Sivananda Yoga FAQ Q 1: Why should we believe in God? A: The belief in God is an indispensable requisite for every human being. It is a sine qua non. Owing to the force of Avidya or ignorance, pain appears as pleasure. The world is full of miseries, troubles, difficulties and tribulations. The world is a ball of fire. The Antahkarana (mind, intellect, ego and the subconscious mind) charged with Raga (attachment), Dvesha (hatred), anger and jealousy is a blazing furnace. We have to free ourselves from birth, death, old age, disease and grief. [...]

Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashrams Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp, Sivananda Headquarters, Val Morin, Quebec, Canada Om Namah Sivaya, Greetings from the Headquarters. Although we are officially in Springtime we ended up getting another snowfall in early April! The Camp was once again freshly covered in snow and the snowblower had to be taken out once again to clean up the walk paths and shovelling that needed to get done. Then days became sunnier, and the reflection off the snow made the scenery seem even brighter. We began to incorporate the [...]

Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Zentrum, Berlin, Germany Om Namah Sivaya! Courses and classes were very good this month. During the Easter vacation we had an intensive course which was very successful, so that we spontaneously arranged a second level course the next week. Many regular 4 week courses started, among them a Pranayama course with a good group of inspired students and a meditation course with motivated participants longing to go deeper in their practice. The yoga philosophy course “Yoga wisdom for everyday life” attracted a good [...]

Vegetarian Cuisine PUMPKIN TART - Makes 2 x 8 inch pies. This recipe uses freshly cooked pumpkin. The dough is baked blind first before the filling is added and further baked till set. Makes a spicy satisfying tart for a dessert. A festive dessert for Thanksgiving. Serve with whipped cream or alternative creamy topping. Ingredients for Filling: 1 medium pumpkin 7 ½ tablespoons maple syrup 4 ounces silken tofu ¼ teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground ginger Pinch ground mace or freshly grated nutmeg Pinch ground cloves 1 tablespoon soy [...]

Hatha Yoga Tip EAGLE - GARUDASANA - A standing balance posture with concentration. Stand with both knees slightly bent. Prepare to take weight into your left leg and foot by lifting the right leg and foot a little off the mat. Root the standing foot and toes into the mat, find balance by alternating weight on heels and toes then settle into your point of balance, trying to equalize weight between heels and ball of foot. Take a few moments to stabilize balance. Once your balance feels secure then wrap your right leg around [...]