Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Om Namah Sivaya! TEMPORARY CLOSING OF THE BERLIN YOGA Centre FROM 2.11.2020
There will be no classes in the Berlin Yoga Centre until further notice. The yoga shop is open and we are still there for you by phone and email. Call us if you have any questions: 030 85 99 97 98 Let yourself be inspired by what online yoga has to offer. We wish everyone health and inner strength.

Meanwhile, the Online classes were well visited in January. Several online courses started: A Yoga 1 course with a good group of newcomers, all eager to learn Yoga. The Christmas intensive course continued as a Yoga 3 course. The “Inspirations for New Year” course continued as a weekly course with an inspired group of students, called “Spiritualizing Every Day of Your Life”, a very practical course to support students to built up their Sadhana. All staff are well and healthy. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/berlin

Om Namah Sivaya. We now offer with face-to-face classes on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays at 7pm and Sundays 5pm. There is a beautiful and spacious room, with the appropriate sanitary measures – a space to connect with you! We will wait for you! Any sum you can contribute will be grateful from the heart. You can contact us for any questions about practicing yoga at home through e-mail: [email protected]
or by calling 11 4804 7813. Continue your practice from your homes. For any queries do not hesitate to contact us. If changes or news arise, we will inform you. We salute you with a fervent desire for peace and health for all. Pranams. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/baires

Om Namah Sivaya from Chengdu. We prayed for the students, by Guru’s Grace. We also prayed the whole world will go through this crisis with blessings from Lord Siva and Gurus. May Guru’s Grace bless everyone. Om Shanti. Om.

http://www.sivanandayogachina.org

Om Namah Sivaya to all Blessed Selves from the Chennai Centre. We are happy to announce that we are now open. Our Centres and Ashrams are following MHA guidelines closely to ensure the safety and comfort of all. The continued practice of social distancing and limited class sizes are to meet these requirements. These guidelines will be posted in all our Centres and Ashrams. Please familiarize yourself with these safety precautions: MOH Guidelines for Yoga Institutions. We look forward to having you at the Centre and practicing together. We are also continuing online classes. Please visit www.sivananda.org.in/online-yoga for online classes.

For the month of January we started a morning Beginners’ Yoga with 4 students. We started an online Beginners’ Yoga in the evening on the same day with 6 participants. Online classes attendance gradually picked up. We focused more on private online sessions. There was a slight number of drop in students at the Centre due to the heavy rains. Bhagavad Gita lessons taught by Uma Natarajan (Facebook live) received an enthusiastic response.

By mid-January we started a new batch of Beginners’ Yoga course (9:30 am). A special workshop on the topic “Chakras & Practice” was taught by Nirmala Chaitanya. The course lasted for five days with 10 people attending online & 5 people at the Centre. We celebrated the “Pongal” (Regional Festival of Tamil Nadu). We had a one day workshop entitled “Yoga for Leg Strengthening”, it was very interesting and people loved it. Nirmala Chaitanya, Shanthi Vijaya & Rushi left the Centre for ATTC at the Madurai Ashram. On the same day we welcomed Mangala Chaitanya & Hamsa. Gopan & family left the Centre for his mother’s death anniversary, on the same day we welcomed Pooja. We had a special class for the retiring employees of Reserve Bank of India. We had a kriya workshop led by Mangala Chaitanya. We bade a fond farewell to Hamsa. Apart from that, regular classes went well. We chanted Om Namo Narayanaaya every evening, Vishnu Sahasranama on Thursdays & Lalitha Sahasranama on Fridays for peace. Satsangs were led by Gopan or Sandhya. All our staffs are happy & doing their Sadhanas. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/madras

Om Namah Sivaya from the Chicago Centre. We are grateful to the Gurus for continuing to protect and inspire our Sadhana. We wish you awareness of Guru’s Grace. Join us online for courses, studies, Satsangs and yoga classes. Take good care! Om and prem.

http://www.sivananda.org/chicago

Om Namah Sivaya from the beautiful DaLat Centre. With thanks to Guru’s blessing, our Centre maintained strong energy to serve the community in January 2021. All of the classes went well. We had a workshop on relaxation through painting. We offered Beginners’ Yoga, Yoga for Kids, Meditation, 108 Rounds of Sun Salutation courses and a Mala Bead and Japa Meditation Workshop. Harshani left to attend the Ayurveda Massage Course at the Da Lat Ashram. Nirmala also left temporarily for 2 weeks of SYHET. Radhika moved to Hanoi Centre to continue her service after over 2 years of service in Dalat. We welcomed a resident who came to stay for 10 days. She’s very adaptable and has gained a lot of benefits during her stay here. Shakti Chaitanya from Dalat Ashram came to support for 2 weeks, she brought a new energy to the Centre and for the students. We welcomed new staff member Omkari, she is a SYHET student and will serve for 6 months. We did our best to keep our Sadhana strong and maintain energy. We pray for Guru’s grace and blessings. Om.

https://sivanandayogavietnam.org

Om Namah Sivaya to all. We are happy to inform you that our Centre is open. We look forward to practicing together. We’ll also be continuing with our online classes, courses & programs. For details, please visit sivananda.org.in/online-yoga The staff are well at the Centre. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/dwarka

Greetings from Sivananda Nataraja Centre. We are happy to announce that we are now open. Our Centres and Ashrams are following MHA guidelines closely to ensure the safety and comfort of all. The continued practice of social distancing and limited class sizes are to meet these requirements. These guidelines will be posted in all our Centres and Ashrams. Please familiarize yourself with these safety precautions: MOH Guidelines for Yoga Institutions. We look forward to having you at the Centre and practicing together. We are also continuing online classes. Please visit sivananda.org.in/online-yoga for online classes. Please stay connected – https://sivananda.org.in/delhi/ The staff are well at the Centre. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/delhi

Om Namah Sivaya. We continued with online activities. The staff also participated in the European online workshops, classes and Satsangs. With best wishes for health and peace. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/geneva

Om Namah Sivaya. The Ho Chi Minh Centre is open.

In January 2021 the Centre was blessed to have a busy month with students arriving regularly for open classes, courses, workshops and Satsangs. The HCM Centre continued to have a good number of people come for classes and courses.

Mid-January: The Hochiminh Centre started a new Yoga for Cancer Survivors class with 6 students. This class was offered for free as a contribution to the society and was well received by the students. We also started 2 Beginners’ Yoga courses taught by Karunadevi and Devika with a good number of attendants. We also had a 108 rounds of Sun Salutation workshop with 18 students continuing until the end. Other classes and Satsangs continued to have regular students attending. We also started the project of a deep cleaning Centre to prepare for the upcoming Lunar new year. We pray for everyone’s health and inspiration to keep practicing and teaching! May the Sivananda family worldwide be safe and continue the wonderful teachings, in all ways possible. Om.

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

Om Namah Sivaya. The London Centre is temporarily closed for onsite classes. We currently offer online classes and courses. You can reserve your online yoga class or course via MindBody. For more information, please call us on +44 (0) 208 780 0160 or if would like to receive our daily newsletter.

January 2021 was rather calm during our continued lockdown period. Students continued to participate actively, gratefully and with enthusiasm to our many online activities. Savitri and Kailas started to teach on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 3 courses for the Green Park Content company, whose CEO is a student of the London Centre and wanted to offer an experience of yoga to his employees. All 3 courses are composed of 4 sessions, on the same day for four weeks. Savitri taught the stress management course. Kailas taught a Beginner asana/pranayama course. Savitri taught a meditation course to our GPC students who are overall quite young, dynamic and positive.

The online activities continued to be offered to all of our UK students. Students regularly express their deep gratitude for the teachings which are being shared with them, not only from here in London, but also from so many other places in Europe, and even from other parts of the world. We managed to fix an ongoing problem with the internet, phone, scanner and printer. It was a great relief. We now feel like the working conditions are back to normal. London was under the snow for a few hours later in January. Kids and parents came out of their homes despite of the full lockdown, simply to play. It was a very happy sight. With best wishes for health and inner peace. Om Tat Sat. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/london

Om Namo Narayanaya. Blessed Sivananda Yoga Community, the Sivananda Yoga Centre in Los Angeles is closed until California businesses are cleared to reopen. This challenging time is our opportunity to turn inward, deepen our practice and keep our community strong and healthy. Through Satsang and our collective positive thoughts, we support each other and the world. Visit our website for our online offerings: daily yoga classes, workshops and courses, plus Satsangs with Acharya Swami Sitaramananda. Boost your immune system by practicing all paths of Yoga; feel healthier and stronger in both body and mind.

In January the LA Centre remained closed due to a surge in COVID cases. The LA Staff then happily settling into the rhythm of life at the Yoga Farm Ashram. We spent a week gearing up for the first online TTC of 2021. We were glad to be onsite at the Yoga Farm this time around. A group of eager TTC students kindled great inspiration. To retain a closer connection with LA students, LA staff offered two intimate morning Satsangs per week, separate from the Yoga Farm staff. Regular afternoon music programs continued with Hasu Patel. We did two additional practice sessions – great for the soul. Access to Hasuji is definitely a silver lining in the pandemic. Art of Processing Emotions course was quite revealing. The Bhagavad Gita class grew as we make our way slowly through Chapter 18. Two five-session courses started: Raja Yoga Sutras and Meditation 1. Two finished: Yoga 1 Refresher and Yoga 2. We snuck in a Hip Opening workshop one weekend. Staff are well-occupied and in good spirits.

As the online TTC continued in January Swami Sivasankariananda and Radha Chaitanya each mentored a student nightly, enjoying the opportunity to review and experience the TTC course through their mentee’s eyes. Mild weather further lifted our spirits and brought staff outdoors. We offered another Hip Opening Workshop and started three courses: Yoga 2 Refresher, Yoga 3 and Meditation 2. Bonds were forming among the students in the courses as they looked forward to the sattvic connection each week. We entered the 11th round of the 30-Day Pranayama Challenge on Instagram Live. It is an honor to share the teachings. May our reach grow wider and wider. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/la

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves! Enjoy Yoga at home. We offer you a wide schedule 7 days/week, always with live online classes. If you prefer now, you can also have an unlimited 24-hour pass. NEW! Access to recorded classes within subscriptions.

Staff are well. Sending our best wishes for health and peace. We were grateful to Master and Swamiji for inspiring so many souls on their path. Pranams to all. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/madrid

Om Namah Sivaya to all. Due to the unpredictability of the on-going COVID-19 situation nationally and locally we have had to change our opening dates. We request that you contact your local Centres and Ashrams directly for their latest update. Free online Yoga classes, courses and programs are available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Boost your immune system by practicing all paths of Yoga to feel healthier and stronger in both body and mind.

Meanwhile the Madurai staff were doing well. All other activities were fine by Gurus’ grace. Our staff member Balaji departed on a two week leave in connection with his brother’s marriage. We thank our Masters for all blessings and support bestowed. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/madurai

Om Namah Sivaya from the Montevideo Centre. During January we had a warm weather, sunny and some refreshing rain. We resumed face-to-face activities on January 11 after keeping the Centre closed since December 2, 2020. Students are gradually reintegrating into face-to-face classes, despite the unfortunate advances of this COVID 19 pandemic in our country. We started the first Beginners’ Yoga course for 2021 with seven students. We continued with our activities online and offered Satsangs Fridays to Sundays. Both teachers and students joined us and were very happy for this opportunity to meditate together. Preparations for the first 2021 TTC Online were on track, offering the TTC from 24-1 to 20-2-2021, in Spanish, German and English with simultaneous translation. As always, the students hailed from everywhere in the planet.

As January continued we offered a vast program of classes face to face and online. Students were very thankful for all the activities we offered. Chandra taught a lot because most of our teachers are on Summer vacation. Dr. Padma taught Beginners’ Yoga with students very happy with her classes. The new TTCOL, synchronized with the European Centres went well. It was very nice to see the same energy, the positive attitude and serious commitment from teachers and students. Yoga is so good, the teachings we received are so wonderful that it doesn’t matter the way we teach (presential or online) the results always enrich ourselves. South American Satsangs continued very successfully. Prajña from Brazil led Satsangs in Portuguese, then Swami Dayananda from Argentina and Kanti Devi and Chandra from Uruguay. We also prepared for a new Brazilian platform online starting in February. Teachers from all over Brazil will help to teach classes and different programs in Portuguese. Even though we do not have a location in Brazil we will continue the mission of Swamiji online.

In March a new course will begin that will be held in conjunction with the Sivananda Yoga Centres of Europe and we want to invite you to a free session that will take place on Sunday, February 14 at 1:00 p.m.

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

Om Namah Sivaya and Greetings from the Montreal Centre! We have an extensive lineup of classes online.
Visit https://sivanandacanada.org/montreal/class-schedule/
Visit https://sivanandacanada.org/montreal/COVID-19-regulations/ for more information. May God’s grace and the teachers’ blessings always remain with us and guide us into being of impeccable service to the people around the world. Pranams to all. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/montreal

Om Namah Sivaya. The Munich Centre is closed because of the lockdown in Germany. All Staff are residing in the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith / Tyrol / Austria. Meanwhile students are thankful to participate in the online Satsangs, classes and courses. Let yourself be inspired by the extensive live online yoga offer. Call us if you have any questions: 089 700 9669 0 We wish everyone health and inner strength. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/munich

Om Namah Sivaya from Manhattan, New York. The Centre remains closed as we wait for the government directives to restart operations. We successfully continued to teach classes and courses in conjunction with the Ranch Ashram and Chicago Centre. https://sivanandanyc.org/
We send our blessings for all to stay healthy, positive and strong in Sadhana! Join us online for courses, studies, Satsangs and yoga classes. May Gurudev’s blessings continue to light our path. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/ny

Om Namah Sivaya. The Paris Centre continued to give its courses online with the Centre opening 18th January 2021 for small face-to-face internships only. We chanted the Om Namo Narayanaya from Orleans with one of the teachers who was in the Ashram. The classes were given from both Orleans and Paris. There was the continuation of a Raja Yoga course with a little group of motivated students. Swami Nityananda came back from the Ashram. One weekend, the Masters sent an army of karma yogis who brought joy to the Centre and who put a dose of sattva in the house. We took the fire of yoga with a group of teachers. We had a little Satsang right after the online class and before the curfew, with Swami Sivadasananda. In the evenings we participated in the online Satsangs with Reith and Orleans.

There was a cheerful mood with the Sadhana collective and little Satsangs with teachers and karma yogis. The online activities continued. The online Sadhana also with courses and Satsangs with the Acharyas. We celebrated Swami Nitya’s birthday online, chanting Om Namo Narayanaya for peace. The plants began blooming everywhere. Many people attended and it was inspiring to chant together. France began an earlier curfew, from six pm to six am. Girija arrived from Orleans to support the Centre for one month or so. We were very grateful with God to send us such a dynamic and harmonious yogini as staff.

God gave us an uplifting January with a double visit from Swami Kailasananda and the opening of the Paris Centre for small courses. Swamiji gave an inspiring Satsang to a group of 30 teachers and karma yogis. (30 being the maximum allowed for devotional activities according to the new measures). After the Satsang the teachers and the staff took the Fire of Yoga with Swami Sivadasananda. We were around 25 people in the Main Hall for the class (the maximum allowed for  asana courses). Some teachers had to leave earlier because of the curfew at six pm. Many practical asana also courses started. There was an online positive thinking starting with 33 motivated students. We were happy to see the two Ganapatis, Narayana, Saraswati and Pushkar who passed by. There was a cheerful atmosphere at the Centre with a big family and with the joyful students, teachers and karma yogis. Everyone feels very grateful. May God and the Masters protect the Paris Centre. May the Divine Mother destroy all negativity and bring love and peace. May Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnudevananda continue to guide and to inspire all of us. With all our wishes for health and peace. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/paris

Greetings from Porto Alegre. We remain united! Wishing to all of you health and peace. May all live under Master’s and Guru’s grace. Om Shanti. Om.

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves. The Roma Centre is closed and we are teaching only classes online. Share the new rules of behavior, be well and safe together. Sending Love and prana to all of you. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/rome

Om Namah Sivaya. Om Shanti Shanti to all the Sivananda family. Centro Internacional Sivananda de Yoga e Vedanta Sao Paulo is temporarily closed. May Master and Swamiji bless us with patience in our personal studies and practice. May all be well. Om.

https://www.sivananda.org/saopaulo

Om Namah Sivaya. The Tel Aviv Centre is closed and all courses are offered online.

In January the following courses ended: Meditation, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga 1, and Yoga 3. During Satsang, Swami Shambhudevananda gave an inspiring talk on practical instructions for spiritual practice by Swami Sivananda. The staff went on a short trip to enjoy the outdoors and refresh in nature just before the country started its third lockdown due to the Coronavirus. We promoted many new courses for February. We continued the study of Raja Yoga by Swami Sivananda in the morning Satsangs, via Zoom.

Towards the end of January a new Bhagavad Gita, Raja Yoga, and Yoga 3 courses started. We started two online Teaching Yoga for Kids training. As we received many requests for morning courses we offered an early morning Beginners’ Yoga course. The project of HD recorded classes progressed well and so we looked into the marketing aspects. The Centre remained closed due to the general lockdown. May the Master’s grace be with all. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/telaviv

Om Namah Sivaya. The Tokyo Centre’s doors are open, as well as Online.

During January 2021 the Tokyo Centre remained open, however, the Japanese Government declared an emergency, imposing restrictions for outing during the night time for Tokyo residents and the neighboring prefectures. To abide by this, the classes scheduled at night hours were offered online only. Japan was covered by intense cold air, causing disasters due to massive snowfall in the northern Japan. Tokyo saw temperatures below zero celsius. We were alert for ventilation as well as cold air, keeping up with day-to-day class operation. We gave an online retreat program “Kitchari Cleanse”. The students enjoyed the Satsang, asana classes and workshop for cooking kitchari, in addition to 2 kitchari meals per day, in accordance with the program schedule. We dispatched the ingredients for kitchari such as rice, beans, spices, etc. by mailing in advance, sharing a tip for cooking the Indian food and knowledge on proper diet with the students.

Mid January: Yashashvin who taught Vedanta at the Tokyo Centre gave a workshop for yoga teachers, focusing on what Yoga can do to help people who have mental health problems. Based on his experiences that he has been teaching yoga at mental hospitals for a long time, he shared with us his knowledge and skills such as recommended postures for them to practice, suitable words for us to use when teaching yoga to them. A new Yoga 1 course has started on Saturdays with 5 students attending. Asana Jaya workshop navigated by Sharada was offered, in which the students experienced very deep meditative state by holding postures longer with concentration and relaxed breathing. A special Satsang with Swami Sitaramananda ji was offered, with more than 46 students joining online. Swamiji gave us an inspiring, uplifting talk, showing us the direction we should go toward for 2021, and again we learned the methods for attaining unyielding strength to situations like this pandemic through yoga. Beginner Sanskrit courses 1 and 2 started, joined by good number of students with New Year resolutions at the start of the year. Yoga 1 and Yoga 2 were well underway. May Master and Swamiji’s grace be with all. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.jp

Om Namah Sivaya. Toronto is in full lockdown. Due to new Ontario provincial government health measures the Centre had to close again. It is a preventative measure the government introduced in order to regulate the increase numbers of COVID cases. We continued to teach online, maintaining contact with our students and teachers.

To start the new year we offered a new Beginners’ Yoga course, a gentle yoga and a yoga challenge course. We also taught a private online class for a group organized by one of our students. Saraswati taught a Spiritual Diary workshop. We attended an online Satsang with the Yoga Camp Ashram one weekend and also spent some time hiking in Rouge Valley just outside of Toronto. Several new teachers joined our online teaching after assisting some classes. Maheswari started another Bhagavad Gita study group that was very inspiring for all. All staff participate in morning pranayama in order to keep energy up. We spent some time updating our upcoming programs and advertising. As Toronto remains under stay-at-home order, activities in the city were still very limited. May Master and Swamiji’s blessings bring all good health and peace and that we continue to be useful for many. We send Om Namo Narayanaya to everyone. Pranams. Love to all. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/toronto

Om Namah Sivaya. Due to the unpredictability of the on-going COVID-19 situation nationally and locally we have had to change our opening dates. We request that you contact your local Centres and Ashrams directly for their latest update. Join us through online classes, courses and programs online. Sending Prem and Om to all from our family of guests and staffs. Our thoughts are with you all and we pray that you keep well and positive during these challenging times. Keep up your Sadhana and prayer for one and around in the planet. Praying for world health and peace – OM NAMO NARAYANAYA. Please stay connected. [email protected]

http://www.sivananda.org/trivandrum

Om Namah Sivaya. The Vienna Centre is closed because of the partial lockdown in Austria. Staff are in the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith/Tyrol in Austria. Students are thankful to participate in the online Satsangs, classes and courses.Let yourself be inspired by the extensive live online yoga offer. Call us if you have any questions:
Tel: +43 (01) 586 34 53
Mobile / WhatsApp: +43 680 3127237
We wish everyone health and inner strength. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vienna

Om Namah Sivaya. In January 2021 we continued teaching online with 6 open classes from Vilnius Centre, together gathering a good amount of students. We had more than 100 students on the standby list of participants, whom we send the link for the upcoming asana class every day. For many of them it was very helpful to keep them on course. A good amount of our students/teachers stayed connected while attending evening or morning Satsangs from Austria, then attending weekend online courses or sessions. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vilnius