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 December online courses and classes ran well. We continued with all our projects connected to the online teaching. The painting of the women’s changing room was finished. Swami Gokulananda and Satya went to Reith to the Retreat House. We put the upcoming Christmas program on the website. Before the more strict lock down commenced some students arrived to buy Christmas presents in the boutique. Swami Anapurnanda wanted to remain in Berlin during the lock down. Best wishes for Health and Peace. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/berlin

Om Namah Sivaya. While waiting for the go ahead to reopen the South American Sivananda Centres we are continuing yoga classes online. These classes are free, but we need to make a solidarity call to collaborate in the form of a donation or voluntary contribution that allows us to pay the rent, until the activity resumes. 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. We hope you are all well. 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 December we started a morning Beginners’ Yoga course. Our Karma yogis Priya & Sundaravarshini left the Centre. We conducted a free thanksgiving class (Both Online & normal combined). A workshop on Pranayama was conducted by UmaJi on the same day. We were experimenting with various strategies on social media to increase the number of students. We chanted Om Namo Narayanaya every evening, Vishnu Sahasranama on Thursdays & Lalitha Sahasranama on Friday for peace. We held Sunday Satsangs.

By mid-December we were bathed in nicer weather in Chennai! We started our first online Beginners’ Yoga course after the decentralization of online courses. Students numbers increased gradually. We received 2 people for a weekend yoga retreat program. We had a workshop on Meditation with around 16 people. We had a free kids yoga session on the same day. As our guests left Nirmalaji came back from Madurai. We continued to chant Om Namo Narayanaaya every evening, Vishnu Sahasranama on Thursdays & Lalitha Sahasranama on Friday for peace. We concluded the week with a Satsang, which uplifted the energy in the whole Centre. 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 with all of the classes well attended in December. All of the classes went well. A meditation course started with 5 students, a Beginners’ Yoga course continued with 7 students. A Yoga Kid course and a course on Calligraphy Applied in Mantra Writing was held one weekend. We continued to hand over tasks and duties to the new staff members and provided training to get them ready for teaching asana classes. Two staff members, Radhika and Kumari, are going to attend the 10-day Vedanta Philosophy and Silent Meditation Course in Dalat Ashram, so their duties were handed over to ensure the smooth operation of the Centre. One Sunday we had Satsang with Swami Narayanananda. We organized a Christmas Party, a Headstand Workshop, a Kriyas Workshop, a Yoga Nidra Workshop, a new Beginners’ Yoga course, a new Prenatal Course, and also a TTC Information Day. All the new staff members caught up very well with their daily duties. Lalita left. On December 21st Radhika and Kumari returned from the Vedanta and Silence Course. 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 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. The Geneva Centre is closed.

We continued with online activities. The staff also participated in the European online workshops, classes and Satsangs. The main highlight in December was the first all-European-online-Christmas party. It was a joy to see everybody, all European staff. The Geneva Centre contributed with a French Christmas carol, a reading from Master Sivananda about the true meaning of Christmas (from the book lives of saints) and a special piece of handpan music by our teacher, Krishnadas, which was accompanied by a poem on Japa Yoga. A few teachers came to the Centre and we all rejoiced in the celebration and the very delicious food which was prepared by Girija. With best wishes for health and peace. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/geneva

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

In December 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. We welcomed back our staff from Dalat, including, Swami Pranavananda, Ganga Chaitanya, Shakti Chaitanya and new staff Narayani. Also we sent out staff Mahashakti to Dalat Ashram to attend the Vedanta Silent course for 10 days with Swami Sitaramananda. We started one new Beginners’ Yoga course taught by Shakti Chaitanya, and one Asana Advanced course taught by Ganga Chaitanya. Both of the courses were well received by the students. We also offered a 2 day workshop, “Concentration in the Macrame Art ” with 6 students attending. Last but not least, we decorated Christmas around the Centre with the help of many karma yogis. It brightened up the place and brought the new energy to the Centre. One Sunday evening Satsang was surprisingly packed with 40 people, most of them from the group of new graduated TTC students. We are so blessed to be able to serve and share the positive energy to all.

Mid-December: Hochiminh Centre started 3 training courses for the new TTC graduated students, such as: How to teach Open class in bilingual; How to do the correction-adjustment; How to teach the Beginners’ Yoga course with theories. These courses are taught by Ganga Chaitanya with a good number of students attending. We also had 2 successful weekend programs: A TTC information day, taught by Priya Chaitanya from Dalat Ashram; a 2 day Yantra painting workshop, taught by our staff Devika. All the open classes, courses and Satsangs continued to have a good number of students attending regularly. Last but not least, we welcomed new staff Viveka from Dalat Ashram to be staff in Hochiminh Centre for a few months. 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.

December went well with more students onsite and online than the past week. Everything is going ok at the Centre despite the slowed down activities. We are now getting ready for a new lockdown (after the brief “re-opening”) on Wednesday 16/12/20. With best wishes for health and inner peace. 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 December the LA Centre 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 continued our afternoon workshops from the Ashram, Classical Indian Music with Hasu Patel on Mondays and a practice class on Thursdays. We offered “Art of Processing Emotions” workshop. The Yantra Painting was on the schedule, shared with some of the Ashram staff. A Yoga 1 Refresher Course and a Yoga 2 course also started. Sivadas took the 10-day Vedanta and Silence course.

As December continued the LA staff enjoyed life at the Yoga Farm for the holidays, including a 15-day Holiday Retreat. We were especially struck by the series of presentations by Benoy Behl about the art of India. The depiction of devotion and facial expressions of inner peace in both painting and sculpture were remarkable and left a strong impression. Swami Sivasankariananda gave a talk on dealing with stress the Yogic way. We mailed out holiday cheer in the form of many cards and gifts. The tenth 30-Day Pranayama Challenge started. 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 classes. If you prefer now, you can also have an unlimited 24-hour pass. NEW! Access to recorded classes within subscriptions.

In early December there was a long weekend in Spain hence a reduced schedule with less students. Our focus was preparing for the Christmas season and promotion of the upcoming TTCOL. Staff travelled to Seminarhaus in Reith for the next few weeks. Meanwhile online classes continued with a reduced schedule. Staff taught the online classes from Seminarhaus in Reith. Teachers took loving care of the Centre. We looked forward to the Christmas program. 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. 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. 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! 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 partial lockdown in Germany. Staff are in the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith / Tyrol / Austria. Students are thankful to participate in the online Satsangs, classes and courses. From November 1st 2020, due to the lockdown, there will be no more on-site lessons at the Centre until further notice. Let yourself be inspired by the extensive live online yoga offer. Call us if you have any questions: 089 700 9669 0 We did celebrate the annual Christmas Party online together with all European Sivananda Yoga Centres. For more details concerning the Christmas Party see the weekly report for Reith. We wish everyone health and inner strength. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/munich

Om Namah Sivaya from Manhattan. 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 and Chicago. 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 continues to give its courses online. Face-to-face classes are suspended until further notice following recent decrees related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During December the Paris Centre remained closed. The Paris’ students expressed their gratitude for the online Christmas Celebration with the European Sivananda Centres on December 12. Gathering online gave us the feeling of being one big family. All cultural places as well that restaurants and sport halls remain closed. The Paris Centre will not be able to open. There was a curfew from 8pm to 6am. The Centre offered a couple of Satsangs onsite before the end of the year. The daily online classes and Om Namo Narayanaya chanting continued as well. We started a Raja yoga course online with a motivated group of 15 students. We hoped to open again in January with classes and Satsangs. Many Paris students enjoyed the online teachings with the Sivananda family. We started with the preparations of the Christmas Satsang on the 24, that day there won’t be a curfew.

By mid-December Christmas was in the air, much prana was put in the preparations of the celebration. The 2nd major lockdown in France eased but the Paris Centre remained closed as well as sport centres. There remained a curfew from 8 pm to 6 am. There were less students for the online classes and the Om Namo Narayanaya chanting. The close karma yogis were happy to come to the Centre. They did the inventory and they put a dose of sattva into the house. The actors are learning their lines for the Christmas play. The Centre looks joyful with the Christmas decorations. There was a Raja Yoga course with a group of motivated students. Swami Nityananda arrived and very happy to see the Paris’ family. God gave us a cheerful a Fire of Yoga with a group of teachers and karma yogis in the Main Hall plus, onsite Satsangs with the teachers. We had many Kirtans and an inspiring letter of Master Sivananda. Vyasa prepared a delicious Prasad. The teachers left early because of the curfew. We did extra Satsangs with Orleans. A couple of students visited our boutique. We found some new ideas for the Christmas play and we recorded some parts of it. A couple of karma yogis stayed one weekend to support the Centre to work on the play and to do collective Sadhana with the staff. Everyone feels very grateful. 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.

http://www.sivananda.org/portoalegre

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 now closed and all courses are offered online.

At the Centre in December the Tel Aviv staff celebrated the first day of Hanukkah – the holiday of light. We lit the first candle, sang the customary hymns and ate some traditional donuts-like pastries. The Positive Thinking and Yoga 3 courses ended. We continued to reach many students from all over the country with the online courses with many students from the past returning to join the online classes.

Mid month we started a new Bhagavad Gita and Yoga 3 courses with a nice group of motivated students. Meditation 2 and Yoga 3 courses ended. We started organizing a weekend program for teachers with a rich and inspiring schedule of Satsangs, yoga classes, workshops and a festive meal on the birthday celebration of Swami Vishnu. It has been a while since we had such a gathering and everyone was excited. Wishing all Merry Christmas and a happy new year! 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 December a monthly study session named “Ishwaraya Namah” by Yashashvin was held. The program, filled with friendliness, navigated by Yashashvin who is a long-time Karma yogi and disciple of Swami Cetananda is joined by many students who adore him. We offered a Headstand workshop. A Yoga 2 was completed and a new Yoga 1 started. The monthly Sanskrit course taught by Vanidevi was held. In this program, students have been learning introductory level of Sanskrit for 4 months, followed by the monthly Sanskrit Beginner Course 2 scheduled to start in January. Keiko Ito offered an Jyotish talk session in which she shared with us descriptions about transition of planets for a month to come and knowledge on the relationship between Jyotish and Yoga/meditation. Japan broadly saw a snowy weather and experienced the coldest day so far in Tokyo. Day by day, it became colder and colder in Tokyo, and the number of new cases of COVID-19 grew. In this regard, we wish everyone a safe and healthy life through Yoga, boosting the immune strength.  We thank all the committed students who come to the Centre despite this cold weather. May Master and Swamiji’s grace be with all. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.jp

Om Namah Sivaya. Toronto has gone into full lockdown for one month. We started an online meditation course and new gentle yoga course. We continued to stay in touch with teachers and work hard to offer courses and classes online. Dr Sundar offered Pranayama workshop, connecting to his extensive research. The workshop was very well received. Staff spent a weekend at the local farm owned by one of the teachers as the weather was very warm and it was beautiful to do Sadhana outside.

Due to new Ontario provincial government health measures the Centre had to close again. It is a temporary measure that the Canadian government introduced in order to regulate the increase numbers of COVID cases. We continued to teach online, maintaining contact with our students and teachers.

Meanwhile because Toronto is still in lockdown we continued teaching online. We finished an early morning pranayama course that was attended by our close students and teachers which left everyone recharged. Free trial class was attended by parents of some of our teen students who insisted their parents start yoga. We celebrated Mookambika’s birthday with a feast and Zoom call attended by many teachers and students. Several meditation courses, beginner courses and a ten day yoga practice course were offered. We had a Japanese Winter cooking workshop that brought us many sattvic and nutritious dishes. We had an online Christmas celebration with long time teacher and musician Ken Whiteley, attended by staff and students from all over Canada. Swami Shivabhkatananda visited from the Ashram for a weekend. 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 December we continued with the intermediate classes online every weekday. Our students and teachers attended workshops given by Swami Sivadasananda FIRE OF YOGA was offered with translations. Morning and evening Satsangs from Reith and Orleans kept willing students and teachers connected. A highlight was the Christmas party online with all European Centres. 43 participants from Lithuania took part in the online party. Everybody at the Centre prepared and filmed a Christmas greetings dance with much good feedback and thanks for the efforts to cheer up the participants. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vilnius

God helps you, only when you feel utterly humble. – Sri Swami Sivananda