Gurugram November 2023 | Preface Om Namah Sivaya Blessed Self This month saw the uplifting celebration of Navaratri, dedicated to the glory of the Divine Mother. May her blessings, protection and compassion be with humanity at this difficult time on our planet. May Goddess Durga give us the strength and power to remove the ignorance and selfishness from our mind. May we be inspired by Goddess Lakshmi to focus on developing positivity, sincerity and humility. Finally, may Mother Saraswati grace us with the vision of the unity of all life. Our centres in Israel [...]

Sivananda Yoga FAQ Q: What is God? A: If I give you a good slap on your face, who knows that slap? That knower (Vetta), that knowing subject, is God. When a strong desire is satisfied or gratified, that blissful state wherein the mind finds rest is God. That which sparkles or glitters in your eyes is God. That which prompts you to think is God, the Lord of the mind. The source (Yoni) or support (Adhishthan) for your mind, Prana, senses and body is God. The tree exists. It shines. It gives delight. These three [...]

Vegetarian Cuisine Vegetable coconut curry This delicious curry is mild and sweet in flavour. It involves a little preparation the night before but is quick to make on the day. Serves 4 Ingredients: 150g (5 ½ oz) unsweetened organic desiccated coconut 125g (4 ½ oz) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in 5oo ml (16 fl oz) water 3 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds ½ tsp fennel seeds 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) 3 cardamom pods, seeds only ½ tsp ground cinnamon pinch ground cloves ½ tsp ground ginger 25g (1 oz) fresh root [...]

Hatha Yoga Tip Fish – Matsyāsana – All Levels Fish bends your spine in the opposite direction to shoulderstand and is the counterpose to the shoulderstand cycle. Spend at least half as much time doing fish as you spend doing shoulderstand. After you have practised fish, you will find that you experience a much deeper relaxation in the resting position of corpse pose. BENEFITS Physical • Relives stiffness in the neck and shoulders • Corrects any tendency to round the shoulders • Strengthens the arm muscles • Expands the rib cage • Helps to [...]

Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashrams Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp, Val Morin, Quebec, Canada Om Namah Sivaya We had a wonderful weekend for the Thanksgiving celebrations. Teachers from Montreal and Toronto joined the retreat and gave a lot of support for asana classes and various other karma yoga tasks. During Satsangs and lectures, we covered relevant themes such as Gratitude, Love, Service, Sadhana, Developing good Habits, Ultimate Wellbeing. All guests and staffs really enjoyed this very inspiring celebratory week-end. During the month, we held various other retreats "The Healing power of [...]

Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Zentrum, Berlin, Germany The Navaratri Pujas were well visited; a good group of dedicated students joined all pujas in the morning. Students brought flowers and prasad; it was a very uplifting festival for all. We had special workshops such as “Yoga for the back”, “Easy yogic dishes” with enthusiastic groups of students. Staff were busy preparing for the weekend retreat, which was held in our usual retreat location 2h north of Berlin. The location is beautiful, very pure nature and we are [...]