Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Om Namah Sivaya! January and the New Year started very well, the staff came back recharged and inspired from the Christmas programme in Reith. The preparations and decorations in the Centre for the upcoming special programme were completed and registrations continued to come in. The regular classes were well visited, the Prana in the Centre is high.

We bode a warm farewell to all our guests of the special programme who traveled on to London. Staff focused on bringing rooms, halls and kitchens back to everyday condition and the Centre slowly returned to its regular rhythm. The energy in the Centre was high, student numbers where good this week. Many courses restarted after the Christmas break and students were happy to be back in their regular practice. Also a meditation course and a Yoga 1 weekend course started, both with good attendance. On Saturday we had an open house with cooking workshop, asana demonstration, trial class and introduction into meditation. The new Centre brochure was prepared for bulk mailing, it will be sent out the next week. We concluded the week on Sunday evening with a well visited Satsang with Sunday prayers. One of the Karma Yogis from Poland who had come for the special program stayed and supported the Centre for one more week. Om Namo Narayanaya and seasonal blessings to all the Sivananda family. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/berlin

Om Namah Sivaya. In January we began the new year with a lot of heat as temperatures rose. There were few students with many people on vacation. Two Beginner Courses started. We gave a Shirsasana workshop, two courses on Meditation, plus a Conquest of the Anger workshop. Dominic Mahalakshmi from France, arrived at the Centre. She will be with us for 1 month. We said goodbye to Karuna who traveled to Brazil to do TTC Refresher course. Mahalakshmi already adapted to the dynamics of the Centre. We were grateful to receive the help of many karma yogis. May Master and Guru be with us all. Peace and Pranams to the Sivananda family. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/baires

Om Namah Sivaya. In January we held an Open House, in the morning we invited the Chinese medicine doctor, Dr. Lu, who gave us a lecture about diet and health. 15 students attended, some of them also joined the trial Asana class and the night Satsang speaking on the Elements of Health. The Yoga Foundation course of December was finished in early January. The students all felt the benefits from the course, so much so they bought different class passes to continue their practice. Regular open classes continued well. The popular Yoga Foundation course started its next series immediately. We looked forward to see more and more students join this course. The regular classes in the Centre continued running smoothly with students all improving little by little. During one of the Sunday’s Satsang, we had a wonderful night. Ambika gave the lecture “How Chanting Heals”. After the chanting and lecture students felt very delightful and peaceful. Jaya to the steady practice, teaching and serving. May Guru’s Grace keep the seed strong in China. Om Namo Narayanaya to all the Sivananda family. Om.

http://www.sivanandayogachina.org

Om Namah Sivaya to all Blessed Selves from the Chennai Centre. In January we started morning Beginners’ course with good number of students. This New Year, many of our old students rejoined in our Open classes. On 06^th January, Mr. & Mrs. Mahadevan left to Bangalore. One new staff Arun, joined from Madurai Centre. Nowadays, the climate was very cool and pleasant, especially in the morning. All our students and teachers were preparing to celebrate Pongal (Harvest festival in Tamil Nadu) on the 15^th of January.

We started the Evening Beginners’ course with good number of students. On the 16th, we introduced a 5 day free Yoga Awareness Program as a Pongal Offer, including Asana Classes and we received a very good response to it.  It was interesting for them and many students wanted to continue their practice, wishing to join the Open classes. We distributed 9000 pamphlets in our surrounding areas. We get many new students followed by it. On the 15th, one new staff Seethalakshmi from Canada joined with us and we gave a warm welcome to her.  One of our staff, Sathyamji went to his hometown due to some personal work, rejoining us later.  Our classes at American school restarted on 16th after their Christmas vacation. On 20th, Gopanji and family went to Kerala for 3 days, to attend one family function. On 21st, Swami Janardhananandaji and Sureshji (Neyyar Dam) visited our Centre along with 10 members, after finishing their Sadhana 21 at Gudur Ashram. We gave them a warm welcome and offered delicious Kerala meal as well. Everyone liked it very much and were very happy, too. On Sunday, 21st, we had a Special Satsang by Swami Janardhananandaji and we experienced a very lively and energy filled atmosphere with the presence of our teachers, current and old students along with their families. We distributed delicious prasad to everyone. It was a great get together. All together the month was very lively which brought lots of positive energy to our Centre and all staff. By the grace of God and our Masters, everything continued smoothly with peace and unity. Thanks to God and our Masters for everything. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/madras

Om Namah Sivaya. In early January we had another very cold week here in Chicago, with temperatures and wind chill well below zero fahrenheit everyday. The extremely low temperatures had an impact on class attendance as the regular morning class numbers dropped considerably. We started a new Yoga 1, with a group of six students, several taking it for a second time. Radha was at the Yoga Ranch so Shambhu, a senior teacher at the Centre, lead the Sunday evening Satsang, on the topic of New Year Resolutions for Sadhana.  It was very well attended and Shambhu was very clear in helping students identify their goals, keeping them realistic, and how to use the spiritual diary. Meanwhile we looked forward to the weather warming up in the coming weeks.

Swami Paramananda and Sankara Nambhoodri arrived from the Yoga Ranch to lead a week program.  Swamiji started by teachng a yoga class followed by a lecture on Yoga Sutras in Daily Life. Swamiji continued with the theme of the Yamas and Niyamas during an afternoon workshop. Sankara Nambhoodri came to Chicago to bless the Centre and make suggestions for optimum energy flow. He began with Pujas every morning during the morning Satsangs. Swamiji taught the 4pm two hour yoga class, to a full room of over 20 students, and Sankara Nambhoodri lead the evening Satsang with a public Puja, that was very well attended by 40 participants. Their presence helped to raise the spirits of staff, teachers and students, leaving us feeling inspired to carry on the mission of Swami Vishnu. Sending inspired pranams to all for the new year. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi.

http://www.sivananda.org/chicago

Om Namah Sivaya. In January the Dalat Centre celebrated its 4th anniversary on the 7th January. Many students came to enjoy the whole day scheduled with an advanced asana class, an open house class, a vegetarian party, a Bhagavad Gita lecture and a Satsang. Shambo, Sivashakti, Saraswati, Sw. Narayana, from the Ashram came to support the event. Students were very happy and felt connected. The Open class and Beginners’ class went well. We had a successful 2-day-workshop “Yoga of Voice” with Silvia Nakkach. Students loved it and enjoyed it a lot. The meditation course with Swami Narayananda went well. Students come to Satsang regularly. Open class and Beginners’ class went well. We pray for the Guru’s grace to be always with us. May the grace of the Masters be with you in 2018. Om.

https://sivanandayogavietnam.org

Om Namah Sivaya. January was very very chilly and foggy, here in Delhi We began the year with a Beginners Courses on Mondays at 6 a.m. & 4 p.m. The Kids’ classes channelled the energy of our future generation in the right direction. Prenatal Classes kept future mothers in good health and mood. Gentle Classes helped people with special needs to improve their general health and practice yoga to which ever extent possible. Staff members managed the day to day functioning of the Centre efficiently while deeply engrossed in their Sadhana. We continued the Beginners Courses on Monday at 4 p.m. Our Meditation course sowed the seed of spirituality in the hearts of aspirants. Shat Kriya workshop was conducted one Saturday to teach participants the yogic techniques of physical body cleansing. Saturday Satsangs were as good as ever. We had a visiting staff Kalayani (Yako) for a week whose help was much appreciated. A Trial class was conducted to give participants an experience of how and what we teach in our Beginners’ course. Thanks to our staff’s dedication towards the Centre, the Centre functioned well. By the grace of God and the blessings of Gurudev all is well here. We hope the same for all of you. We send our Pranams to all. Om Namo Narayanaya!

http://www.sivananda.org/dwarka

Om Namo Narayanaya. In January, with the grace of the Masters, we started the 1st week of 2018 with our regular schedule of open class at 6:30am. Other than our regular daily schedule, we taught a private class for a group of 5 People. Abeba and Bitanya went to Rishikesh for a week. Ishwaraji arrived at the Centre. He taught an open class and conducted a Sunday Satsang. Through January we continued offered the Beginners’ course at 4:00pm following our regular schedule of Satsang, Open class and Gentle Yoga class. The Bhagavad Gita study circle which happens twice in a month was conducted with diligent students attending. With blessing of the Masters January went well as per planned with everything fine at the Centre. We send our Pranams and hope everyone is happy and peaceful in 2018. We pray to Almighty for everybody. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/delhi

Om Namah Sivaya. Salutations to all! In January the Geneva staff spend the Xmas and New Year’s time in the Ashram in Orleans, recharging in an atmosphere of collective Sadhana, Satsang and Bhakti. They returned on the 7th of January to Geneva. We were again blessed with the presence of Ganapati, who stayed a bit longer and helped the Centre. We offered a headstand workshop. We also had a course – “Yoga to Strengthen and Balance Your Nervous System”. We had a workshop on standing poses. One Saturday we had a one day retreat on the nearby mountain “Salève” in a Buddhist monastery. We had a group of 11 students, with 3 teachers. Starting at 8:15 am from the Centre, we had a 1 hour drive there, we had 2 Yoga classes, one lecture on Yama & Niyama and one Satsang. The silent walk was short and inspiring amongst snowfall and wind. The next one day retreat will be in March. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/geneva

Om Namah Sivaya. In January we welcomed Swami Adiparashaktiananda ji from the Yoga Farm in California, USA for a short visit. He gave programs in advanced asana variations and led a wonderful high energy Satsang with about 40 people attending.  Special guest, Dr. Jain, arrived from California as well, to help teach the 15-day first module of the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training (SYHET) Course at the Dalat Ashram, and enjoyed visiting Vietnam for the first time. Ganga Chaitanya and Durga were away at the Ashram attending the SYHET course as well. We continued here in the Centre with many students coming, and we were very inspired to see several outside teachers from recent TTC’s begin to teach Hatha Yoga courses. We now have a new young kitten named Lalitaambika who is entertaining us with much love, energy and excitement about life! We welcomed Kumari from the Yoga Farm in California as a new staff. We started a series of Kid’s Yoga classes with Kumari teaching. Durga Leela came by Ho Chi Minh City on her way to India after teaching Ayurveda in the Health Educator course in Dalat. She gave a wonderful talk at Satsang Sunday evening with about 50 people attending. We started a Yoga 2 course and many courses are going on nicely, taught by both staff and also outside teachers. Open classes were well attended, especially 6 am class. May Master and Guru be with us all. Peace and Pranams to the Sivananda family In January the Geneva staff spend the Xmas and New Year’s time in the Ashram in Orleans, recharging in an atmosphere of collective Sadhana, Satsang and Bhakti. They returned on the 7th of January to Geneva. We were again blessed with the presence of Ganapati, who stayed a bit longer and helped the Centre. We offered a headstand workshop. We also had a course – “Yoga to Strengthen and Balance Your Nervous System”. We had a workshop on standing poses. One Saturday we had a one day retreat on the nearby mountain “Salève” in a Buddhist monastery. We had a group of 11 students, with 3 teachers. Starting at 8:15 am from the Centre, we had a 1 hour drive there, we had 2 Yoga classes, one lecture on Yama & Niyama and one Satsang. The silent walk was short and inspiring amongst snowfall and wind. The next one day retreat will be in March. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi.

Om Namah Sivaya. Early January was very auspicious at the Centre leading up to the start of a seven day celebration of yoga entitled ‘The Essence of Yoga’. The Centre was blessed by the presence and teachings of Swami Durgananda, Swami Sivadasananda and Swami Kailasananda. The festive daily program included dynamic asana workshops, elevating lectures, beautiful Pujas and evenings filled with refined classical Indian music accompanied by reflections on the true meaning of life. A highlight was an inspiring lecture with Swami Durgananda ‘Obstacles and How to Overcome Them’, lovingly sharing Swamiji’s teachings on how to work with the ego as the main obstacle. Swami Sivadasananda gave a much appreciated teachers workshop and a series of themed asana classes which filled the halls to the brim. Swami Kailasananda’s lectures were a source of joy and inspiration for the continued Sadhana of the attendees. It was the first bigger programme after the completion of the renovations to the Asana Hall entrance, standing as a true Homage to the teachings of the Masters. It has been very warmly received by all the students and well wishers of the Centre. The colours, views on the Peace Garden and abundance of natural light streaming in from the glass roof are making the entrance a very welcoming space. The seven day celebration contributed much to the energy of the Centre. We thanked Swami Durgananda, Swami Sivadasananda and Swami Kailasananda for all the energy shared through the teachings and their guidance of staff. May the Gurus’ blessings of be with us all for 2018. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/london

Om Namo Narayanaya! In January LA had a high-energy beginning to 2018. Yoga classes are well attended with many new students. Swami Sankarananda taught a Positive Thinking Weekend workshop, teaching us to look into the nature of thoughts and learning the tools we can utilize to cultivate positive thinking. Karma yogis joined to serve a weekend lunch at the Centre for the students. Swamiji gave a Gita class. We began this year’s study with Chapter Three where Lord Krishna speaks about Karma Yoga. A new Yoga 3 course began. We also added new classes for Beginners’ which were well-received. Staff teachers are focusing on learning to teach classes and courses.

After the Positive Thinking course, the LA Centre prepared for the Hatha Yoga Immersion Weekend, with Swami Adiparashaktiananda, to bring lots of new energy to the Centre. Karma Yogis and students helped with food shopping and improving the Centre, purchasing new meditation cushions, etc. We taught two Yoga 1 courses and a Yoga 3 course. Open classes also went well. The Guru Puja was very well attended, many regulars returned from holiday travels. The Centre’s computer’s hard drive crashed so students helped to raise money for a much appreciated new computer. We then worked on restoring the students’ database and financial information with help from Karma Yogis. We welcome staff member, Diviya Jyoti, to join the teaching team. He has served at the Yoga Farm and the Yoga Retreat. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful opportunities of service and self-growth. May the Blessings of Gurudev be upon all. Pranams.

http://www.sivananda.org/la

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves! In January our reduced schedule continued and we had two bank holidays as well. Some maintenance projects took place including painting one asana room on the first floor. The new Centre brochure arrived. On Sunday Swami Santoshananda arrived after supporting the Christmas special programs in Reith. Classes continued with good attendance and several courses started this week. The first Open House of the year was joyful: over 130 students came and most of them stayed for the full program: trial classes, meditation workshop, asana demonstration and vegetarian snack, we saw many shinny faces at the end. On the weekend we also had an interesting workshop “Yoga and digestive system”: students enjoyed the Power Point presentation followed by a practical class. Evening Satsangs were especially well visited with many newcomers and strong chanting. Staff are well. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/madrid

Om Namah Sivaya. Namaste. We are thanking our Masters for all blessings and support bestowed. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi!

http://www.sivananda.org/madurai

Om Namah Sivaya! January started with very good energy with a very good number of students attending classes despite there being a holiday and very hot weather. Chandra travelled to Garopaba in Brazil to prepare next the TTC. Kanti Devi to Bahamas to celebrate its 50th anniversary. New inscriptions for 2018 classes went well. We continued with the meditation course in which two new students came. One Saturday we had the free trial class with many students attending. Some of them applied for the Beginners’ course starting in February. Regular classes continued on as well. May all live under the Masters’s grace for this coming year. Om Shanti!

http://www.sivananda.org/montevideo

Om Namah Sivaya from the Montreal Centre! Greetings from the winter wonderland. In January Montreal’s freezing temperatures, ice rain and storms did not stop our devoted students from attending classes, courses and Satsangs. We started our first Yoga 1 with 10 students. We offered a free workshop on sun salutations, attended by 10 students. Bhagirathi conducted a deep relaxation workshop, with 12 students. Notably the attendance for classes continues to grow in numbers and get stronger. Three new teachers started assisting asana classes and 3 new Karma Yogis joined our team. Swami Shivabhaktananda led the Satsang on Sunday nights, taking a reading from the Yoga Vasishta. Students, old and new, are taking advantage of our two offers – half price membership and half price 1 month unlimited membership. We had many registrations for our courses and workshops with lots of new faces coming in for free trial classes and enquiries. With a strong team of Karma Yogis, we were able to manifest our advertising campaign, website and office projects and put a fresh coat of paint on the walls. We are ever grateful for the Grace of the Gurus and the constant stream of Karma Yogis! With Master and Swamiji’s grace we continued to serve and keep up the spirit! We send Pranams to all the Sivananda family! Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/montreal

Om Namah Sivaya. We entered into the New Year with “Om Namo Narayananya” chanting and silent meditation. Many teachers and students of the Centre returned from their vacations in the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in snowy Reith/Tyrol/Austria. In the first weeks of January many old and new students came to our classes and courses. Special events were a well attended Open House, a cooking class and an advanced asana-workshop on forward bent variations. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/munich

Om Namah Sivaya from Manhattan. By Gods Grace and Masters Blessings, 2018 started off really well. Most of the staff spent the New Year at the Ranch, staying up until 2 am with devotion! On the 2nd of January we reopened the NY Centre in the afternoon to begin the first classes of 2018! The courses were off to a good start with many people signing up in advance. Resolutions seemed to have been set! In the beginning of the week we were blessed with a visit from Prahlad, Saraswati and their son, Harsha, for a few days. It is always great to have them here and we await their next visit! A few days into January and we were hit with a huge snow storm! Temperatures hit a big low and we had to close down the Centre mid-day of the storm. Our Staff was snowed in! Sadhana was kept up and snow angels emerged! Mokshapriya had been away for the new year arriving after a bit of a delay due to the snow storm, but she made it! That Sunday’s Satsang had a bit of a change, as well, since Narayan Jyoti was supposed to lead. However, the cyclone held him back. Adapt, adjust, accommodate was the key inspiration of that weekend! We were blessed with a visit by Swami Paramananda to lead both the advanced class and Satsang. He gave us all a fantastic reminder that the real resolution should be internal rather than external. A nice insight to start the new year off.

We continued the month offering the Yoga Sutra course, Swami Paramananda’s Satsang marathon and a yummy Chinese cooking workshop! All days were quite busy with classes and courses. Although over a few days, one by one, the staff caught an extremely catchy flu, however, all Karma Yogis came together to get done what was needed to be done! We were very grateful for that. Swami Paramananda’s weekly January visit was a treat. Many people came and we also did a big, beautiful Puja with the priest Shankara Namboodiri. We said good bye to Shakti as she went to the Ranch to teach an Advanced Asana Weekend. The weekend cooking workshop with Siddhi created very delicious Chinese food! We also held a study group with the topic of “Asanas Beyond the Physical”, taught by Mokshapriya. Sushila led a Sunday Satsang with an eloquent and well explained talk on the workings of the mind. All the staff survived the flu. We wish you all a wonderful year ahead with health, happiness and steady Sadhana! May we vigilantly continue our effort to receive Guru’s Grace this time of the year. We are all well and send our blessings to the Sivananda Family! Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/ny

Om Namah Sivaya. In January the music of the rain was there every day bringing calmness and fresh air.  The last and the first week of the year were calm with the reduced holiday schedule. The inventory was done in this period. The priest Yagneswara  stayed for one day on his way back to Orleans. He led a Puja for the staff in the morning of Friday  the 29th of December.  On the 31st Swami Gopalananda came to support the Centre with the accounts and with the beautiful Celebration of the new year and Swami Vishnu’s Anniversary. The ninety two participants were grateful for the evening. We had an inspiring Puja, the resolutions, a delicious dinner, a kirtan concert, birthday candles and a silent meditation to start the year in peace. The new year was generous with the Centre. We were blessed with the presence of Swami Kailasananda who passed by and gave three inspiring Satsangs appreciated by all. Swamiji gave prana and guidance to everyone. Swami Gopalananda had to go back to Orleans after giving the first Satsang of the year. Girija came for a couple of days but she also had to leave. She worked on the Inventory, took care of the general organization of the Centre and gave the evening Satsang on Wednesday the third. Sivakami came back from the Ashram on the fourth to take care of everything while Nadapriya and Sundari went back to Spain after 10 days of precious help.  Rukmini was also in the Centre for a couple of days. Kaivalya assured the Satsangs of the 30th, the 6th and the 13th. Manohara gave the Satsang of the 7th. Omkari gave the Satsang on the 17th. Vyasa , Omkari and Ramdas stay in the house to support the Centre for around two weeks. During the month we had the regular positive thinking and meditation courses. There was also a Pranayama course, a nutrition course, a cooking class and a ‘Yoga at Work’ workshop. On the eighteenth, Swami Nityananda arrived from South America, she was very happy to be back and to find everything well thanks to the help of everyone but especially to the prana given by Sivakami who ran the Centre and as always to the guidance and presence of Swami Kailasananda and the blessings of the Masters. During the second part of the month The installation of the new lighting  finished in the small asana room, the meditation room and the reception. The Centre looks brighter. On Saturday The 21st, over than three hundred people were there for the regular classes and the activities of the Open House. The new comers were friendly and eager to start the practice. That day, The Masters sent an army of karma yogis. With their help, everything run smoothly. The last weekend of the year there was a programme for the teachers. Swami Kailasananda and Kailas came from Orleans to give special workshops, classes and Satsangs. 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. In January the Rome Centre was open for a few classes as the teachers took care of the Centre. The staff came back from Reith very inspired to start the year. We had a good clean up of the Centre, a Satsang and Puja to begin the year. Teachers and students participated bringing many flowers and prasad. The message from the Masters was very inspiring. Many newcomers attended the Satsang. We started a new Beginners’ course. We had an Introduction to Sanskrit course. May all be inspired every single day of this new year. Om Shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/rome

Om Namo Narayanaya, Blessed Selves. In January Swami Sivasankariananda and Padmavati arrived back from the Yoga Farm on New Year’s Day. We offered our first Open House for 2018. Swami Sivasankariananda spoke on Prana and Pranayama at the Kesari Satsang in Sunnyvale, to an Indian audience hungry for knowledge. Padmavati offered a Gentle Yoga Workshop on Back Health. Gajananam summarized Chapter 18 of the Gita, the culmination of a monthly Satsang series. One theme was suffering can either take us to depression or dispassion. Two Yoga 1 courses started plus a Meditation 1 course. A Yoga 2 course finished. Sivadas reduced his staff commitment to three days per week. Swami Jnaneswariananda came for a weekend. She taught the Bhagavad Gita course. We had a nice turnout for an information session on TTC one Saturday afternoon. Then it was Dosa Night, open to students and community by donation. We offered a Self Care Abhyanga Workshop, instructing about oils and the practice of self Abhyanga. Swami Jnaneswariananda spoke at Satsang. We were grateful for her clarity and wealth of examples. We were excited to announce we were taking appointments for Abhyanga and Shirodhara treatments at the Centre! We started a Yoga 3 course. Swami Sivasankariananda started with another Pain Care case study. Padmavati left for Japan.

Blessings and Peace to all of the Sivananda Family from the San Francisco Centre. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/sanfrancisco

Om Namah Sivaya from Sao Paulo. Om Shanti Shanti to all the Sivananda family. Om.

Om Namah Sivaya. In January, as the year began, the weather cooled down in Tel Aviv, but the Centre kept nice and warm by being very active with lots of courses and retreats both beginning and in the pipeline for the season. Sivakami has developed a new course entitled MPA where she will teach meditation, pranayama and asanas for student’s on the go and a limited time to practice. The course filled up completely with 13 students signing up. She also opened a new Yoga 3 course. The Yoga Nidra course, taught by outside teacher Lakshmi, was completed. Lakshman and Durga, who both finished the ‘Teaching Yoga to Children’ course, began to finalize their preparations for their new course which will teach children yoga asana at two age levels. Staff were looking forward to seeing the shoe cupboard filled with tiny shoes! After more than two months of having closed Shabbats, the Centre was once again open to students on Fridays and Saturdays, where many enjoyed a free yoga class as well as three feasts and teachings. We had a very special Satsang with guest speaker Swami Kashi Muktananda, who came from India and spoke about the two paths of yoga according to the Bhagavad Gita. So many people came to attend the Satsang that not everyone could fit into the Meditation Room. The lecture had to be moved to the biggest practice room! Bhargavi Chaitanya had an introduction to Meditation, an introduction to Positive Thinking and opened a Positive Thinking 2 course. She also completed her eight week Meditation 2 course, which included teachings on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Sivakami opened a Yoga 1 course and also her popular ‘Ayurveda and Cooking’ course. Pranava Chaitanya, led a Sunday evening Satsang with stories from the Yoga Vasistha. We hosted another introduction to the Kids and Teenagers Yoga program, as well as opened up a new course on teaching yoga to pregnant women, which will be taught by Sita, from the affiliated Sivananda Centre in Jerusalem. The Staff are eager to continue the up beat energy of the new year. They notably are working hard on developing and promoting new exciting courses and retreats for 2018. Pranams and Peace to the Sivananda family from the Tel Aviv Centre. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/telaviv

Om Namah Sivaya. In January the Tokyo Centre was closed on New Year’s Day and 2^nd of January. We have made a fresh start during Satsang, receiving a New Year’s message from the Upanishads. A special program “108 Sun Salutations” was offered, which turned out to be full house. A workshop on the Jyotish calendar was given, attended by good number of students, and also, a new Yoga 1 course started. A new Yoga 1 course started on Tuesdays. The Tuesday Yoga 1 course has been popular, always attended by a certain number of students despite the weekday. Also, we frequently provide a private class for the Beginner course, which suits some students who are busy as well as shy. A trial class was held one Sunday, which was a full house. Many of them signed up for our membership and enrolled in Yoga 1 course. All in all, it was a lively high energy start for the year 2018. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi.

http://www.sivananda.jp

returned from the Yoga Camp Ashram where we celebrated Christmas and Swamiji’s birthday. Lots of our teachers also joined us at the Ashram. The Centre reopened on 3^rd of January with students slowly coming back to their classes. We have already received lot of registrations for our June Yoga Retreat. Amrita, a Yoga Camp Ashram staff member, came for couple of weeks to Toronto to help out and get some training in the Centre. We worked on gathering all the content to submit for the new website and improve our advertising. Weather improved mid January and we noticed students returning to classes. Nalini arrived from the Ashram to help out for some time at the Centre, while Amrita went back to the Ashram. Bhavani taught “Learn to Knit” workshop  as a community event one Saturday that helped focus while sharing experiences on the yogic path. We started a Bhagavad Gita course which was well attended. Satsang was very busy, with many close students and teachers attending as well as new students. We continued to work on our website, advertising, as well as teaching classes in outreach program. We send Om Namo Narayanaya to every one. Pranams to all.

http://www.sivananda.org/toronto

Om Namah Sivaya. In January the Trivandrum climate was very good. It’s neither too hot nor too cold so students can really enjoy their practice. We started a Beginners’ batch for ladies. Yashpal ji went to Rameswaram for 2 days. Lalitha Sahasra Nama Pooja was conducted on Fridays by our regular priest. One Sunday night the Director and the staff members went to Neyyar Dam Ashram to attend the newest TTC initiation program. The Centre’s Satsang was led by Yashpal ji. Mid-January we offered a Ganapathy Homa since it was the first day of the new Malayalam month. A morning Beginners’ batch started on the same day. We had a guest, Prema from Switzerland. She helped us for 3 weeks in the reception as well as teaching in the Centre. A one month Beginners’ course started in the Maharaja College for women, with good number of students. It is the oldest college in the city. Sw. Ramapriyananda ji conducted an inspiring Satsang. It helped to increase the positive vibes in the Centre. Nataraj ji & Nagaraj ji also joined us for Satsang. After that we all had dinner together. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi.

http://www.sivananda.org/trivandrum

Om Namah Sivaya. Staff returned after their inspiring stay at Reith and Orleans for the New Year celebrations on the 2nd of the month. After the reduced Centre schedule for the holidays, students also soon came back. By Masters grace, one teacher has been added to our list of teachers. Many courses started and Swami Gitananda went deeper into the topic of mind control in her Raja Yoga II course. Our priest, Yagneshwara came from Orleans for the weekend program “Meditations from South-Indian Temples” and we were blessed to have a Ganesha Puja with him and a Sri Yantra Puja on the next day. Many teachers came for the chanting of the Lalitha Sahasranama and brought flowers. We could feel the powerful vibrations of the mantras after the ceremonies. Sending Master’s and Swamiji’s blessing to all. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vienna

Om Namah Sivaya. The New Year started with a very good for the Centre event: Radhika joined Vilnius Centre as a temporary staff. Good start with the new courses: Yoga 1, 2, 3 and 5. We had an Open Day on the 7th. It was nice to see many students eager to change something in their lives to the positive side, to start practicing yoga. Though not many registered for the Yoga 1 course, all were very thankful to receive the knowledge and would like to come back. We had Surya Namaskar workshop with 17 students in the middle of the second week. The students were satisfied with the opportunity to refine the movements of this wonderful exercise and realize that it is possible to go deeper into this practice. Satsangs saw fewer students as usual in the middle of the month maybe because of the cold weather and quite a few teachers of the Centre went to Berlin Centre to participate in the special programme there. The participants of the second Saturday workshop of the month “Yoga and healthy back” received answers to their questions and printed photos with their posture checked with the plumb line. We could notice that later evening courses are very popular: Yoga 1 course started with 11 students taught in two languages, Yoga 2, Yoga 3 and Yoga 5 continued. TTC Lithuania brochure in two languages has been prepared for the printing. Vilnius Centre brochure still in the process, but the events for next two month are already planned and advertised in the internet, posters and leaflets are available for the students at the Centre. We had a very successful cooking class one Saturday with 22 students plus few karma yogis. Bharata taught the course with the helpers. Dishes came out very tasty and sattvic though we had to start making them on the portable low heat stove in the hall and then to bring them to the kitchen to continue. 30 chapattis were made by Radhika and Datatreya. Students asked many questions and learned how to heat up the body during the winter time with the tasty spiced meals. Narayani from the other town came to support yoga Centre for one weekend and to organize a small photo shoot for the upcoming Centre brochure. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vilnius