Gurugram December 2021 | Preface

Om Namah Sivaya
Blessed Self
Greetings from all staff in the Sivananda Centres and Ashrams!

The Sivananda Centres and Ashrams continue their work of offering daily classes, courses and teachers’ trainings, adjusting to the rise and fall of the pandemic waves. With new lockdowns and restrictions in Europe, it is a constant exercise in “Adapt, Adjust and Accommodate”. The TTC in Reith, Austria had to be interrupted and continued on line. The Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas will reopen on December 14th for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. We wish all at the Ashram a safe and joyful reopening. It will be wonderful to welcome guests again after so many months of online teaching. It seems India may reopen its borders soon, we look forward to being able to bathe in its spiritual vibrations soon again.

One of the highlight of November was the celebration of Diwali. It was held both online and onsite in Centres and Ashrams. Altars were beautifully decorated with many lights, bringing joy and hope to the mind, reminding us of the need to follow the positive path and discard the lower tendencies.

As December begins the feeling of Christmas is in the air. Let us tune to its true meaning: the birth of a new consciousness of peace and harmony. The world is in great need of a shift in consciousness and a refocus on spiritual values. May we all do our part by deepening our commitment to the spiritual path and sticking to our Sadhana with new energy and determination!

We send our prayers for peace, strength and positivity to you and your family.

With Prem and Om
Swami Kailasananda for the Acharyas of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Join us for our monthly Meditation for the Planet on Sunday December 5th 2021 at 2pm CET. Check our websites for information. https://sivanandaorleans.org/unite-for-a-healthy-planet

Donations: With many of the International Sivananda Yoga Centres and Ashrams teaching online, finances are a concern, so if this is at all possible for you, your financial support would be very gratefully received by contacting any Ashram or Centre.

Time is the soul of the world. It is the richest treasure. Waste not even a second. – Sri Swami Sivananda

2022 COVID-19 Update:
Please check with each TTC/ATTC location whether COVID-19 has affected your selected course.

The SIVANANDA YOGA Teachers’ Training Courses are available either online (TTCOL) or in residence, depending on the location. Please check with each TTC/ATTC location whether your selected Teacher Training Course is available online or in residence as some Ashrams have opened, while others remain closed. Thank you for your patience as schedules change during COVID.

To view upcoming 2022 TTC/ATTC/SI courses on the Sivananda website: https://sivananda.org/teachers-training/programme-calendar/

See the full list of other international courses and events: https://www.sivananda.org/

Detachment does not mean that you are loosing something. Actually you are gaining yourself back instead of loosing yourself. – Sri Swami Sivananda

From Discourse II: “Sadhana Pada – On Spiritual Disciplines”

II.42. SAMTOSAD ANUTTAMAH SUKHA-LABHAH
‘From contentment comes supreme happiness.’

Commentary:
Man is ever-searching for happiness in external objects, but it can only be attained when the mind is satisfied with what has been allotted and is no longer looking. When the mind is stilled and contented, happiness is automatic.

The harder the struggle, the more glorious the triumph. Self-realization demands very great struggle. – Sri Swami Sivananda

Chapter V: The Yoga of Renunciation of Action

V.11. Anishtamishtam mishram cha trividham karmanah phalam;
Bhavatyatyaaginaam pretya na tu sannyaasinaam kwachit.

It is not possible for an embodied being to abandon actions entirely, but he who relinquishes the rewards of actions is verily called a man of renunciation.

COMMENTARY: Nature, and your own nature, too, will urge you to do actions. You will have to abandon the idea of agency and the fruits of actions. Then no action will bind you.

When a man does his duties rightly according to his order of life, his heart gets purified. – Sri Swami Sivananda