Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Om Namah Sivaya. In early March the main focus was to organize everything for the retreat weekend. Thirty students took part in the different activities of the retreat. There were Satsangs on topics of Health, Peace, Life, Mantras, and we had two lectures focused on steps to mind´s control and tips for the spiritual practices at home. Asana classes were split into two groups: for beginners and more advanced students. Meals were prepared by an experienced cook with lots of love. The silent walks to different lakes were very appreciated by everyone, we had a chance to have a most beautiful weather for the whole weekend. We were happy to have so many yoga teachers for this weekend and good help from karma yogis. Weekend in the new retreat place fully met expectations of students, teachers and staff, all left satisfied and recharged. The Centre was very well organized by dedicated karma yogis and teachers. We are thankful to Ishwara Chaitanya for all his help, he left for Vilnius after the retreat.

During mid-March OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/berlin

Om Namah Sivaya. In early March we had two carnival holiday days in which there were classes at 5:00 pm only. The staff had the time to do Karma Yoga in the backyard. We were visited by Ganga who was staff here last year, she was doing karma yoga in the Sivananda Ashram of Kerala .She looked radiant and happy. One Saturday we had the “Surya namaskar” workshop, and due to the beginning of March and the ending of vacations the students are attending to classes again.

During mid-March two groups of beginners started .We also have three new teachers joined up for regular classes. We had “Yoga and the Back” workshop. We are promoting the “Easter Retreat”,and it is almost full. Prem & Om to all.

http://www.sivananda.org/baires

http://www.sivanandayogachina.org

Om Namah Sivaya to all Blessed Selves from the Chennai Centre. Early March was full of activities and the energy in the Centre was at its highest. We started the new Ladies Beginners Course and several students have joined in enthusiastically. The main event was the second instalment in the vegan events series, Healthy Fast Foods – Workshop by Dr Saravanan from SHARAN, the NGO based in Auroville which is spreading the message of real compassion, peace and health through the whole food plant based diet, vegan. Representatives of SHARAN came and displayed several recipes to the participants using organic ingredients and no animal milk and no cooking, blending and mixing salads, smoothies, shakes and cakes much to the surprise of the participants. The special Sunday Satsang with Swami Jnaneshwariananda was also a success and the devotees meditated, chanted and sung the name of the lord and Swamiji with full vigour and devotion in their hearts and made the event a memorable one.

Mid-March was peaceful at the Chennai Centre and all the classes were attended with full vigour and enthusiasm by the students. The staff members also continued their sadhana and we started the new evening Beginners Course batch full of energetic and excited yoga students. We are busy preparing for the next meditation course with Swami Satchidananda and promoting it heavily to help the maximum number of students learn the proper techniques of meditation. May the spirit of Swami Ji guide us forever. All the staff send Pranams to the Sivananda family. Blessings to all!

http://www.sivananda.org/madras

Om Namah Sivaya from Chicago. In early March we welcomed Janaki, who has been resident at the Centre since June, as full-time staff. She is settling in well to staff life. New students are coming in more regularly now because of the Groupon deal that is still on offer, and they seem quite happy to have found the Centre and our practice. Two new courses started: Yoga 1 and Yoga & Meditation for Beginners. Attendance at morning Satsang continues to be particularly steady, even in the face of continued wintry weather.

During mid-March courses, drop-in classes, and Satsang are continuing steadily, and a new Yoga 2 course began. Attendance has been good enough that we are inspired to add some additional new courses and workshops to our spring schedule. The temperatures are still wintry, but the sky is bright and we have started some seedlings growing in the windows. Staff are well and send their pranams – Happy pranams to all. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi from the Centre in Chicago.

http://www.sivananda.org/chicago

Om Namah Sivaya. In early March the Dalat Centre was doing well with more students. Saraswati is going to the Ashram at Lake Tung Lam to help with Pancha karma. Amba is replacing her running the Centre with two new TTC graduates: Narada and Kumari. All is well in Dalat during March while the ATTC is being held. We have a resident stay for 3 days with a good energy. All the beginner courses were finished, students joined open classes morning and evening. More and more foreigner traveler know about us and come for single class. We feel a lot of blessing from Guru.

https://sivanandayogavietnam.org

Om Namah Sivaya. In early March Delhi welcomed the spring season and shed the warm clothing a bit more. We began 2 yoga 1 batches. The Centre is all ready to receive the big numbers and specialized classes of the students in the coming summer. All the courses, workshop and routine classes went quite smoothly. The weekly Satsang was celebrated with devotional chants, spiritual talks and the Prasad in the end. Now Centre has got new permanent gas connection.

During mid-March all activities are going very well.all the classes and course are running very smoothly and well. We started new beginners courses with good numbers of students. We welcomed Shivabhkatananada ji. We had very beautiful classes & Satsang with Swami Shivabhaktananda ji. The weather is getting warmer day by day. With gurus grace all the classes, courses are going very well. We had beautiful Satsang and amazing dinner, participated by students and staff. Pranams to all. Om Shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/dwarka

Om Namo Narayanaya. Early March was very energetic with many students, and many visiting staff and guests in the Centre. We started a new Yoga 1 Beginner Course taught by Mani Chaitanya. The new brochure for the next three months has been finalized and is ready for distribution. Many teachers attended the Satsang on Wednesdays, and all staff and teachers left uplifted and inspired for their own Sadhana. The weekend was busy, with a well-attended prenatal class and a Yoga 1 Weekend Intensive started with ten new students. The trial class one Sunday was attended by many new college students. We were glad to welcome Swami Shivabhakthananda and Ivan Stanley at the Centre on their way to Gangotri Cave. Swamiji led a special Satsang, and explained the beauty which lies in all the efforts we make in the crowd and in our daily life to live a higher life, and how we can appreciate even a bit of progress given the many distractions we are confronted with. He was happy to see many teachers and students for Satsang. Praveen prepared a healthy soup, which was enjoyed by all.

During mid-March student numbers are increasing after the cold months, and we had a big kids’ class and a few students for prenatal class. Amar Sant arrived from Pune to help with the courses and classes, and Shobal left to assist with the teaching in Bangkok Centre. All staff are well and send their pranams.Om Namah Sivaya from Delhi! We send our prayers to all. May the Gurus’ blessings of be with us all. Om Namo Narayanaya!

http://www.sivananda.org/delhi

Om Namah Sivaya. Spring came to Geneva with warmer temperatures and in spite of the really beautiful weather a good group of students came for the open day one Saturday which had been actively promoted. Some of our students came with their friends to share their yoga-experience and the atmosphere was focused and relaxed. Also a sun salutation-workshop, a fasting day and a Saturday workshop about Yoga@home as well as a workshop about anger management had good attendance and inspired students. A lot of prana was put into the Centre search and many possible places for a new Centre were visited. Spiritual highlight of this month was of course the celebration of Sivaratri. The atmosphere was very calm and devotional. We served a simple kicheree to those students who had stayed and ate it together in a very quiet and peaceful energy. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/geneva

Om Namah Sivaya. In early March the Ho Chi Minh Centre continued with beginner course’s and full open classes. Some of the Staff has left for ATTC in Dalat, while some newly graduates from TTC in Cu Chi have joined us here in HCMC. We received a beautiful new Murti from North India made of marble (Lakshmi Narayan). To add the new addition to the altar we had a special Puja, led by Ganga who joined us from Cu Chi. Staff: Mangala, Lakshmana, Vishnu Das, Priya.

During mid-March is Well in south Vietnam. We welcomed Durga Leela from the states as she was in transit to ATTC Dalat. Mangala and Sita went on scheduled trips for the weekend and came back just in time for Sunday Satsang, which had a great turn out with many students and local teachers. The Kirtan was lively. We started painting the meditation room in a very nice yonder blue. A batch of Yoga1 students finished and all the students registered for Yoga2. All the staff were happy, with the Guru’s blessings. We send Pranams to all the Sivananda family. Om Tat Sat.

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

Om Namah Sivaya. In early March a meditation course started as well as a Vedanta course with a group of close students, many of them have already done the Bhakti Yoga course or regular Satsangs and karma Yoga. Spring has arrived and prompted us to deep-clean the Centre and plant new, colourful plants and flowers in the garden. Students are starting to use the peace garden before and after their classes. We are happy to see the number of students for the June TTC gradually rising and found a close teacher who is living nearby willing to open up her house as the number of students is close to exceeding the capacity of the Centre. We had a stand in a local shopping Centre, the Putney exchange. It went very well and we handed out ca. 500-600 postcards and did asana demonstrations. Most of the people we met live just around the corner and some of them already made their way to the Centre. We hope that this will create a good interest in Yoga and attract more new students to the Centre. Many teachers and Karma Yogis helped, as the stand was active from 9 AM to 7 PM. A “Yoga for the Back” workshop took place and a Pranayama 2 course started, with 7 students.

During mid-March was good at the London Centre. One Saturday there was a workshop on using yogic techniques to combat anger. Four additional new courses were planned on a variety of topics as Kirtan chanting, Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta and asana variation cycles. The cherry tree in the peace garden was in full bloom and it’s elegance and beauty were a source of joy for all passing through the garden. Salutations to all! Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/london

Om Namo Narayanaya! Early March was very busy with many events. An introduction to raw food and yogic nutrition by Lakita and Murali who are visiting LA. Rose offered a session on Emotional Freedom Technique and Abundant Wealth; Vishnupriya hosted a meeting of yoga teachers with a potluck meal; later that night a group of musicians met to record our daily chants and some kirtan for a CD; we held a Sacred Earth Community Salon with local food forager, Erica Wohldmann, followed by a hatha yoga master class with Murali. Swami Omkarananda was away at an interfaith retreat where she met three other swamis from the Sivananda lineage! Everyone is very busy preparing for our big Fundraiser event. We had a very successful fundraising event with a gourmet raw food meal, prepared by Lakita and Murali (recently from Neyyar Dam), followed by a silent auction and music. It was great teamwork and wonderful community spirit. March 10 we launched our new website www.sivanandala.org after several years of delays and false starts. Feedback has been very positive and we are already benefiting from the positive exposure. The energy is high and all are well.

During mid-March we have been focusing on our annual fundraising pledge drive, encouraging students to donate monthly to supplement income from classes and courses. Attendance at the Centre is steady. Last weekend we held an Ayurveda Beauty workshop and the monthly Nonviolent communication workshop. May the Gurus’ blessings of be with us all. Pranams.

http://www.sivananda.org/la

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves. In the beginning of the month, Swami Atmaramananda left the Madrid Centre to participate in various special programs at the Munich Centre, the Ashram in Reith, and in Warsaw, Crakow and Bielko Bieva in Poland. On the 21st of March, he left for India to lead the the annual two-week Sivananda pilgrimage there. In March, the Centre was busy with a number of new beginner and philosophy courses starting. One of the highlights of the month was the night of Shivaratri, attracting a total of 56 teachers, students and visitors of the Centre for an inspiring night of mantra chanting. Later in the month, the Centre had a well attended and lively Open Doors Day with a total of 45 first time visitors coming to learn about yoga and to try a Sivananda asana class. Two much anticipated lectures with scientist Teofilo Calvo, ‘We are What we Eat’ and ‘We are What we Think’, also took place in March, attended by more than 30 attentive and eager participants, including a strong group of teachers. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/madrid

Om Namah Sivaya. In early March, by the grace of the Gurus, our classes continued running smoothly. The climate became hotter everyday. We started a beginner course in the mornings with two batches: 6:00 am & 10:00 am. We received a new staff from Meenakshi Ashram for one week. We thanked Anoop ji .

During mid-March the activities of the Centre are going smoothly. We begin morning Beginner course with 3 No. of students. Classes are going fine with kids enjoying the weekend classes. Everything is going well with the grace of our God & Satgurus. Pranams to each and everybody in the Sivananda family. Om Shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/madurai

Om Namah Sivaya. In early March on Mon 3rd and Wed 4th the Centre did not open due to Carnival holidays. Kanti Devi and Chandra invited all the staff to spend two days at Chandra´s mother´s beach house at Costa Azul, a nice beach near Montevideo (50 km distance). So we all prepared to leave on Sunday afternoon and there we went for a wonderful rest with the nicest view, fresh air and green all around. Meditation in the early morning with the sun rising above the sea, long walks along the beach, bike rides, wonderful vegetarian treats prepared by Kanti and the presence of 94 year-old-lady (Chandra´s mom) who still plays the piano and entertains the guests, made these days unforgettable, inspiring and energizing. On the way back home, the Spanish karma yogui Shankari, who did the beautiful painting job at the Centre, stayed at the International Airport to take her flight back to Madrid. Lalita traveled to Chile. The Centre started its regular activities. We had a large group for the Opening Class, many of the students enrolled for The Beginners course. The weather is nice, warm, though Autumn is beginning to change the temperature.

During mid-March we continued with the Meditation Course with good participation, also Pregnant Classes and Beginners courses. We had our regular Saturday Satsang in the evening with participation of many teachers who wanted to say goodbye to Yashoda. We had a special energy in the Satsang and after that a delicious goodbye party prepared by Kanti Devi. Yashoda and teachers enjoyed it very much. The weather is fresh and sunny, the classic autumn in Uruguay Om and Pranams to everyone in the Sivananda Family from the staff at Montevideo.

http://www.sivananda.org/montevideo

Om Namah Sivaya. In early March we started to see signs of spring, which has felt encouraging to know that winter will soon be passing. Classes and courses are continuing to flow well. We were pleased to welcome a new group of 8 students to the Meditation 1 course. The group were curious and open to learning about the practice and philosophy of meditation. Chandrika from the Camp came to teach the course, her precision and care was appreciated by the students and Centre. A North Indian cooking course was taught by Neeti from the Camp. The small group enjoyed learning how to create simple dishes. Neeti’s years of experience enabled the group to gain awareness of how to use spices to enhance the natural flavours of the food. A free trial class was offered every Sunday a small groups attending. We hope further promotions for the trial class can create further interest in the community for the Centre. Tejas from the Camp came to deliver a workshop in ‘Forward bending asanas.’ It attracted regular students that wanted to enhance their daily practice. The group was thankful for the detailed teachings and care that Tejas offered. Sivaram & Sashi hosted a South Indian Cooking workshop with 12 people attending. The food was authentic and the instructions for the dishes were simple. The group therefore felt encouraged to create the menu at home. We were thankful to Sivaram and Sashi for sharing their knowledge and teaching with joy.

During mid-March there has been a consistent number of students for the open classes, courses continue to run well. Renovation is still commencing with a committed group of karma yogi`s and Yamuna. We are spending some time to promote upcoming programmes in the next few months.We are thankful to Master and Swami ji for their continued inspiration and presence. Pranams to all the Sivananda family at this time of year.

http://www.sivananda.org/montreal

Om Namah Sivaya. One of the special activities was a workshop with the title “Overcoming Fear” in which practice and theory focussed on techniques to change our thought patterns and increase courage and inner stability. The monthly Open House in March was again a possibility to get to know the different activities of the Centre: we had yoga trial classes, a yoga asana demonstration, a lecture on the benefits of yoga, a meditation workshop, a small cooking class and a video-show on the yoga vacation programme, the teachers training course and the Ayurveda nutrition courses. We are looking forward to our next cooking class with the topic “Easy Vegetarian Cooking” on Saturday, 5 April and our Yoga and Fasting Day on Sunday, 6 April. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/munich

Om Namah Sivaya! In early March we were just beginning to see the start of Spring after a particularly hard winter. The energy of the Centre is picking up and students come in looking cheerful and positive. Our courses and classes are going on steadily and we had a very nice workshop with Sri Dhira Chaitanya on An Overview of the Bhagavad Gita which gave us all an insight into its deeper teachings. Quite a few of our teachers attended and all said it enriched their understanding. We said good-bye to Mahakanta who left as resident and former staff. We thank him for his service and wish him well in the next phase of his studies.

During mid-March we started to spring clean, looking at what needs decorating and making a plan to do some projects in the coming weeks. We were busy with a workshop by Srinivasan on the Foundations of Raja Yoga as well as Sunday Satsang which was very well attended. Padmavati was at the Ranch doing a program on Introduction to Meditation. Winter is still very much around keeping some of our regulars indoors. The staff are well and sending their pranams. Om Namah Sivaya from all the staff here at the NYC Centre. May the Gurus’ blessings of be with us all for 2014.

http://www.sivananda.org/ny

Om Namah Sivaya. Early March was busy with classes and courses, without special programs or workshops. We started two Yoga 1 and we continued the Raja Yoga and Meditation courses.We had beautiful weather in Paris and everyone are in the parks outside after a grey winter. We were busy with TTC Orleans registrations as many people start to register for the next months and summer. The TTC Orleans registrations continue to flow nicely for the next TTC in April and for the summer. Pranams to all from Paris. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/paris

Om Namah Sivaya from Brasil. In early March we had Carnival at Brazil, so the Centre was closed for one weekend. We started a beginners course with 8 students. Vishwanatha is helping a lot with karma Yoga, the cleaning & cooking and supermarket. The Saturday Satsang was better than usually is. We are doing a lot of diffusion with brochure.

During mid-March the air conditioner for the staff Room. It was rainy and the roof had some infiltration what was not very pleasant, but is easy to fix. We started a beginners course with 5 students. At Satsangs we have not many students. We will think of something to change that. Pranams, from all the staff at Porto Alegre Centre.

http://www.sivananda.org/portoalegre

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed selves, from the Centre in Roma. In early March a highlight was our “Open House”. Teachers and karma yogis participation made that event successfull. We started a well attended Positive Thinking Course on Mondays. Swami Sankarananda gave a delicious Indian vegetarian cooking course and a very uplifted Mantra workshop very much appreciated by all the participants. Classes and courses are running well. All the rest is well. The staff are fine. May the blessings of Master and Swamiji be with all. Om & Prem.

http://www.sivananda.org/rome

Om Namo Narayanaya, Blessed Selves. In early March we had steady classes and learning. We were happy to welcome back Lalita, a former staff member who has signed on to stay with us for 2 months. Arjundas had some medical issues and had to be hospitalized, and we miss his presence. Our Satsangs had very nice and edifying studies of scriptures. Sunday evening Satsang was very sweet and well attended. Narayan is finishing up his film project in India and we all look forward to his return.

During mid-March we held an engaging Gita class with Gagananam and a splendid Kirtan Satsang with a local group called “Astrud and the Cosmic Caravan”. We also had the pleasure of hosting a recent TTC Bahamas, grad, Elle and kicked off spring in the Community garden lot just across the street. Pranams to all from San Francisco Centre.

http://www.sivananda.org/sanfrancisco

https://www.sivananda.org/saopaulo

Om Namah Sivaya from the Tel Aviv Centre. In early March winter paid us a visit in Tel-Aviv after many sunny months. We were so glad for the rain that cleansed the air, the plants and the streets. The Centre is very busy with many activities and programs and all three staff members are teaching two courses every evening. Two new beginners courses started, one with 16 students and the other with 13. A New Bhagavad Gita course opened, taught by Shankara Chaitanya with 13 participants. 14 students enrolled to a Positive thinking course and with the same number a new Advanced Yoga course opened. Introduction classes for two new meditation courses were held. Both courses are expected to start with full capacity. We’ve finalized the brochure for our upcoming Pass-Over Yoga Retreat. It will be printed and mailed to our mailing list, Centres and teachers. A fund-raising concert is being organized by close teachers and devotees, scheduled for a weekend with a view of supporting Shambudas Chaitanya financially. His heroic struggle with cancer for so many years is now getting to the level that demands an expensive treatments and medication. Many are contributing on so many levels, and it’s moving to see the entire yogic community acting together to support him.

Mid March saw Spring set back in and we enjoyed beautiful sunny days with perfect temperature. Two meditation courses started, with 12 students on Mondays and 14 on Tuesdays. We’ve also started a new Advanced Yoga course with 16 participants. During the weekend our open house activities attracted many old and new students who joined us for a free yoga class, a vegetarian feast and spiritual study. One Saturday night we’ve conducted the special fundraising concert for Shambudas Chaitanya. Over 100 guests were crowded in our main yoga hall where a Chanting concerted was led by Rama, Shanti Devi and Lakshmi. Many many more who wanted to come to the concert were told to wait for the next one, scheduled for next month. The event was a great success on any level, and every one came out exhilarated and inspired. Blessings and Peace to all of the Sivananda Family from the Tel Aviv Centre.

http://www.sivananda.org/telaviv

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves. May the blessings of Master and Swamiji be with all during 2014. Pranams.

http://www.sivananda.jp

Om Namah Sivaya. In early March the Toronto Centre was busy and full of energy. Yoga 1 and 2 courses started last week, each class having 5 students, many of whom signed up last minute. Maheswarie started the Positive Thinking course with 6 students. We saw a lot of new faces, not just to Sivananda but to Yoga in general, a few tried the open classes and others the free trial class. Few students who finished Yoga 1 the previous week, signed onto Yoga 2 and bought the yearly membership. The open classes in the morning bring in a little over 10 students, whilst the evening open classes are almost always full. The colder the weather gets the more people want to stretch their bodies out, so it is good for us! We also saw an increase in the number of students staying for vegetarian meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both days had more than 10 students sign up, apart from the teachers and staff. It is nice to enjoy a meal with the students as we have the opportunity to spend time and talk to them more. Saraswati continues to conduct yoga classes on Mondays for children from the Residential Care Units along with Upasana. There were 7 older children and 5 younger kids for the class, and they stayed after for snacks and conversation. We had Satsang with Saraswati, and a steady number of 20 teachers and students attended it. Saturday morning open class was full, and we had the last kids yoga class for winter session, with a few kids missing as March break holidays have begun. The next kids session will start on the 22nd of March. We started a new Yoga 1 course, Yoga and Ayurveda workshop with Mayavan and Kriya workshop with Anantya. The weather over the weekend has been kind to us, a lot of sun and warmth everywhere, the snow has almost gone, although we are told to expect a snow storm soon! Apart from regular duties at the Centre, we are continuing to push through the social media and poster runs all the courses and workshops. We are putting a lot of energy into promoting the Kids Camp programme in Thailand. At the end of the month we will be taking part in the Toronto Yoga Show, so we are making preparations for our booth and material for advertising. Prahlada arrived from Neyyardam, as did Shankara would left the Centre for a few weeks to be with his family. We continue to focus on our sadhana, and on Swamiji’s mission and teachings through the students, teachers and Centre. Our teacher Mayavan taught an Ayurveda and yoga workshop on the weekend, combining the teachings of Ayurveda with yoga asanas to deepen one’s practice according to their Prakriti. Another teacher, Anantya, led a kriya workshop on the weekend as well, teaching basic cleansing techniques. Satsangs continue to have strong attendance and many new students are joining the Beginner Courses after having good experiences in our Free Trial class. The weather is slowly warming up and we look forward to opening the windows for some fresh air. The staff continue with their sadhana and are uplifted by Prahlada’s return to the Centre.

Mid-March began with the Hindu festival of Holi. The celebration is not popular here in Canada, but it fell on the same day as St. Patrick’s Day, so the predominant colour was green. We saw the last week of March break pass, for certain people. Many teachers were away, but we were blessed with a multitude of karma yogis whom are always willing to step up in the moment of need. Yoga 1 and Yoga 3 courses wrapped up during week, and a new Yoga 1 course began with 6 students signed up for it. We also started a Hatha Yoga Intensive with Prahlad. Room full of students plus staff attended the evening weekday classes. As always the vegetarian meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays continue to draw in many students and teachers. Our staff, Sankara, celebrated his birthday after Satsang and was very happy to receive the love, blessings, and gifts of his friends and peers. He is now heading to the Yoga Camp to help out there. We had the kids class in the morning, along with a full open class. In the afternoon Saraswati 2 taught a head stand workshop for 4 students, and Mayavan continued his workshop on Yoga and Ayurveda. The weekend advanced classes are popular and almost always full. Our longtime teacher, Janaki, returned after being away for a few months while teaching TTCs in Madurai.. We had new Yoga 1 and Yoga 2 courses starting, as well as Mindful Yoga course with Saraswati. Our sadhana continues daily and we are getting excited for the city-wide Yoga Show this coming weekend. We are also focusing on our sadhana, and directing all our energy to the students and the Centre. Pranams to all. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/toronto

Om Namah Sivaya. In early March two basic courses commenced on Mondays, one in the morning session at 9.30 a.m and another in the evening at 6.15p.m, with a considerable number of students joining the classes. All other practice classes followed the routine schedule. We had Lalitha Sahasra naama Puja and chanting, to seek blessings from the Almighty Goddess and to keep us away from all harm. We conducted a Kriya Workshop one Saturday morning at 7a.m with several students attending the session, some new and some others of previous stint with the Neti Kriyas. One Sunday at 6 p.m. there was Meditation and Satsang led by Sandeep.

http://www.sivananda.org/trivandrum

Om Namah Sivaya. For the first time we had a Vastu program at the Vienna Centre. Special guest was Doris Buchner, a local Vastu expert who gave an introductory lecture in the afternoon and a second talk during the evening Satsang, during which she showed impressive slides from ancient and recent temple buildings which had been designed according to Vastu. For the open house many students came and again a good team of Karma Yogis supported the Centre with the cooking class, asana demonstration and reception and provided an atmosphere of kindness, joy and service. The renovation work in the 2nd floor was successfully completed. The wooden floors in two Asana rooms were renovated and new radiators were also installed. During the Karma Yoga weekend afterwards many inspired students came for painting both rooms and the mens’ wardrobe on the 3rd floor. In spite of all the renovation work the attendance for courses and classes was good and the energy in the Centre high – we are grateful for the Masters’ blessings! OM.
www.sivananda.org/vienna

http://www.sivananda.org/vienna

Om Namah Sivaya. In early March Sundari – karma yogi from Poland left home. Four weeks she served very sincerely in the Centre. We hope she comes back soon. The Centre was very active: many students, many courses going on – Centre was full of prana. The elderly group came for a Wednesday evening Satsang. It was their first time, but they were very open and glad to join chanting the mantras. The new Vilnius brochure went to the printer. Almost all the posters and leaflets for Saptaha advertising were prepared in 4 languages: Russian, Lithuanian, English and Polish. This weekend the traditional large annual folk arts and crafts fair Kaziuko mugė was going on in Lithuania. So the student count was a little less as usual. Lithuania celebrated the Independence Day. It was a holiday, so the Centre had just a Satsang and an asana class. Yoga 2 and Yoga 4 courses successfully started on Thursdays. We are happy that the students are so eager to learn and willingly continue the practice of yoga. Yoga teacher Sudhama came to the Centre for the Weekend. He helped a lot with maintenance projects in preparation for the upcoming special program in May. The main focus was on the preparation and promotion of the Ayurveda program with Angela Hoppe-Murray next Weekend. The Students were intensely registering for the lectures and especially for the upcoming cooking course. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vilnius