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Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Zentrum, Berlin, Germany

Om Namah Sivaya! In December several higher courses started, classes and courses were well attended. The focus was on the preparation of the Christmas party, decorating, preparing the Christmas feast, packing presents and rehearsing the theater play. The party itself was very successful. Many students and teachers came and enjoyed the festive and elevating program. Santa Claus came and brought presents for everyone, children, teachers, Karma Yogis and all students. The atmosphere was very joyful. A highlight of the evening was the theater play with Krishna and Narada on the nature of maya. It was very well presented and very well received. The feast afterwards gave the opportunity to meet and to have personal conversations with teachers and students. A enthusiastic group of Karma Yogis helped to make it so successful. Later, Sarasvati went back to Reith. Meanwhile, classes and courses continued to run well. Satsangs were especially well visited. We tried to finish as much preparations as possible for the upcoming special program before Christmas. The Karma Yogis supported the Centre with untiring spirit. SwamiSatyananda and Kamala left for Reith. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/berlin

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America

Om Namah Sivaya. By Gods Grace and Masters’ blessings, all went well and smoothly in December. Many Karma yogis helped the Centre, of which we were grateful. We hope that all of you are well. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/baires

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Chengdu, China

Om Namah Sivaya from Chengdu. In December a highlight was our Open House. The morning sense therapy workshop was a lot of fun. More students signed up for the upcoming Foundation course. Open classes are well attended. Ambika returned to Centre well recharged. Later in the month we presented an intensive course, including an Ayurvedic five senses workshop, a lecture, a chanting workshop and an asana class. We also held a potluck and white elephant party, sharing different sattvic foods. We designed a quote postcard combined with photos of Swami Sivananda & Swami Vishnudevananda and gave to students as a gift. We all read the different quotes, exchanged gifts with each other, also did some chantings in the end. We were honored to welcome a 1984 TTC graduate to the Centre. He was taught by Swami Vishnudevanandaji. He shared that his appreciation of being at the Centre. As weather became colder this month, the open classes had less people. The yoga foundation course started. All is well by Guru’s grace. Om Shanti.

http://www.sivanandayogachina.org

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Om Namah Sivaya to all Blessed Selves from the Chennai Centre. In December we started a new Beginners’ Yoga batch on Mondays with an increase in numbers of students. The Japanese open classes did very well as Chandrika, our Japanese staff, took good care of them. We had 2 Yoga Vacation guests who stayed the entire week. They are very happy and have decided to return once again at the end of this month. Gopan ji went to Gudur with Swami Ayyapananda for a day. Swami ji was very happy with the progress of the Ashram. The Centre saw more children in the kids classes which was very lively and energetic to have. We decorated the Centre with Christmas decorations, colours and cleaned the Centre thoroughly. We welcomed our new staff from Neyyar Dam, Mangala Chaitanya, Priya and work study student, Sundari. It was very beautiful to have them jump right into the festivities and help out in all aspects of the Centre. We had a great kids and parents yoga workshop, followed by a story telling session where all staff displayed inspiring stories and drama for the children. We were blessed to have many Yoga Vacation students regularly coming to the Centre this season. We also had few non resident volunteers come and help out with all the programs. Another highlight in December was a wonderful Christmas Satsang and Talent Show. We bid farewell to our very energetic and enthusiastic staff Durga who was extremely hardworking. Our new staff, Shivani, joined our Centre. The Chennai Staff are all doing well and focusing well on their Teaching, Karma yoga and Sadhana. We performed the regular Sunday Satsangs. By Grace of God and Masters everything is going well and progressing in Chennai. Pranams! Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/madras

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Chicago, USA

Om Namah Sivaya from Chicago! Warm greetings from the wintry Midwest. In December Swami Satyapremananda returned from her trip to the Yoga Ranch. We saw a rise in attendance as the Yoga 2 course continued. The Bhagavad Gita Study series returned. There was a Stress Management weekend program, led by Durga (Elisa Urtiaga-Medina, a Sivananda teacher living in Michigan), as part of her practicum in the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator program. The weekend was very well received, and we are looking forward to Durga’s next visit early in 2019. We were grateful for strong participation from karma yogis. The Centre was decorated for the holidays, and we prepared for our holiday Satsang and potluck party. The Practicing Contentment course finished, and the Yoga 2 group completed their sessions. Swami Satyapremananda was away for a couple of days to visit family, returning in time for the Bhagavad Gita study class. We continued with our regular schedule. In spite of the busy holiday season attendance was good in the morning classes and the evening Satsangs, which included Sunday prayers and a Christmas message from Master’s book The Life and Teachings of Lord Jesus. Staff are grateful for the grace of the Gurus, steady in Sadhana, and sending pranams to all. Staff send best wishes for a happy New Year to all. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/chicago

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta DÀ LAT Centre, Dà Lat City, Vietnam

Om Namah Sivaya from the beautiful DaLat Centre. In December our regular classes and Satsangs were busy. Our Beginners’ Yoga course with 14 students continued steadily. We held an outdoor Yoga class, taught by Sundaram, which was attended by a group of 18 students. Regular classes and Satsangs continued to be busy. We give thanks for Guru’s grace. Om.

https://sivanandayogavietnam.org

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta DWARKA Centre, Delhi, India

Om Namah Sivaya. By the guidance of the Gurus, the Centre ran efficiently and effortlessly. The December cold weather arrived in Delhi, despite this, the students did not get discouraged to come to the Centre, and we could see another very positive week in terms of attendance. Open classes were in full swing, and the kids participating in our weekend classes week after week, which is a very positive sign. We had two new Beginners’ Yoga starting at 6 am and 4 pm, and it’s good to see that the recently graduated beginners join the open classes, getting up to speed with regular students. The Meditation course finished and all students were happy and eager to continue with their practice. We conducted two workshops one Sunday, both with very good participation: a Pranayama workshop in the morning, and a Balancing Asanas workshop in the afternoon. We saw increasing interest in the learning of yogic techniques and practices by our students, both from beginners and from regular students, which gave us a very positive outlook for the future. We had a teachers meeting as well, where we discussed many issues and how to progress in a better way. The painting works of the building continued. Our Centre became more beautiful and shining week after week. Satsang went very well with new people arriving every week. The words of the Masters resonate with us all. All the staff members are deep in their practice and doing their best to improve themselves and the Centre. We hope that everybody in the Sivananda family is healthy and happy. We send our Pranams to all. Om Namo Narayanaya!Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/dwarka

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta NATARAJA Centre, Delhi, India

Om Namo Narayanaya. In December, with the grace of the Masters, we started two Beginners’ Yoga courses, one at 6:30am and the other at 4:00pm. Jaypal came back from home after a month holiday. Ishwaraji arrived at the Centre to stay for few days on his way to Uttrakashi. We started a weekend Beginners’ Yoga at 8:00am. We conducted the usual Satsangs which helps us to maintain the Centre energy and stay motivated. Mid month we started a Yoga 2 on Wednesdays. Kapoorji’s younger brother passed away. We sent our prayers to the departed soul to continue the journey in peace along with condolences to all family members. The staff went for prayer meeting in Noida. Side to side, the preparation to celebrate Christmas Eve continued. Neelkanthji went back to Pune after a month stay in the Centre. Although the winter was getting stronger, with the blessings of the Gurus, everything went fine. We send our Pranams and hope everyone is happy and peaceful. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/delhi

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Om Namah Sivaya. In December Ganga Chaitanya continued the training of TTC graduates and staff with 12 two-hour classes held each week for three different groups: TTC July 2017, TTC November 2017, and TTC November 2018. One of the groups was HCM staff and experienced outside teachers learning to teach courses. We also continued with many courses, strongly attended. Ganga Chaitanya taught the two-hour course for advanced asanas two evenings a week. Mahashakti started a new Yoga Beginner Course with six students and taught a workshop for Prenatal Yoga, with seven students. Our resident for December was Mahalakshmi, who has been a teacher and resident in the Centre before. Satsangs were very well attended and lively with many staff, teachers, Karma Yogis and TTC graduates coming. We had a wonderful celebration of the Christmas Holiday with a special Satsang and party. The staff and many teachers and karma yogis began working a few days before to decorate the Centre, prepare gifts and many items for the talent show. The evening was well-attended by about 45 people with meditation, chanting, Christmas Carols, and then Santa Claus arriving to bring gifts. Afterwards we all went upstairs to the outdoor terrace and enjoyed homemade pizza, fried spring rolls and other wonderful food. We concluded the event with more singing. We went to the nearby park for a 6:00 am outdoor asana class with 13 people attending. With Guru’s Grace the energy was very positive with much devoted service, valuable teaching and also laughter! We are happy to continue spreading the wisdom of Yoga follow the teachings of the Master and Guru. Pranams to the Sivananda Family. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, London, England

Om Namah Sivaya. A December highlight was the London Centre’s Christmas party. It was a lovely celebration which started with a Satsang topic ‘Yoga, a Light to the World’ which was followed by an asana demonstration with the children. The theatre play “How to Satisfy the Hunger of the Soul”, drew inspiration from the Mahabharata. It was a big success thanks to the support of a professional director. The play was followed by Christmas carols, a festive meal and a yoga retreat presentation. Amongst the visitors were also new students. Everyone enjoyed the joyful and festive atmosphere. The altar and the Centre looked beautiful, decorated with many lights and candles, creating a warm and welcoming ambiance. A level 2 started and new teachers are inspired to assist with teaching. Sita, staff member at the Ranch, arrived to stay in London for two weeks. We were happy to have her here. Throughout the month, thankfully we also had help from karma yogis in the kitchen and with various projects at the Centre. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/london

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Om Namo Narayanaya! In December we celebrated our Annual Holiday Party, led by Swami Sivasankariananda-ji visiting from San Francisco. Swamiji guided us through the asanas, a talk on Peace and its practice in daily life plus a Kirtan. Swami SivaSankariananda-ji lead a beautiful evening, beginning with a meditation, daily chants and caroling [: We feasted together with contributed delicious vegetarian dishes and desserts. Then… with *bells jingling* Santa appeared from the North Pole with enough gifts to go around twice. Swami SivaSankariananda handed out a Holiday quote card on Love and Light, and a 3 class free card. The evening concluded in Karma Yoga clean up with many hands and one heart. Karma Yogis gathered from near and far in contribution to the Centre and Spirit of Cheer. Swami Jnaneswariananda visited LA Centre for a brief but influentially inspiring day on her way from EBM meeting in London, back to Ashram YF. Yoga 1 students were feeling more at ease with the layout of an open class and Yoga 3 students are learning more about the meaning of Yoga through their increased practice. We were continuously reminded of our immense gratitude for the Gurus, the teachings and the dedication exuded by the community. May God keep us all on His path and may the Blessings of Master and Swamiji continue to light the way. Pranams. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/la

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Madrid, Spain

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves! In December Spain had two consecutive bank holidays, therefore many students went away for that long weekend. The main focus in the Centre was the preparation for the Christmas party and theater rehearsals. We had a well visited workshop “How to Improve Your Concentration”. Students and teachers appreciated having four evening Satsangs due to the holidays. Other classes and courses continued as usual until later in December when a reduced schedule started. Gopala gave an inspiring Satsang about Vedanta. We also had a well-attended workshop “Learn How to Relax”. Swami Santoshananda and Parvati went to Reith to support the Christmas program and recharge. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/madrid

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Madurai, India

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

http://www.sivananda.org/madurai

SivanandaSivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Montevideo, Uruguay

Om Namah Sivaya! In December we continued with regular classes with positive energy. Satsangs were very nice, led by Abhaya, accompanied by teachers and students. Kanti and Chandra send us their constant support from Canada. Otherwise, the regular classes and Beginners’ Yoga courses also developed normally. Love to all. May all live under the Masters’ grace. With Prem and Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/montevideo

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Om Namah Sivaya and Greetings from the Montreal Centre! For the holiday season we started with the Christmas decorations aided by a good team of karma yogis coming to help out. They put a lot of effort in making the Centre festive and inviting. Apart from our regular schedule Gopala taught a 108 Sun Salutations and Krishna taught a hip opening workshop. We concluded the week with our uplifting Sunday prayers, with Satyabhama. We were very grateful for all the love and devotion of our yogi community at the Centre with our very committed karma yogis who are always willing to serve. We feel our Guru’s grace. Pranams to all!Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/montreal

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Munich, Germany

Om Namah Sivaya. A December highlight was the Christmas Party. 100 students – among them almost all children who regularly come to the kids class – joined us for a very nice celebration. We were happy to have Swami Sivadasananda with us who came for the party from the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith/Tyrol/Austria, bringing also Narayani with him. Swamiji reminded us in his talk that yoga is about experiencing prana and sharing it with others, e.g. by teaching yoga, serving ones family members and in many other possible ways. Just in time for the party, Santa Claus showed up and brought a whole basket of small presents for the children. Afterwards the children impressed us with a show and asana demonstration in which they told the story of Lord Siva teaching Matsyendranath. This year’s theater play had the title “Narada and Maya” and was about the story of Narada falling in love with a beautiful girl while fetching water and getting completely entangled into Maya – a story which Swami Vishnudevananda liked to tell a lot. The play was a full success! The party ended with the distribution of presents for everybody and joyful get together. This year we tried something new. Because of less space capacity in our yoga hall and our small kitchen we did not cook a full meal but served a nice pasta salad, delicious little pieces of bread with different bread spreads and a large variety of Christmas cookies which many students had brought. Everybody enjoyed it very much being served these different delicacies while being able to move around freely talking to each other. Many people thanked us afterwards for the nice party. For our last teaching week before Christmas, our special asana course had the topic “How to increase ones lung-capacity through the practice of asanas”. We were happy to have Swami Durgananda with us for a day. Swamiji arrived from the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith/Tyrol/Austria and continued the next day to the Ashram in Orleans. Gayatri and Daya Devi went to the Christmas program in Reith, Swami Narayanananda went to Orleans. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/munich

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Neuquén

Om Namah Sivaya from Neuquen. All is well, with the grace of the Masters. Shanti and Prem to everyone! Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, New York, USA

Om Namah Sivaya! Highlights in December was Swami Rajeshwaranada’s visit and
Christmas decorating. As we neared the holidays we put up a beautiful tree in the Sivananda Hall. The halls are decked with boughs of holly! Swami Rajeshwarananda stayed with us for a weekend. She gave a very nice workshop called – ‘A Conscious Transformation to Achieve the Purpose of Life’. She also led the Satsang. Both had good attendance. We felt blessed to have been graced by Swamiji’s presence and joy and were grateful for her visit. Swami Rajeshwarananda travelled to Canada to finish teaching in their current TTC. Wednesday’s Satsang was led by Neeti where we also celebrated her birthday. Happy birthday Neeti ji! We then closed the Centre for the Holidays, to reopen during the week between Christmas and New Year’s for those who still want to come and practice. Staff went to see family and friends. Sending our blessings from the New York City Centre where by Masters blessings and God’s Grace all is running smoothly. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/ny

Centre de Yoga Sivananda Vedanta, Paris, France

Om Namah Sivaya. In December there was a peaceful atmosphere with the preparations and the celebration of the Christmas party. The Masters sent many hands to help. The Centre was happy to welcome Sivakami who returned from India. We had a Raja Yoga workshop with a little group of motivated students. Asha and Rukmini went to Orleans for a couple of days. They were back for the party. The Christmas party was celebrated in the spirit of yoga as a testimony of peace. In spite of the public troubles one hundred and eighty people managed to come to the Centre. Swami Kailasananda gave an inspiring Satsang in the name of the Masters and in the name of peace. A beautiful asana demonstration, guided and performed by Narayana, and the play Kanyakumari written by Swami Bhagavatananda was very appropriate for the occasion. Silent Night was chanted in Hindi and many other languages. Swami Gopalananda did a perfect Santa Claus, he chanted two songs that he adapted for the occasion. The food was delicious. At the end of the evening, we chanted OM Namo Narayanaya for world peace and sent 300 balloons in the air. It was a powerful moment with all the colourful balloons first in the main hall and afterwards in the courtyard. Everyone was grateful for the party. The car with the Swamis and Narayana went back to the Ashram. The three of them were the soul of the Christmas party. The participants of Sunday’s Satsang who couldn’t come to the party on Saturday, had their present after the Satsang. On Sunday, Swami Kailasananda’s presence and Satsang gave shanti and prem to all.

The Centre was uplifted with the visit of the priest Manoj who came for few days before going to India. He performed two morning Pujas with the staff then a public Puja on Wednesday evening. Hanuman, Siva and Ganesha were honored in the Pujas. The priest recited some mantras before the evening arati. Sivakami went on a two day break. After that, she went to Orleans to support the Ashram with their Christmas Celebration. Gauri and Prema went home for their Christmas holidays. Vyasa came to support the Centre for three weeks. There was an Introduction to Meditation workshop with a little group of motivated students. The Centre was uplifted with the presence of Swami Kailasananda who came to Paris in order to welcome the Acharyas. We were happy to see Swami Vairagyananda who passed by on her way to Orleans. Omkari started the Centre’s inventory with the assistance of Asha and some karma yogis. A professional graphic designer worked on a little brochure with the new prices. The Masters keep sending many hands to help. The spirit of Christmas was in the air bringing joy and peace. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/paris

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Porto Alegre, Brasil, South America

Greetings from Porto Alegre. Blessings and Peace to all of the Sivananda Family. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/portoalegre

Centro Yoga Vedanta Sivananda, Rome, Italy

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed selves. Roma’s staff members did their best to improve themselves and the Centre. We send pranams to all. Om Shanti. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, San Francisco, California, USA

Om Namo Narayanaya, Blessed Selves. In December our monthly Open House went well. Rudrani led a Yoga Nidra session for eight grateful students. Parvati led a Headstand Workshop, as well as the Satsang. Swami Sivasankariananda went to Los Angeles to give a program “Anchoring in Peace” and to attend the holiday celebration there. It was a warm and meaningful event with lots of longtime students/teachers attending. The generosity of the Gurus shone through with very sweet energy. The Centre’s week-long holiday sale ended with several yogis waiting until the last moment. We offered a Yoga Nidra session one Saturday. We collected photos for our new website. Several students who we haven’t seen all year turned up, as well as a few new ones who committed to long-term class passes on the spot. We restarted our MindBody account and continued the process of entering data. Swami Sivasankariananda and Uma took a little break to flyer and walk at Pacifica Beach. We sang a few carols at Sunday Satsang and read from Bliss Divine about Jesus. It is a beautiful community that Swamiji drew near to us. We felt the Gurus’ blessings. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/sanfrancisco

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, San Paulo, Brasil

Om Namah Sivaya. December was generally quiet at the Centre. We had regular Hatha Yoga classes everyday. We closed for Christmas, reopening on Wednesday 26th until 28th. Then we will be closed for the New Years Eve from Dec 29th to Jan 7th. May the Masters continue to maintain prana and harmony in the Sivananda Centre of Sao Paulo. Om Shanti Shanti to all the Sivananda family. Om.

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Tel Aviv, Israel

Om Namah Sivaya. In December we continued to promote the upcoming meditation and positive thinking courses. The new Ayurveda course with Dr. Magon opened with 15 enthusiastic participants who already received a first weekly tip, about the important role of Agni, the proper time to eat and how to avoid overeating. A positive thinking course finished and the inspired students were invited to continue to a Thought Power course. The staff went to the Mata Ashram to join Swami Swaroopananda, Swami Prema and their assistants, and the Ashram’s staff, where we had festive Shabbat meals. We concluded the last day of the Hanukah holiday with a very special Satsang with a heart-opening kirtan concert with Narayan Jyoti, the atmosphere was magical and full of Bhakti.

Later in December, Swami Swaroopananda, Swami Premaswaroopananda, Rukmini Chaitanya, Jnaneshwari Chaitanya and Kumari left Israel on their way to the Yoga Retreat. The staff helped them with packing and spent the weekend together in Mata Ashram. We enjoyed their presence very much and looked forward to see them again soon. Meanwhile, at the Centre a new meditation course started with 15 students. The evening Satsang was dedicated to Christmas with inspiring teaching from the Bliss Divine about the life and teachings of Jesus. By Guru’s grace, the Centre was full of activities, many courses, good attendance in open classes and many inspired students and karma yogis. We wish all a Happy New Year! Pranams and Peace to the Sivananda family from the Tel Aviv Centre. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/telaviv

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Tokyo, Japan

Om Namah Sivaya. In December Machiko from Shoji Lake Retreat Centre visited us at the Centre and presented an “Oyaki” cooking workshop, presenting a local food in Nagano prefecture, is a flat baked flour bun stuffed with vegetable filling. Also, she led that evening Satsang, joined by many students and Karma yogis who miss her a lot. We worked on installing additional panels on the window frames to make every windows double-paned. 9 students and Karma yogis worked together for renovation of the Tokyo Centre. A Sun Salutation workshop was held, in which regular students shared various questions with us and learned more deeply about the correct practice method and technique of Sun salutations. We offered a trial class with 18 people attending, and many of them signing up for our membership.

We held a big Christmas party mid December. Many students and Karma yogis joined together and enjoyed interacting with each other over delicious vegetarian dinner. Before the party, we offered the open basic class for free of charge and chanted “Om Namo Narayanaya” for 108 times, by which the Centre was filled with uplifting positive energy. Muktih gave a Bhagavad Gita study session, joined by a dedicated group of students who have been learning step by step on a monthly basis. Many batches of private classes were arranged towards the end of the year so that the students who could not make a time to come to the regular classes managed to complete the course. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

www.sivananda.jp

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Om Namah Sivaya. In December we sent our brochure for printing while still fine tuning our website home page to look more organized. Students started signing up for 2019 courses and many benefited from the special discount offers. Prahlad taught an Asana Corrections course for 5 nights. The Centre’s teachers were extremely happy to learn many ways of how to assist students in their practice. Nalini worked on the boutique inventory. Saraswati formulated a proposal and started process of approaching juvenile detention centres to incorporate a yoga program in the new year. Our Tuesday dinners were very well attended. The pot luck sign up started for the anticipated Christmas party. All staff are well. We send Om Namo Narayanaya to everyone. Pranams. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/toronto

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Trivandrum, Kerala, India

Om Namah Sivaya. In December the climate turned very pleasant. We did some gardening. A gardener came here to help us. Students enjoyed their practice. We started an evening batch on Mondays. All other classes went smoothly. Lakshmi and Adidev went back to Neyyar Dam Ashram. Satsang was led by Mookambika Chaitanya. Later in the month we started an early morning batch on Mondays. All other classes continued smoothly. We celebrated Christmas. The staff members made a manger crib. Sw. Gayatriananda ji and Kalyani ji celebrated Christmas with us. A special Satsang was led by Shreematee Kalyani ji. We cut the Christmas cake. Santa Claus distributed gifts to all the guests. 50 people including outside teachers, students and guests from the Neyyar Dam Ashram attended the celebration. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/trivandrum

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Vienna, Austria

Om Namah Sivaya. In December three new courses started, but the highlight was the Christmas party. Swami Vidyananda came to support the event. The Christmas tree was brought by a Karma Yogi. The decoration of the Centre went smoothly. The evening started with a short meditation and Jaya Ganesha. Swami Vidyananda read the Christmas message from “Live of Saints” by Swami Sivananda and we chanted a few traditional Christmas songs. Santa Claus also prepared a nice story. All the teachers and guests got a nice present. The scenic rendering of Krishna explaining “Maya” vividly to Narada was well received and funny at the same time. Then, for the feast, we were fed over 70 guests with perfect lasagne and Viennese apple strudel and other sweet dishes brought by Karma Yogis.

Open classes were well attended and some courses continued. Daniela joined the Centre as our new teacher, starting to assist already. Niranjana, TTC Rudraprayag, started teaching soon after. We sent out the last newsletter for 2018. The 2019 brochures were received from the printer. Swami Shyamananda went to Orleans for the special programs. Om Shanti. Greetings to all from Vienna. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vienna

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Vilnuis, Lithuania

Om Namah Sivaya. Early December was very important for the Centre. Only One Precious Day of the program with Swami Sivadasananda was so uplifting that the inspiration drawn from it carried us through the whole week and gave strength to carry on with the joy. The asana workshop with Swamiji was held in the nearby hotel because we couldn’t all fit at the Centre. The Satsang saw more than 70 devoted students and teachers, during the chanting the energy was very high and joyful. We had a Satsang with a small Puja next morning as well. It was very special to hear the 108 names of the Master with the explanation and translation of it as well. Swami Sivadasananda, Durga Devi, Nirmala and few other teachers travelled to the other town for their program – Kaunas, where the Affiliated Sivananda Yoga Centre is situated. The Kaunas Centre has served more than 10 years, teaching Sivananda yoga. Swamiji gave an asana workshop and Satsang with the talk that suited the beginner students yet deep enough for the teachers. Everyone was impressed by the simplicity and sincerity of the Swamiji. After the visit we started to prepare for the Centre’s Christmas party. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vilnius

Observe Mouna for two hours daily. Introspect. Meditate. Watch your thoughts carefully. –
Sri Swami Sivananda

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Spiritual Calendar

DECEMBER 2018

03 Ekadasi
06 Deepavali (Diwali)
07 New Moon
09 Swamijis Mahasamadhi
11 Swamijis Jalasamadhi
19 Ekadasi
23 Full Moon

JANUARY 2019

01 Ekadasi
05 New Moon
14 Makara Sankranti
21 Full Moon
31 Ekadasi

Glossary

RISHI – a holy Hindu sage, saint, or inspired poet. A person of Self-realization. A visionary.

The outstanding quality that identifies Swami Sivananda from other beings is that he was a visionary. A visionary is known as a rishi. In the course of spiritual development and growth, people go through different stages of becoming stable in the higher consciousness. Stability of higher consciousness is perceived as the manifestation of a character. This character identifies a person, whether one is a sadhu, a mahatma, a saint, a sannyasin, a siddha, a bhakta yogi, a jnana yogi, a hatha yogi, or whatever. A visionary, a rishi, is the highest form of illumination, because in that stage of having established an identity with the higher consciousness, one is able to foresee the events of the future. What one foresees indicates how humanity is going to develop, what track it is going to follow. Visionaries are able to ease the process, to smooth the path for future generations. Rishis have the qualities of omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence, Godhood.
Human beings associate and dissociate themselves just as two pieces of wood in a flowing river. When the time ripens, everything resolves itself into One. – Sri Swami Sivananda

2019-04-04T10:54:04+00:00