Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Om Namah Sivaya! We celebrated Sivaratri with “Om Namah Sivaya” Chanting and Pujas with a good group of teachers and students. The energy was soft and full of love. Several courses started. In early March Berlin had a local bank holiday. We took advantage for a thorough deep cleaning of the Centre with the help of Karma Yogis. The afternoon class and Satsang was well received. The meditation weekend intensive course had built in numbers literally in the last days and we finally had a good group of students.

Later in March, we had a well visited Open House. A good group of newcomers joined for Asana demonstration, trial class and introduction into meditation. A few students stayed on for Satsang. We had several registrations for Yoga 1 and many of our regular students booked new courses, renewed their membership and bought cards for the open class. Karma Yogis were very helpful this week with baking cookies, cleaning of the Centre and a small maintenance project in the kitchen. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/berlin

Om Namah Sivaya. By Gods Grace and Masters’ blessings, all went well and smoothly in March where we said goodbye to Lakshmi who returned to the Munich Centre. Swami Sivapriya and Antonia of Colombia stayed at the Centre, with the help of many Karma Yogis. The summer vacation ended, and now the students returned to the classes at the Centre. This week Amrita, from Buenos Aires, who was staff in India and in Bariloche, returned to the Yoga Classes for Children.

In mid March we joined the group of teachers Nirmala who did the TTC Brazil 2019. We also received Nandini from Bolivia who was staff in Buenos Aires, also in Brazil and Montevideo. She is going back to Bolivia to continue teaching there. Also Lakshmi, from the province of Buenos Aires, joined the group of Karma yogis who come every week. New children were also being added to the Children’s Class. We hope that all of you are well. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/baires

Om Namah Sivaya from Chengdu. In March, for the Sivaratri Celebration, we did a Lingam Puja on Sivaratri night, some karma yogis and students joined us, we chanted 108 Om Trayambakam, 108 Sivaya Mantras, as well as some Siva Bhajans. We had the Satsang which focused on the topic of concentration. The yoga foundation course continued, open classes went well, as well as the meditation class with students coming regularly. For staff and karma yogis, we did trainings on how to improve teaching. We will opened a new yoga foundation course, with some new students joining this course.

A mid-March highlight was a weekend meditation intensive. Six students and staff joined the course, led by Sivani, who just returned back from five months of training and service in Vietnam. Students were very much inspired by the theories and the short practices throughout that weekend. Everyone became more aware of their own mind and the need for practice, and engaged in practice at home right away. We were also invited by the provincial cancer hospital to counsel patients with sleep issues and share with them yoga practices on Thursday, the World Sleep Day. The suffering of the patients was so much that it provoked us to study more and also to apply more the knowledge learned from the SYHET 800hr course. Also, a second Yoga 1 course went on well. We looked forward to receiving Swami Sitaramananda, Swami Adiparashaktiananda and Dr. Ramkumar here at the Centre and bring more knowledge and inspiration to the Chengdu community. All is well by Guru’s grace. May Master and Swamiji continue to bless all with inspiration for staying on their spiritual path. Om Shanti.

http://www.sivanandayogachina.org

Om Namah Sivaya to all Blessed Selves from the Chennai Centre. During the month of March we started Yoga 1 6:00am batch and Yoga 2 6:30pm batch. Advanced Asana Course continued from 5th March with a total of 6 students. The students enjoyed and were challenged in their asanas. We had the Sivaratri celebration. The priest came to Pujas. Megna, one of our students, dedicated Indian classical dance Bharatanatyam to Siva. All the staff and some guest enjoyed Siva Bhajan through all the night. We went to Palavakkam Beach to promote March programs. Some staffs practiced at the beach showed a demonstration. We welcomed Tammuz, a guest from Brazil. He just started his travelling in India to learn Yoga. He was very happy and chose to stay in our Centre for few days. Jeeva amma, Bhavana and Heather left to Canada.

Mid March we started the Beginners’ Yoga Course 6:30pm batch, with Priya teaching. Gopan, Mahalakshmi, Gripson and Anil visit a retirement house to give a talk and show the  demonstration of Chair Yoga for the coming course in the Centre. There were about 130 couples are living there and their response was nice. Gopan, Mahalakshmi and Usha visited Gandhi Nagar Club to introduce our Centre. Uma and Karthiyani, our outside teachers, came back to teach Open Classes after a long time. Sundari visit Sri Lanka for few days to get new Indian stamp on her passport. 3 Yoga vacationers arrived. We celebrated 2 birthdays, Gripson our staff, the other is Megna our outside karma yogi. Others staff members are doing well, thanks to Master’s and Swamiji’s Grace. Pranams! Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/madras

Om Namah Sivaya. Blessings from Chicago, where the sun is shining and a hint of Spring is in the air! Sivaratri drew a sizable crowd. The prana was high and devotion palpable. Classes were a bit slow, however many students were discussing how the weather impacts their attendance at the Centre. It seems as though everyone felt ready for warmer weather and the energetic support of Springtime. Radhika finished a Yoga 2 course, Durga continued with 1:1 consultations, Swami Satyapremananda began a spiritual writing course and Hamsa taught a number of open classes and has been acclimating to Centre life in Chicago.  We did some planning and scheduling of workshops/courses for the coming months.

As Spring arrived attendance slowly increased. We continued with ongoing classes in Positive Thinking, Yoga & Meditation, Yoga 1, Health Talks, and Singing Bowls, in additional to regular class offerings. New to the Centre family was Madhava, who, by the Grace of Master and Swamiji, just completed his TTC at the Bahamas in February. He started teaching regularly and was warmly received by staff and students alike. We are grateful to the Gurus for continuing to protect and inspire our Sadhana. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/chicago

Om Namah Sivaya from the beautiful DaLat Centre. For March the number of students remained high. They brought good energy into the classes and for the Centre. The number of students for our Beginner Yoga 1 course reached 15 Students. They were very interested in Yoga and in classes, so they come to classes early and were eager to learn. Many people came for Satsang on Wednesdays and even more on Sundays, even if we had heavy rain. They enjoyed the Satsangs very much. Staff are practicing their Sadhana every day, helping to maintain the good energy and positive atmosphere in the Centre.

As March continued the number of students continued to rise. Regular classes and Satsangs continued. Our Yoga for Beginner 2 courses progressed well with students continuing with an enthusiastic attitude. The students of the Yoga and Stress Management course gained a lot of benefits from the course and registered for the next class to understand more about classical yoga. We were very happy to welcome Swami Sitaramananda to the Centre to lead the evening Satsang, participants were very happy to share the time with and gain inspiration from Swamiji. The staffs kept their Sadhana practice regular, keeping good energy for the Centre. We give thanks for Guru’s grace. Om.

https://sivanandayogavietnam.org

Om Namah Sivaya. By the guidance of the Gurus, the Centre ran efficiently and effortlessly in March with daily morning Satsangs, taking the Guru’s blessings as each day progressed. With the start of new Beginners’ Yoga batches at 10 am & 6:30 pm, in which we started imparting the Hatha yoga teachings of Swamiji. Regular daily classes were held successfully in which the special advanced asana course classes were instructed by Vijayji by which the students got to learn and improve their practice more. Then on the 21st of March arrived the festival of colours, Holi, in India. We celebrated it with lots of zest. The Kids group from My Angels Academy, an NGO, were invited to celebrate Holi with us for which the whole staff prepared traditional Holi sweets with love and lunch was served to everyone including the students who came to join in the celebration. Everyone danced and rejoiced. With the blessings of Swamiji, the Holi festival was a huge hit amongst everyone. Special thanks go to Swami Sivanandaji & Swami Vishnudevanandaji for providing everyone with such a wonderful opportunity to meet such lovely kids. The Guru’s Satsang was held in which we got an overwhelming response yet again, everyone experienced lots of positive spiritual energy. Swamiji’s book message was also narrated by Vijayji who was leading the Satsang. Early Morning Sunday chants. The everyday chants & arati increased the positivity in all of us and teaching us how to stay connected more with our Guru, the Sivananda Organization and with the inner self. For the upcoming six months we had printed our new brochure with nice bright blue colour to make it brighter. All in all, with the grace of our Gurus, March was wonderful. Lots of us, including the students and NGO kids, felt & said that they all love to be here more than anywhere else. The words of the Masters resonate with us all. All the staff members are deep in their practice and doing their best to improve themselves and the Centre. We hope that everybody in the Sivananda family is healthy and happy. We send our Pranams to all. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/dwarka

Om Namo Narayanaya. During March we started with an open class following the daily morning Satsang. We celebrated Maha Sivaratri with a Pooja until midnight. We chanted Lord Shiva’s name while the priest performed the Pooja, Milk Abishekam. We all offered the milk during the program. It was attended by good number of aspirants and it was very motivating and uplifting night. Santosh came back to the Centre after visiting Ashrams & Centres in South India. Abeba, Ravi and Bitanya reached the Centre after completing the retreat program successfully. We started a Foundation to Meditation course on Wednesdays, It consists 6 classes. We also started Weight Loss through Yoga course on the same day at 8:00am. The course consists of 12 classes on alternate days. We started a weekend Beginners’ Yoga course on Saturday mornings at 10am. We conducted “Office Yoga” for 55 ITC Manesar employees at their workplace. We conducted Teachers meeting one Saturday. Kapoorji conducted the advance class as part of the meeting schedule. Then lunch was served before the meeting. It was interactive meeting. Lots of ideas exchanged and discussion on the improvement on passing the Masters teaching and serving the society.

Mid Month we started a new Beginners’ Yoga course at 10:00am. We celebrated Holi with colours after 6:30am class and the Centre was closed for the rest of the day. Binoy and Sreevidya went on 20th to Kerala for a month holiday. We completed Foundation to Meditation course. The weekly schedule of the Centre went well as per planned. With the grace of the Masters March went well and we all are doing fine. We send our Pranams and hope everyone is happy and peaceful. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/delhi

Om Namah Sivaya. To begin March we celebrated Sivaratri. We started with 30 people, with a short introduction and a Puja where we offered the 5 items: milk, yoghurt, Ghee, honey and panchamrita. Some members of the Indian community were also present and chanted the mantras during the Puja and some special Kirtans. Afterwards we continued with Siva Mantra until 1 AM. Some of our teachers and students came later and joined. At the end we were 12 students, as most people had to go home earlier (as they work the next day). We had our monthly retreat on the nearby mountain, Salève. Because the weather was not good we did a longer lecture on the 5 Points of Yoga and the Yoga morning routine (incl. Kriyas). The place was very peaceful and calm. We had the indian community with us for Vishnu Sahasranama and various Slokas and Bhajans. It was uplifting and even some new Yogis enjoyed the Mantras very much. The Geneva staff travel twice a week to teach at the UN, since 30 – 40 years or so. It feels like part of Swamiji’s mission. Some students from the UN are now even doing TTC. We had a Conquest of Fear workshop – a very interesting topic. A highlight was Open Day, which was successful, with a small group of new people coming for the trial class, Intro to the 5 Points of Yoga lecture, Intro to cooking, Intro to Meditation, etc. Some old students came to use the 10% discount for the cards. OM NAMAH SIVAYA. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/geneva

Om Namah Sivaya. For March there are three staff members that went to Dalat Ashram for  Sivaratri ceremonies. Everyone enjoyed chanting all night together very much. Ishwari , a karma yogi, started teaching her first Beginner Yoga course with 12 students. She is very confident and loved to teach this class. Tarini completed her physiotherapy massage course. Satsang was led by Durga. Students come to Satsang regularly and chanted beautifully as always.

Mid March we offered the students a workshop “Ayurveda and Natural Healing” by Ganga Chaitanya, with 32 students. The attendances was very interested in this workshop. They asked Ganga Chaitanya to make an Ayurveda course so that they can learn more about it. Ganga Chaitanya continued training the new TTC teachers about “How to Teach Open Class, Beginners’ Course and Advance Asana Course”. More new teachers from TTC came to Satsang in early mornings 5am and also in the evening. Some of them do karma yoga, especially, Krishna Priya, a new teacher, who often spent all day at the Centre and often cooked very nice Sattvic food for us. 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.

Om Namah Sivaya. During early March the London Centre had a beautiful Sivaratri celebration, with 45 souls in the beginning and 15 until the end at 5am. It started with a Puja with the priest, four more Pujas which were performed on two Siva Lingams followed. Close students and teachers were here as well as Indian guests and the atmosphere was very harmonious, the chanting energetic and devotional. The TTC was in its third week and students were doing well and lovingly supporting each other. We saw a nice and sattvic talent show and almost all of them were chanting during the chanting Satsang. Two Sanskrit lectures with Nina Fallwell were well received. A level 1 and level 2 started with good groups of students. We also had a Saturday workshop for the teachers, with Kailas. The new brochure arrived from the printer, just in time for a well visited Open Day. About half of visitors had signed up over the webpage and many of them stayed on for several activities. Newly trained receptionists were already fully operational under the guidance of experienced staff, bringing a fresh touch to the reception desk. There was an inspiring Satsang, with a talk by Dr. Nandakumar, about “The Glories of the Gita”. The message was encouraging and well received.

By late March new bookings for courses and retreats increased. A level 2 and level 3 started and the first of two Pranayama workshops with Kailas was well visited with 13 students of diverse levels. A main focus was to promote upcoming activities and training new receptionists. We had a very nice one day retreat in Oxfordshire, with 16 students. The weather cleared up during that day and after two yoga classes, a beautiful silent walk and a Satsang everyone left happy and staff safely returned to the Centre where students and the remaining staff just came out of Satsang after an “Open Day for Sadhana and Peace”. The program included an asana workshop as well as a chanting workshop and a cooking workshop and a Bhagavat Gita recitation. Many Karma yogis were helping throughout the day and the energy was joyful and very positive. The month ended with an uplifting Satsang about Swamijis’ peace mission. Staff were nicely working together, adding to the good support from Karma Yogis. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/london

Om Namo Narayanaya! During early March we celebrated MahaSivaratri with many joyful devotees. A series of 4 Pujas and exuberant chanting filled the night from 9:30pm until 5:30am and a great many number of devotees filled the room with their bright devotion. We chanted Mantra and many Bhajans, the room was filled with energy. This uplifting night has brought a boost of energy that shone forever. Many students arrived and expressed how great the Centre feels. Jai Siva Sankara! Asana classes continued with Yoga 1 and 2 carrying into their last weeks. Students prepared to move on to the next step in their Sadhana. Sunday Satsangs were filled with radiant chanting, followed by all enjoying nourishing soup made by a Karma Yogi. Karuna Devi returned from teaching a cooking course in Yoga Farm, Gopika traveled. Master and Swamiji continue to bless us. Jai Gurudev!

Later in March in Los Angeles we had a Cambodian/Ayurvedic Cooking workshop with Karma Yogis Mom and Daughter duo. Mom brought her knowledge of traditional Cambodian cuisine and Daughter contributed her knowledge of Yoga and Ayurveda. All students and Karma Yogis alike enjoyed learning and feasting on these creatively nourishing dishes. Open classes continued. A Yoga 2 and Yoga 1 completed with students looking forward to Yoga 2. Hamsa Chaitanya visits L.A. Centre on her way to Taiwan to assist Swami Sitaramananda in programs. Gopika returned from San Francisco Centre. May God keep us all on His path and may the Blessings of Master and Swamiji continue to light the way. By Guru’s Grace and our sincere efforts may we be instruments of Peace. Jai Gurudev! Pranams. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/la

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves! We opened March with an inspiring Sivaratri celebration, 31 close students and teachers assisting. During the week several courses started including a meditation course. Boutique was re-stocked and arranged highlighting the recently released Spanish version of the book “Practical Ayurveda”. New lights were installed in the main hall with very good results. We had a good Open Day with 87 new visitors and over 30 enrollments for classes and courses. We promoted the summer school programs in Aluenda, Zaragoza, with a big poster in reception as well as in our web site. Gopala started a new meditation course. Some maintenance programs continued, including the renovation of the ceiling panels and the painting of the main yoga hall. After the painting and deep cleaning it looked very fresh and sattvic. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/madrid

Om Namah Sivaya. Namaste. By Gurudev’s grace everything runs well. Courses ran smoothly. Regular classes at Centre and our private outside classes were also going well. We thank our Masters for all blessings and support bestowed. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi.

http://www.sivananda.org/madurai

Om Namah Sivaya! During March we had a quite exciting carnaval week in Montevideo Centre. Classes ran normally, students returned to the Centre after the summer months of January and February. We had the blessing to have a nice autumn. We started a new Intensive Beginners’ Yoga course on Mondays. We also had a praying journey. We  prayed one mala of Om Namo Narayana and one Mala of Om Trayanbakam for peace and for the pain and sickness. We plan to have one day in the month to pray in different hours due to the good participation and interest. The regular classes and meditation courses developed very well.  Nandini, from Bolivia, returned home. May all live under Master’s and Guru’s grace. With Prem and Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/montevideo

Om Namah Sivaya and Greetings from the Montreal Centre! We had a very good month of March with a lot of positive energy. Spring was in the air and brought an abundance joy. The students were very happy to bike or walk to the Centre. Apart from our regular schedule we continued with the positive thinking course. Satyabhama gave a 108 Sun Salutations, the students left feeling happy and full of prana. We welcomed Swami Shivabhaktananda, who led a very inspiring evening Satsang with 37 students. We had an uplifting Satsang led by Satyabhama, welcoming 57 participants. By the grace of the Masters, the Centre community continued to grow. The masters keep sending lots of support with very devoted and committed karma yogis. We feel our Guru’s grace guiding us. Pranams to all! Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/montreal

Om Namah Sivaya. OM. We had an Open House with a good number of very interested participants. We taught two special workshops: an advanced asana workshop with the topic “Forward Bending Variations” and a kirtan workshop. We also organized a photo shoot to get new photos for a brochures, posters and the website. One of our students who is a very good professional photographer came to take the pictures. About ten other students volunteered as models for asana, meditation and reception photos. The pictures turned out to be very nice. We had a special program on “Ayurveda and Stress Management” with Chandrika. Each day we had an Ayurveda and stress management lecture, a special yoga class and an evening Satsang. The participants were open-minded and enjoyed the very informative lectures. Many bought the Sivananda Yoga Centre book “Practical Ayurveda” at the end of the program. We were happy to welcome Swami Durgananda to the Centre who came for a short visit from the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith/Tyrol/Austria. Swamiji took time to talk to the staff and give guidance for the running of the Centre. Swami Narayanananda went for a couple of days to Reith. Vishnupriya Chaitanya came for a few days from Reith to support us here in Munich. OM.

w.sivananda.org/munich

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

Om Namah Sivaya! March started quite auspiciously with Sivarartri. We all went up to the Ranch to celebrate where we were all reunited. Post Sivarartri we are full of new energy!

Wednesday Satsang was led by Neeti. She spoke about how to stay calm in the midst of chaos. We had a new Positive Thinking & Meditation Course, taught by Neeti. Also we had a deep relaxation workshop with a good turnout. Swami Paramananda and Shakti came down from the Ranch to lead a Sunday Satsang, guiding us through the Sunday chants and giving an inspirational talk. We also greeted a staff member from the Ranch, Satyabhama who will be with us for a couple of weeks. Mokshapriya left for the Ranch to help assist TTC. She was missed by us at the Centre.

As March progressed the Centre continued to do well as the tulips started blooming. Spring wa just round the corner and everyone felt it. Neeti gave Satsang about “Obstacles in Our Spiritual Growth – The Desire to be Liked”. Neeti also taught a back care workshop that showed participants how to correct posture. Swami Shivabhaktananda from Yoga Camp arrived and taught the advanced Asana class and then led the Satsang. He also started a  painting project 🙂 Here we are all, getting busier as we gear up to 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.

http://www.sivananda.org/ny

Om Namah Sivaya. During March we offered a nice morning intensive kids course during the school holidays. The main event of March was the Celebration of Sivaratri the night of Siva with Yagneswara who led 3 inspiring Siva Puja during the night, well appreciated by all participants. Sivakami started a Sanskrit course and we had a headstand workshop. Swami Gopalananda led the evening Satsangs. Swami Gopalananda also put prana on the bank reconciliation for Paris and Orléans. The Sanskrit and Gita courses continued with motivated and joyful students and teachers. We had also regular Positive thinking and meditation courses. There was also a mantra workshop, given by Sarasvati, and a cooking class, given by Ganga. The participates of the cooking class were very grateful for the teachings and the delicious plates. The Centre appreciated the inspiring evening Satsangs with Swami Gopalananda. Swamiji talked about Yogic life from “Sivananda Upanishad”. He talked about  “Peace” while outside in the City was another demonstration of the “Gillets Jaune” with lot of police everywhere. Swami Gopalananda led the evening Satsang on “Swamiji Upadesha” about deep sleep and to be able to understand Yoga and Vedanta. The Masters keep sending precious help. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/paris

Greetings from Porto Alegre. Blessings and Peace to all of the Sivananda Family. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/portoalegre

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed selves. We send pranams to all. May the Masters guide you and protect you to carry on the mission. Om Shanti. Om.

www.sivananda.org/rome

Om Namo Narayanaya, Blessed Selves. The beginning of March was busy preparing for Sivaratri. 32 people joined the first session of chanting and Puja. Energy was high all night and continued to draw people to the Centre. The Vedanta and Sanskrit Grammar courses, with Gajananam, started another round of 6-weeks. The Centre was bustling! We offered a well-received Children’s Open House one Saturday and a Hip Opening Workshop the next Sunday, which always attracts new students. We finalized the list of items for the Silent Auction for our upcoming fundraiser/anniversary celebration on April 13.

Our third Wellness Day featured Ayurvedic practitioner Kathy Gehlken giving a brief history of Ayurveda, basic overview of doshas and then instruction on doing self Abhyanga. All were happy with the idea of such nurturing self-care—with so many benefits. That evening we hosted Manik Khan and Nilan Chaudhuri in concert, witnessing improvisation/surrender in action. Swami Sivasankariananda returned from the Yoga Farm in time for weekend programs. A woman brought her three sons to a Sunday morning Satsang—ages 4, 8 and 9. They reported being aware of their minds “talking.” They plan to come back next week. We felt the Gurus’ blessings. May the Truth be spread far and wide. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/sanfrancisco

Om Namah Sivaya. The Sao Paulo Centre reopened with a quieter week at the Centre. The Centre was closed during Carnival Holiday (March 2nd to 5th). We returned after the carnival with a good attendance of students. The rest of March was busy at the Centre. We worked on the update of the web site and new advertising about the Meditation Course and Beginners Course. We received a new TTC teacher, Kumari from Northeast (São Luís do Maranhão). She will be with us for a week. She assisted on housekeeping, lunch and Asanas Classes. Sadashiva, also a new TTC, just started teaching alone. We did Satsang and we studied about Bhakti Yoga from Vishnudevananda’s book “Mantra and Meditation”. It was a very auspicious meeting. 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.

Om Namah Sivaya. During March a highlight was the celebration of Maha Sivaratri. The preparations started few days before, decorating the meditation room, getting flowers for offering and buying all the ingredients for the many Prasads. During the preparation day, the staff, with the help of karma yogis spent hours preparing abundance of sweets, and all the other Puja preparations. We kept the Om Nama Sivaya mantra playing and the atmosphere was festive and cheerful. During the night many people joined us for the celebration. The Pujas, conducted by the staff, were beautiful, the kirtan was powerful and Siva’s energy was felt strongly. It seemed that everyone had a meaningful and inspiring experience! Meanwhile classes and courses went as usual. The Sunday evening Satsang, was led by Pranava Chaitanya on the topic of “Sadhana”. During Satsang we celebrated the birthday of Ananda, a very devoted karma yogi and a teacher. We had cake, gifts and inspiring message from Swami Sivananda.

Mid month a meditation course Level Two opened and an introductory class to a new meditation course was held. We celebrated “Purim”, a Jewish Holiday, with a traditional reading from the bible and songs. We started the gathering with a free of charge yoga class and finished with a nice soup and the traditional sweets for this Holiday. Many people came and enjoyed the celebration. The staff continued to promote the upcoming retreats and were working on the next newsletter for the April’s activities. Classes and courses went well. We felt that new students were becoming more interested in Satsangs and doing Karma yoga at the Centre. We have plenty of help and are feeling very grateful and blessed! Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/telaviv

Om Namah Sivaya. We offered trial classes early March joined by good number of students. Many of them signed up for our membership and enrolled in Yoga 1. The fact that men occupied a half of the trial classes shows that people’s recognition of yoga as “exercise for female only” has been changing. 8 students completed Yoga 1 and will proceed to Yoga 2. Yumi gave an Ayurveda workshop for beginners, in which she shared the recipe of remedy for allergy to pollens for which many are suffering. They made the remedy using honey, kumin seeds, etc. Machiko, director of Shojiko Retreat, returned back to Japan after completing TTC support in Vietnam. She is going to stay at the Tokyo Centre for a while replacing Mirabai who has been taking Sadhana Intensive in Vietnam. The monthly Vedanta study session by Mukti was held with 15 students attending. A new Yoga 1 course guided by Sivakami Masako started, joined by 8 students. In the meantime, Machiko gave a workshop titled “Facing Death”, joined by 26 students. A number of students stayed on for the later programs as well. There were many participants in the evening Satsangs including 4 students who have just graduated from the Vietnam TTC in March. Centre was filled with the group energy and everybody enjoyed kirtan singing. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

www.sivananda.jp

Om Namah Sivaya. In March we had wonderful Indian cooking workshop one Saturday with Vijay. The workshop was full and students really enjoyed it. Shantidas and Jasper came  from the Yoga Camp to shoot several videos for our You tube channel with teachers and students from the Centre. It was very nice having everyone engaged in this project. As a response to recent mosque shooting, Jewish community in Toronto organized Ring of Peace gathering in front of Toronto Islamic Centre. Gathering was held in support of Muslim community and as an interfaith event. We were asked to participate so we prepared a sign that read – Names are many but God is one – with Masters and Swamiji’s photos . We participated in chanting and very much felt a part of Swamiji s peace.mission. Saraswati was away that weekend, teaching a program in Ottawa. We send Om Namo Narayanaya to everyone. Pranams. Om.

Om Namah Sivaya. We had started an evening batch on Monday. All other classes are also going smoothly. We did some gardening. A gardener came here to help us. Lalithasahasranama Pooja was held on Fridays. Satsangs were led by Yashpal ji. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/trivandrum

Om Namah Sivaya. Greetings to all from Vienna. Early March saw a nice celebration of Sivaratri. A beginners’ batch started on Wednesday mornings with a motivated group of elderly people. Many students were going on to their higher courses under the guidance of the same teacher, so we had a total of 4 new courses starting. Also, a few private classes were held. Karma Yogis came to help with the photo shoot for the new brochure. One weekend we held our Open House for a couple of newcomers who came for a short cooking workshop to introduce the yogic-vegetarian diet, followed by an introductory talk and then the trial class.

We offered an Open Meditation on Monday evenings, which is in addition to the regular evening meditations on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and is being held occasionally. Other courses staring were a Pranayama course, Yoga 1, Yoga 2 and a Yoga 35. Our Sanskrit study group with Dr. Kintaert continued also on the weekends. The new brochure and the new hand-outs for the next Open Day were delivered. Staff are healthy and continuing with their regular Sadhana. With greetings from Vienna! Om Shanti. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vienna

Om Namah Sivaya. March started with Sivaratri celebrations. 27 yogis and yoginis joyfully chanted Om Namah Sivaya starting at 8 pm and were not very happy to stop it at 11.30 pm but we had to respect the needs of the neighbours. We had only one Puja, but everyone was nicely focused and doing abhishekam and archanam with the right bhav. The courses and classes went as usual. We had one special open class, more like a workshop, dedicated to Surya Namaskara, so students could go deeper into the practice and do it more consciously. We had an Open House one Saturday. It was not very full, but those who came were interested in learning asanas and meditation, so they registered for the different courses.

Having in mind there was a Holyday – The Independence from the Soviet Union Day – we had a good number of students with a record of 68 students. Sunday Satsang and asana class were very well attended as well. Every class 1-3 novices arrived to try Meditation. A Saturday workshop ‘’The Creative Power of Mind’’ attracted very good amount of new and people and our students interested in the means and technique of changing the mind into the Positive side. Two hours of theory and practice of different exercises melted very quickly, students stayed after the workshop to get the answers to their questions. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vilnius

The goal of Life is Self Realization. In order to achieve that, you must be good and do good; be truthful and pure in your daily life; cultivate discrimination, dispassion – all to support the correct attitude to Life. – Sri Swami Sivananda