoga Farm, arrived at the Centre to be permanent staff for a year. As this was the second time for her to be staff in the Tokyo Centre, many students were rejoiced at her revisit. On the same day, a 2020 Japan TTC briefing was held, which is expected to be given on a monthly basis. A trial class was held one Sunday, with 18 people attending. Many of them signed up for our annual membership and enrolled in Yoga 1 course. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Om Namah Sivaya. In early July Dr Vishnu visited and gave a workshop on Introduction to Ayurveda and many consultations that many students appreciated. Some of the students who took consultations decided to do Panchakarma at the Ashram this summer. It was very nice having him at the Centre. We kept working on some gardening and Centre beautifications. Most of our teachers were still in Toronto in July so the class schedule was not affected by summer holidays. Regular classes were relatively well attended considering quiet summer season. We scheduled a couple of events with outside guests for Sunday Satsangs. We appreciated the many karma yogis who helped with reception, maintenance and gardening this month. Nalini and Bhavani worked hard to take good care of the Centre over the summer months. We send Om Namo Narayanaya to everyone. Pranams. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Trivandrum, Kerala, India

Om Namah Sivaya. We started an evening Beginners’ Yoga course at the beginning of July with good number of students attending. As usual, on Fridays we had our weekly Lalitha Sahastranama Pooja, performed by our priest. Biju returned to the Centre. Our cook, Mini, and cleaning staff, Bindhu, started practicing Yoga. Yashoda taught them every day. We had a Karma Yoga session of cleaning the Centre to purify and enhance Positive energy. All staffs’ cooperation was very good. We hosted a good number of the morning Beginners Yoga course. Our regular classes continued well. Aishwarya returned to the Centre. Sunday Satsangs were led by Yashoda and Vignesh. Pranams to one and all. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Vienna, Austria

Om Namah Sivaya. This month we introduced the slightly reduced summer-schedule and the drop-in summer-special-classes. Otherwise, a few courses were beginning and a group of 29 students around 8 – 10 years visited the Centre, all of them had a first exposure to Yoga: After a power point presentation about the five points we offered a Yoga class with concluding meditation and a snack afterwards. It was an exceptionally open minded group with keen interest. Swami Gitananda went to HQ for a month and handed over her departments to Sivani and Swami Mangalananda who arrived to support the Centre during her absence. We offered workshop about Inner Balance and another one on Thought Power. Students like these workshops since they provide sufficient time for individual counselling. For the Open Day on Sunday mid-month we had an open minded and focused group of students, most of them stayed the whole afternoon. We had a beautiful Puja for Master’s Mahasamadhi. Students came with flowers and Prasad and everyone felt blessed and uplifted. OM.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Vilnuis, Lithuania

Om Namah Sivaya. At the beginning of the month the Centre worked on the reduced capacity because we had a weekend retreat in the country-side. Our teachers took care of open classes and some courses continued. Staff went to the retreat place. Retreat started on Friday. Topic: Stress management. Mainly new students came to learn how to deal with the stress with the help of yogic science. It was a good experience for the students and teachers as well. Next week we had a family retreat, which was organized for the first time, from Monday through to Friday. We had 12 kids age from 8 to 12 plus 4 small kids. Very successfully we could give an interesting full program for the parents and were at the same time taking care of the kids. Adults besides lectures on five points had a workshop Yoga for the back. Not good weather was compensated by the interesting program and very good food prepared by professional cooks. The talent show on the last day crowned the whole retreat: adults and children joined their talents and created a very nice family atmosphere. Next weekend, Swami Sivadasananda visited. Almost 50 Sivananda teachers came from Vilnius and other towns: Kaunas, Klaipeda, Telsiai, Palanga. Some came from Ukraine, Latvia. We were happy to receive Shankari (from the Moscow affiliated Centre) and Jnaneshwara (old-time karma yogi from Berlin). Swamiji served wholeheartedly: Satsangs, teachers workshops, asana classes, morning pranayama, lecture. OM.

Consider yourself a sojourner here, having come here with a definite mission, for attaining Self-realization. – Sri Swami Sivananda

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Spiritual Calendar

AUGUST 2019

01 New Moon
11 Ekadasi
15 Full Moon
23 Sri Krishna Jayanti
26 Ekadasi
30 New Moon

SEPTEMBER 2019

02 Ganesha Chathurthi
08 Swami Sivananda ‘s Birthday
09 Ekadasi
11 Onam
14 Full Moon
25 Ekadasi
28 New Moon
29 Navarathri

Seek the immortal Atman hidden in the cave within your heart. – Sri Swami Sivananda

Glossary

VAIRAGYA – Non-attachment; Dispassion

Commentary from Swami Vishnudevananda –

“What is the cause of all problems, individual as well as universal?The root which everything spreads out? Attachment. Attachment is the cause of all pain. For example, this glass is very special. I bought it at an auction and it was used by King George 100th!! King George 100th used this glass. It is MINE. D. said, “Is that so Swami-ji? Can you give it to me – I would also like to have it.” “No way,” I said, as I held it tight. When I go to sleep I lock it up in a special vault with a special lock and put on a special electronic alarm, so if anyone tries to touch it I will know. I am unable to sleep because of this glass. Any sound I hear I think someone is after my glass. L. is coming over. She is only trying to be friendly because of the glass. I trust no-one now. I ask Swami P. to check on D. to see what he is up to, but later I see Swami P. and D. outside talking together. Oh my God, they are plotting against me for my glass.

What we call love – L.O.V.E. becomes completely depleted because of attachment. This applies to anything. I just took an example of the glass, but it could be to anything, to money, to anything. Our main problem is that we get attached to various objects. And why do we get attached? Two things are the cause of attachment. The two causes of attachment are I-ness and Mine-ness. You want an object because you think you can get happiness from it. You then get attached to it. ” It is mine. I own it.” I-ness and Mine-ness are the root cause of all problems.

Swamis and Yogis also get into problems. ” This is my Yoga Centre, my disciples, my money.” They also get attached, but to different things. The purpose of life is to get rid of this problem. But we do not even know that we have it as a problem. We do not recognize the level of our attachment to things. Nor do we recognize the trap of attachment. Slowly Maya (illusion) binds us.

Attachments can come slowly. We are not aware that they are slowly creeping up on us. The movement is very subtle. This is why an aspirant should have purity, so he can understand and become aware of the subtle attachments, by which he can so easily be trapped. This problem is not because you are living in society. People who live in the Himalayas, the forest or in the jungles may not have attachment to the same objects as a city dweller, but they become attached to their kamandalus (water pot). They decorate them, put their initials on them and become possessive or envious of another’s. Attachment is not about having or not having, a house or a big car. You can get attached to even the smallest thing and the same problem, the same pain, will result.

Overcome the self by the Self. Become a yogi. – Sri Swami Sivananda

2019-08-02T13:31:58+00:00