Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Om Namah Sivaya. Despite the school holidays we have had good attendance and it has been very active. A yoga beginners’ course with a good group of newcomers started, all very new to Yoga. Several higher courses started also, students keeping their regular practise up. Satsangs were well visited: a few newcomers joined and enjoyed the atmosphere at the Yoga Center. Karma Yogis supported very lovingly and very steadily. Many are coming very regularely once or twice a week and are grateful to be able to support the center.
Courses and classes continued to be well-booked as the month progressed. Several higher courses started and the center picked up a little after covid. On some of the days, reception is a bit fuller after classes, the students enjoying tea and soup again.
We had a successful Open House with a good group of newcomers. They all enjoyed the Asana Demonstration with explanations and the trial class, a few stayed on for the introduction to meditation and some registered for a Beginner’s course or bought a card for Drop-In Classes. The week was concluded with an uplifting satsang.
A yoga 1 with a good group of newcomers started and several higher courses also. Highlight of the week was definitely the celebration of Sivaratri. We started with a puja and then chanted “Om Namah Sivaya”. A good group of teachers and students came and almost everybody stayed until the end. We concluded with Arati and wonderful Prasad. Everybody was inspired and left happy. Students brought many flowers and the altar was shining and looking very nice. Karma yogis helped during the week with cleaning, polishing and some maintenance projects.
The classes and courses continued to run well as the month came to an end. Students in the courses enjoyed the regularity of their practise. We had one of the first cooking courses after the pandemic. It was a good group of students, mainly students from the center, who were interested to learn more about Yogic diet and cooking. We did the course in the big hall and it was nice morning. Everybody was eager to learn how to prepare the different dishes. Students from the Saturday morning class joined in to eat together. It was a lively atmosphere with many questions and happy faces. We concluded with satsang and Sunday prayers. Our dedicated Karma Yogis supported to keep the center clean and fresh.

http://www.sivananda.org/berlin

Om Namah Sivaya. You can contact us for any questions about practicing yoga at home through e-mail: [email protected] Call: 11 4804 7813.
For any queries, contact us. If changes or news arise, we will inform you. We salute you with a fervent desire for peace and health for all. We hope you are all well. May Masters blessings always guide us. Pranams. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/baires

Prayers and Greetings from Chennai Centre. Fewer people came to our centre at the beginning of the month, but construction works may have affected the accessibility of our location. Despite this, we have received an increase in inquiries for our Beginners’ and private sessions. We organised a free trial class to showcase our facilities and offerings. Five people attended the class and three of them have since joined our Beginners’ Program. This is a positive sign and we hope that we can continue to attract new participants to our centre. We are optimistic about the future and are continuously working to improve our services.
We started two Beginner’s yoga groups with 10 students. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to teach at the Reserve Bank of India on the topic of “Yoga for Self-Development” and the class was well received by those who attended.
We also had a special treat with two yoga teachers visiting from Paris, France.
We are excited to see the morning open class numbers picking up and we’re working on ways to boost our evening Open class numbers. Our plan is to start some free Trial classes and Beginner’s classes in the evenings to attract more students.
In order to grow our student numbers, we are also reaching out to companies to host corporate yoga events and giving general promotional offers to their employees.
We ended the week with an inspiring Satsang and we are looking forward to continuing this positive momentum.
Mid-month was vibrant and lively here at the Chennai Centre. We launched two Beginner’s groups, one held online and the other in person in the evening. It was heartening to see the enthusiastic participation of our students, both new and seasoned.
We also held a few online private classes, catering to the individual needs and preferences of our students. We organized an insightful weekend asana correction workshop, which proved to be a big hit among the attendees. The personalized attention and guidance given by our expert instructors were highly appreciated by all.
In addition to our regular classes and workshops, we also had the pleasure of welcoming a yoga vacationer from Mumbai who had specifically come to attend the asana correction workshop. Her presence added to the lively and dynamic energy of the Centre.
The highlight, however, was the Mahashivratri pooja that we celebrated. The atmosphere was charged with devotional fervor and the incense-filled air was infused with a palpable sense of spiritual energy. The bharatanatyam dance performance that followed, led by one of our own students, was a mesmerizing tribute to Lord Shiva.
Around 25 people took part. All in all, it was a week filled with new beginnings, learning, growth, and devotion. We ended the week with Satsang.
We are continuously working on improving our evening open class numbers. We are exploring various ways to increase participation and make our classes more accessible. At the end of the month, we completed two Beginners’ groups, and we received great feedback from the registrants. We also collaborated with “Satvat Holistics Pvt limited”, who specialize in sound healing and gong therapy to organize a free trial class, and around 50 of their clients attended. We distributed our brochures and hope that this collaboration will help us to reach out to a wider audience. All our staff are doing well, and we ended the final week with a satsang. We look forward to another productive week ahead. Pranams Om Om

http://www.sivananda.org/madras

Greetings from Dalat City. Thanks to Guru’s blessing, our center can keep the strong energy to serve the community. All the classes went well. The number of students in the Gentle class increased. They felt warmer, more positive. The energy of the Center is strong, active, and pure. We did some internal English training for staff as well as training new staff and Karma Yogis to teach Open class. Early in the month we started a new Beginner’s Course; Pregnancy Yoga; and Private Class. We also offered an additional Beginners Course, online Meditation Course, workshop on Asana adjustments, Calligraphy in writing Mantra workshop, and promoted Swami Sita’s 9-week online course “Essentials of Yoga Health and Self Healing”. Later in the month we had an Open House class for Beginner Students and a 3-day on-site course Yoga for Depression. We also looked forward to the upcoming Tea Ceremony workshop. There are Karma Yogis serving at the Center every day. Some Karma Yogis help us to advertise and do marketing design. All staff came to Dalat Ashram for the auspicious Sivaratri night. Om shanti.

https://sivanandayogavietnam.org

Om Namah Sivaya to all. By God’s grace and gurus blessing the centre’s activities are running smoothly. The Open classes are going fine, and we began new Beginners courses, Meditation classes, Advanced yoga classes and a 5-day Pranayama course. Each week concluded with a workshop, including Prana and Pranayama; Meditation; and Headstand workshops, followed by satsang, prasad and yogic dinner.
We celebrated Maha Shivaratri which was attended by many devotees. Chanting went up to midnight and was followed by Bhajan, Arati and delicious prasad brought by many students. Pranams to all.

http://www.sivananda.org/dwarka

Om Namah Sivaya. Greetings from Nataraja Centre. Early in the month we began two Y1 courses. The four-week weight loss program went very well. The weather is getting better and the Open class student numbers are picking up. The following week we had a special Pranayama, Asana correction, Meditation, and Advanced Asana workshop which was attended by students with enthusiasm. The participants of the workshop were served lunch and dinner prepared with a lot of love. Everyone loved the food and enjoyed eating together.
Mid-month, we started a Y2 and Meditation Course and the following weekend, a new group of Y1 started. We celebrated Sivaratri with a beautiful puja for everyone. The puja started at 8pm and continued with great enthusiasm until midnight. Around 50 students joined us for the festivities, including doing the abhisakam to sivalinga.
The weather in Delhi is getting better each day, so we expect students to resume their morning classes soon.
We didn’t have any courses in the final week; however, the Open class student numbers increased and more kids started coming for the kids’ classes. It looks like winter is over in Delhi, because the centre is starting to get busy.
We had 14 students from Poland visit our centre and we conducted a 60-minute class for them. In the coming weeks we are expecting a new staff to join, so we are trying to increase our staff accommodation; for that some renovation is work going on at the centre.
All the staff are doing well and continuing their service and sadhana wholeheartedly. Om shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/delhi

Om Namah Sivaya. Our classes were well attended, and the center was uplifted by the celebration of Sivaratri. The altar was nicely prepared and decorated and we followed the online Puja from Orleans. We had a nice group of inspired students who chanted with devotion until the early morning.
The main event of the final week was the cooking class which was very much appreciated by the students. The center was well supported by the teachers and the regular classes were well attended. Om shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/geneva

Om Namah Sivaya. All our classes went well. We began two new Beginner courses, and had some wonderful online Satsangs: with Swami Narayananda on the topic of Self-control; and with Swami Sitaramananda on the topics of Health; Who am I? and Balancing Likes and Dislikes.
We organized two very fun workshops on Vegetarian Noodle Soup; and a Guide to make Vegetarian pizza. We also organized a workshop on the art of relaxing in life and experiencing restorative yoga; and another on “How to take care of your sleeping according to Yoga and Ayurveda”.
Mahasivaratri was celebrated with much happiness and inspiration.
The entire staff is very inspired when doing japa and studying English together in the evening. The Staff’s Sadhana is steady. Om shanti.

Om Namah Sivaya. We had a wonderful first week of the lunar new year. The new Yoga Kids course has recruited more students, so now the total number is 8. Restorative Yoga started with 6 people. The highlight was the Surya Namaskar workshop where 19 students participated and enjoyed it very much. We also welcomed a great number of new students for Open classes and Satsang. We sang kirtan beautifully in the satsang. New staff are practicing diligently to play harmonium.
Later in the month, we began a new Yoga for Beginners course with 12 students, as well as a new Ayurveda course. We also had a weekend inverted variations workshop for 11 students. The highlight of the week was the Yoga Deep Relaxation class with 15 participants. This class attracted so much attention, and everyone enjoyed it. Restorative Yoga course concluded successfully, and we had good feedback from the students.
All staff are practising diligently. Om shanti

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

Om Namah Sivaya. We began the month with an uplifting week, with the last two days of the Sadhana residential course to start the week and the Open house on Saturday.
There were inspiring satsangs on the topics of Prana, Karma Yoga, Love and Truth. We appreciated also workshops on Pranayama and Japa. On the Friday, we had our traditional Gita study group. On Monday, there was a cooking class. Everyone felt inspired by the teachings of the Masters and the welcoming atmosphere of the Centre. The updated brochure was distributed. Colourful posters were displayed with the upcoming activities.
We enjoyed a mild winter with sunshine and the Main altar looked cheerful in pink.
The following week we organised group transport from the UK to France for a winter rejuvenation retreat in the Ashram, and the small group of students who joined the retreat returned inspired. Student numbers for the weekend activities have picked up nicely over the last months and it gives teachers, staff and students much joy to see the classes and satsangs well attended. There is good interest in the upcoming Easter Retreat in a rented venue in the countryside in Kent and we are looking forward to hosting the first external retreat since the pandemic.
By mid-month there was a touch of spring in the air as the days lengthened and new life started to stir in the Peace Garden. The Saturday programmes brought a lively atmosphere to the centre. Students living further away from London took the opportunity to spend a full day in the spiritual oasis of the centre and enjoyed a small mini-retreat. We featured a full Saturday programme around a workshop based on Masters book ‘How to Combat Fear’. The day concluded with a puja and chanting for Sivaratri, while other students and teachers from the UK joined the online Sivaratri celebrations from their homes.
The London teachers participating in the Sivananda Yoga Academy returned inspired from the Ashram in Orleans after their Bhakti Yoga immersion during the half term retreat. The series of Bhagavad Gita study groups saw this week the third course starting with a small group of sincere and inspired students. Saturday featured the continuation of the workshops on Masters’ book ‘How to Combat Fear’, offered as a full day programme. This small one day mini-retreat, offering two yoga classes, vegetarian lunch, workshop and satsang, brought a very positive energy to the centre. Om shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/london

Om Namah Sivaya. Our Joy of Ayurveda weekend included a talk on Ojas and Immunity with Dr Bharathi, a Kitchari Cooking Workshop with Dhanvantari Das and a Self-Abhyanga Workshop with Swami Sivasankariananda. Most of our guests were local and new to Ayurveda—very attentive and interested. We offered Ayurvedic body treatments on Sunday. The meditation room was full for Wednesday evening Satsang—we were visited by the twelve new Jesuit novices from the Culver City novitiate and a few of their instructors. Lots of prana and lots of questions! A Meditation 1 course ended.
Parvati presented her first two-day holistic health retreat as part of her SYHET practicum: the topic was Yoga for Blissful Sleep. Students appreciated the presentations and practices. We had some very engaged weekend guests, who had many sincere questions and an innate feeling for karma yoga. Two Yoga 1 courses and a Positive Thinking Course finished and will roll into another 5 weeks. We inventoried most of the boutique, including CDs—which we wondered if people still want—and then received an online order for three of them!
We may have been visited by Lord Siva himself during our Maha Sivaratri celebration. A man arrived during our third puja. He asked to chant and proceeded to chant Siva Dhun very beautifully at the top of his lungs. He disappeared at 4:00am. No one knew who he was. We had a few devoted retreat guests who came specifically for Sivaratri. Earlier that day, we had a 4-hour Yoga Nidra Immersion and a Permaculture workshop. There was a nice turnout and our raised beds got harvested and replanted.
We started a few new courses mid-month: Yoga 2, Meditation 2 and Positive Thinking 2. Prior retreat guests are starting to join us online for morning Satsang. Beautiful to see.
The final week was stormy. The Center was without power for more than 24 hours, the day that the Stress Resilience workshop with 10 students started. The three guests who were staying at the Center were flexible and seemed to enjoy the challenge of it all. Ambika bought a camping stove so that, at least, they could have hot water and heat up simple food. Staff rallied and all bonded. Swami Dharmananda led the monthly San Francisco yoga class and Satsang to a grateful group. We included an Ayurveda talk with this month.

http://www.sivananda.org/la

Om Namah Sivaya. In our first week we had two courses that aroused great interest. One of them was the cooking course after which we shared lunch with the students. The other was an intensive positive thinking course that was taught in hybrid mode. Also, during the weekend, Gopala attended the yoga congress in Jerez on behalf of the centre.
The following was a week with good attendance at almost all activities. The most outstanding activity was the open day, attended by 25 people to participate in the yoga class and 19 people in the conference on meditation. At the end of the activities kitchari and chutney were served. Everyone enjoyed it.
We had two special events: a session for teacher training in posture correction that was carried out in a hybrid mode and the other event was the celebration of Sivaratri. The Sivaratri celebration was attended by 25 people and it culminated with an brunch consisting of kitchari and chutney. With a background of harmonium and percussion, the vibration of OM NAMAH SIVAYA filled the place with energy
In the final weekend we had a weekend yoga retreat in a place located in the Sierra de Gredos, in the town of Avila. In a beautiful space in nature, the San Roque Rural Tourism Center offered all the necessary comforts for the retreat to go very well. The group integrated in a very harmonious way, enjoying all the activities and the excellent vegetarian food. Students and staff were very grateful for the affectionate treatment and the dedication and availability of the owner of the place. Om shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/madrid

Om Namah Sivaya to all. We thank our Masters for all blessings and support bestowed. May all be blessed with equanimity and steadiness in practice. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/madurai

Om Namah Sivaya from the Montevideo Centre. We are happy to serve, love to all. We pray intensely for peace and harmony in this world. May the Grace of Gurudev and Swamiji be upon us all. Om Shanti. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/montevideo

http://www.sivananda.org/montreal

Om Namah Sivaya. Attendance of classes and courses was again quite good. At the beginning of the month, we had a kirtan-workshop with a group of inspired students and on Sunday we organized a TTC-preparation afternoon. Participants got a lot of information about the TTC including a video about the different venues. Afterwards they could stay for a yoga class and the evening satsang.
The following was another good week. We started another Yoga 1 Beginners course with a group of motivated students. Also, a number of courses started into new rounds: Yoga 2, Yoga 3, Yoga 5 and Yoga 19. Our bilingual English/German class on Saturday 4 pm is quite popular and attracts people from all over the world who live in Munich.
Several courses also started the following week. On Tuesday we had another zoom-session with the students from the close-by university. As many of them are in preparation for upcoming examinations they had asked for a yoga class with a strong focus on breathing and relaxation. The highlight of the week was the celebration of Sivaratri. A nice group of close students came ready for some hours of dedicated chanting. The mantras produced a soothing energy and everybody felt well-nourished afterwards.
Several of our intermediate and advanced courses started into their next round at the end of the month. There was another online class for the English-speaking students of the close-by University on the Friday. The focus was on relaxation.
The Center’s trial class on Saturday was well attended and interest for further yoga classes was awakened. A small Detox Seminar on Sunday raised questions on purification of body and mind, healthy yogic diet, and benefits of fasting. This week some close Karmayogis helped with household tasks, computing and cookie-baking. A well appreciated support.
Swami Vasudevananda left for the Teachers Trainings Courses in Rudraprayag.

http://www.sivananda.org/munich

http://www.sivananda.org/ny

Om Namah Sivaya. Our first week was a good week with many classes and courses. We finished a meditation course and a Yoga 2. We had an inspiring satsang on Wednesday evening on “King Parikshit’s stories” from Srimad Bhagavatam. Narayanaya Chaitanya came from Orleans and worked on accounts and we had another meeting with Mindbody about marketing. On Friday evening Narayanaya Chaitanya taught a thematic class on “How to open the hips” with a good attendance. On Saturday we had a Peace Day with lecture on “Peace” followed with mantra chanting and likhita japa. After the yoga classes we had a Krishna puja which created a peaceful vibration. The highlight of the week was Swami Kailasananda ji’s visit: she guided both a World Peace meditation with mantra chanting and the Sunday evening satsang on “Thought power” with 56 participants.
The following week was also good despite the strikes in France against the new retirement law. We started a nutrition and anatomy course with inspired participants, finished a Bhagavad Gita course, and started a new Yoga 3. We had a satsang on Wednesday evening on the story of King Chitraketu from the Srimad Bhagavatam. We started to offer a vegetarian meal for the students after the morning class and we had an Open House with 15 participants, happy to discover Yoga and the center. We had evening satsangs on “Raja Yoga sutras of Patanjali” and “Karma” on Saturday and Sunday.
Again, despite the strike in France and the Holidays we had another good attendance of students for the classes. Gopala had a successful cataract surgery on Tuesday. We continued the Nutrition course and Anatomy course. The highlight of the week was the Maha Shivaratri celebration starting with 61 participants out of which 26 stayed the whole night for the last puja. We served a fresh Indian breakfast to all after the 5th pujas.
Swami Kailasananda ji came from Orléans on her way to Rudraprayag, India for TTC and ATTC with Narayana Chaitanya, Saraswati and Rukmini.
We started the week a Kirtan course. We had a good attendance of the Sunday evening satsang on “How to conquer Fear”. All are well. Pranams to all.

http://www.sivananda.org/paris

Om Namah Sivaya. On Sunday we had a beautiful evening satsang with Rukmini Chaitanya on the subject of the “Narada Bhakti Sutras”. She was reading sutras and the commentary of Swami Sivananda. Pranava Chaitanya finished teaching an Advanced Meditation course on the subject of the Law of Karma. We opened a new Pranayama course with Swami Shambhu Devananda with 30 students. We received new books of Swami Sivananda for our boutique and also are preparing new t-shirts with beautiful design.
The following week was dedicated to preparations for Maha Sivaratri. We decorated the big classroom with beautiful fabrics and garlands. A huge picture of Lord Siva and other deities was put in front. We brought many green plants and leaves to decorate the whole classroom. With the kind help of karma yogis, we made a lot of delicious prasads for the four pujas of celebration. The night itself was very beautiful and we felt many blessings. Many people came from all over the country to participate. We had many teachers, students, and also new people from different places joining us. The atmosphere was very festive and holy. Swami Swaroopananda led a beautiful chant. Swami Shambhu gave an explanation about the meaning of Sivaratri taken from the “Hindu Fasts and Festivals” book of Swami Sivananda which spoke about the mystical meaning of this night. All were very happy and many stayed with us until the very morning and the last puja. Then we had a big gathering where everyone was enjoying all the delicious prasads offered during the night.
On Sunday we had an evening satsang with Pranava Chaitanya on the subject of Renunciation. Swami Shambhu finished teaching the Pranayama workshop and is planning a continuation. Pranava Chaitanya finished teaching Yoga 1 and also Yoga 2 courses. Advanced courses are planned to open very soon. We got new t-shirts and sweatshirts for the boutique. On the weekend we had a beautiful retreat with Swami Shambhu Devananda on the subject of “Meditation Step by Step”. We had 30 students participating. Everybody was very uplifted and inspired.
On Saturday, Israeli night time, we received news that Pranava Chaitanya was injured badly and was taken to the hospital. We spent hours sitting together and doing the Mahamrityunjaya mantra, unfortunately few hours later we were informed that Pranava Chaitanya passed away. We are all very shocked and are praying for the safe departure of his soul. Om Shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/telaviv

Om Nama Sivaya. This week we started a new Beginners course, and the early morning Pranayama course finished on Sunday. Satyam, from the University of Toronto faculty, started teaching the Sanskrit phonetics course, and a few teachers joined as well.
We had several staff and teachers filming short videos on different topics for class promotions. The weather in Toronto was extremely cold, with temperatures falling to minus 20 Celsius.
Mid-month we began new Yoga 1 and Yoga 2 courses, as well as Introduction to Meditation and Meditation 2. We had a nice Satsang with a lot of Shiva mantras and chanting to celebrate Shivaratri. Mayavan taught a workshop and an Intensive yoga class this weekend. We announced an Open class in Japanese that will be taught by Yukko. We prepared a lot of nice yoga videos filmed by Ananda that will be posted online. Sending pranams to all.

http://www.sivananda.org/toronto

Om Namah Sivaya. With the grace of the Gurus all is well in the centre. Classes are going fine. Staff are well and taking care of centre. Unfortunately, we could not start our scheduled Beginner’s group for ladies, but the kids are enjoying the weekend classes. Our first week ended with Sunday Prayers.
We started a morning Beginner’s course with a good number of students. The morning Open class are full, whereas at other times classes do not come to full strength.
The following week we started a Beginner’s course with 11 new seekers who experienced the teaching of Yoga for the first time in their life. All of them are enjoying the classes and are very enthusiastic. Open classes are bringing every week some of our old students back who were disconnected after covid. We are happy to see them back. On Saturday all staff went to Neyyardam Ashram to celebrate Maha Shivaratri along with a few students. All of them enjoyed the chanting of Shivamantra Om Namah Shivaya along with Shiva Bhajans throughout the night until 4am in the morning. Sunday Satsang was led by Shine along with staff and a few guests.
The Ladies’ Beginner’s course started in our final week with a good number of students. Regular classes are getting better and bringing the old students back. Staff are keeping up their personal Sadhana and contributing their best to centre activities. The weather is good at the moment. We welcomed Srinivas ji on Sunday who was with us for one day during his trip to Varkala. Sunday satsang was attended by staff. Om shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/trivandrum

Om Namah Sivaya. Three intermediate courses started at the beginning of the month with good participation from the students. Also, a Bhagavad Gita course is continuing with course 3. On the weekend we had an Asana workshop for strengthening the arms and wrists which was very successful. Satsangs were well attended, also with some newcomers. People are looking for an opportunity to calm down their mind and connect to inner peace. The centre had good support by Karma Yogis in cleaning and tidying up the basement.
The Drop-in classes were well visited. Some courses had fewer students, which may have been due to the winter holidays in Vienna. The Satsangs were especially well attended, disseminating the Masters’ wisdom to more students. Staff continued their regular online activities, as teaching yoga classes, giving Satsang readings, mentoring and hosting. All are well.
Mid-month a Yoga 1 and a Yoga 4 course started with inspired participants. The highlight of the week was the Sivaratri celebrations. Many teachers and students came to celebrate the Night of Lord Shiva with the staff with chanting and several poojas. During the chanting the centre also contributed to the online programme of the European centres. The energy was focused and elevating. Afterwards, a simple kitcheri was served. Drop-in classes were well visited, also the Satsangs had good attendance.
Several intermediate Yoga courses started towards the end of the month with good attendance. Also, the Gita courses continued with course 4 with inspired participants. We had a successful workshop on the sun salutation, giving the students practical hints and advice how to improve their practice. A workshop “How to bring the spine into balance” on Saturday was also well appreciated by the students. Om shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/vienna

Om Namah Sivaya. The Yoga Centre ran smoothly. There were no special events or seminars, but the little everyday things – taking care of the students – were also important. We served soup to the students every day, lunch on Saturday, and baked fresh healthy bread without yeast. In Lithuania, bread has always been a very important symbol of survival, giving a little bit of a sense of home, childhood and some security. The launch of the new website was a big event. It is full of new prana, with a clearer structure and easier for students to navigate. We have had nothing but positive feedback. We have designed an attractive poster for the Yoga Holiday, which will take place in the summer, next to the TTC. It’s good to see our teachers returning from their long journeys and holidays, very happy to come to the satsang, and very much missing the yoga centre.
We are delighted that we finally have the Yoga 1 course again, twice a week from 8 pm. It’s a real pleasure to lead this group as the students are very motivated and their bodies are very flexible, so the minds as well. On Tuesday morning we had a modest celebration: Marija, who helps clean the centre once a week, turned 70. She was very happy to receive the book Bliss Divine in Russian as a gift. Our teacher Olia, who moved to Vilnius from Ukraine with her family, is successfully running small Open classes. She teaches in Russian at the beginning, but is successfully learning to teach in Lithuanian step by step. On Saturday we had a cooking class. It is noteworthy that even five men, our students, took part in it. The class was interesting, maybe we made a bit too many and complicated dishes, for example palak panyr, mint-lime chutney, vegan cake, but with the active help of the students we managed to cook everything in time and at the end we had a very tasty and satisfying meal together. Thanks to Girija (Geneva Centre) for the good ideas for recipes and cooking. Thanks to her advice, the Centre bought a large slow-cooker, which is a great help to the staff to save time when cooking the daily soups for the students. In addition, the soups taste particularly good.
Beginners’ courses and Open classes were held as usual. On Thursday was the Lithuanian Independence Day holiday, so the yoga centre was closed, but there was enough work in the office. Saturday was a very special day indeed, lots of people came to the asanas, after the asanas everyone enjoyed a delicious sattvic lunch made by Bharati with the help of one of the students who will be going to TTC Lithuania. A nice, modest guy with a heart of karma yogi and a good grasp of the art of chopping vegetables. We celebrated Shivaratri from 6 pm in the evening till 12.30 am. Out of respect for our neighbours, we could not go on any longer. But six hours of chanting, three pujas were certainly a joyful tapas and a serious sadhana for everybody. Eight yogis stayed the full time. Mother Parvati, especially happy on this auspicious day, donated three kinds of sweet Prasad.
Classes and courses ran smoothly, with a good attendance. It’s good that we have enough teachers to meet students’ needs for open classes and courses. Staff is focusing on the upcoming Sivananda Yoga Spring Tour in Lithuania, which starts in Vilnius and Kaunas with Swami Sivadasananda, and then will be followed by Klaipėda, Telšiai, Visaginas, Panevėžys, Vilkaviškis, Jonava, Ukmergė on the following weekends. The number of people planning to attend TTC Lithuania in June is nicely filling up – 14 registrations at the moment from different countries of the Eastern Europe. Om shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/vilnius