Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashrams

Om Namah Sivaya, Greetings from the Headquarters. For early June the Ashram gardens were shaping up and new colors emerged everyday. With that emerging life, tents are popping up like mushrooms, and a new rush flows to the Camp: Sadhana Intensive, Releasing Trauma, and the Juice Fast courses filled up the recently opened dorms. A new garden transformed between the dorms. The guests enjoyed the weather and went for walks, discovering the trails recounting the story of the Ashram, and admiring Swami Vishnu’s work. The early morning walk to the nearby lake was noticeably brighter as the days were getting longer, offering spectacular views that always left us in awe. Deers and ducks often made an appearance during the walks, leaving us with a smile. One Saturday we went to Mariamman Temple, each of us with a coin which we wrapped with a cloth and offered to the Divine Mother. The work in Annapurna building continued. We also started the renovation of the roof of the straw bale constructed Main Lodge. Mountains of straw filled the back area, guests and staff joined hands to clear them away.

Mid-June saw the kind of weather that makes the Canadian winter worth it. We got to live four seasons in one week. Moving from warm jackets, to t-shirts, and some even got to jump in their swimsuits and took a dive in the lake. The Mariamman Festival started, continuing daily for 10 days. The Deity was taken outside of the temple in a procession and then brought back. A feast was offered every night by devotees, enjoyed by all.
The group doing the Juice Fast program with Suzanne, reported feeling “reset”, energized, connected and well heeled. “The combined practice: yoga, Satsang, and fasting made the experience very spiritual.”, said one participant. The Sadhana Intensive group brought the Camp a sense of serenity while doing their practice. Calm faces and a smoother pace was everywhere. The Satsangs had a special flavour as we read stories from Lord Krishna’s childhood and reflected on their meaning. A sense of bonding and family grew as guests and staff joined hands in moving the straw which was removed from the Lodge roof during repairs. We had the first outdoor Satsang by the Samadhi Estate deck, after the Sunday walk. The Ashram gardens developed nicely by a lovely team of karma yogis, guided by Bas. Lilacs filled the camp with its sweet aroma and purple colour. New garden beds were laid down, hay was laid on the pathways, and a new gate entrance was set up with a little Ganesha shrine. A garden of flowers, rocks and plants brought life to the corner between the dorms and bathrooms.
The work continued at the Annapurna building, setting up the kitchen, the roof, etc. May Master and Swamiji’s blessings be with all of us. Om + Prem.

http://www.sivananda.org/camp

Namah Sivaya to all. For early June Janet joined as staff and Salil as a work study. Bhavana travelled North to visit family and assist TTC in Uttarkashi. Shanmugam went home to Chennai for two week break. Chandrika departed for Europe after one and half year service. We look forward to her return at the end of the year. We recently got the good news that Nataraj, Kalyani, Padmavati and Trivandrum teacher Ravi passed the Quality Council of India teacher level exam, held in April.

During mid-June a new Yoga Vacation group started, with fifty students, which is encouraging at this time of the year. Col. Nair gave a talk on Hinduism on the last day of the previous batch. Firewood Group Karma Yoga continued with enthusiasm as people appreciated the physical work out and social atmosphere. Most of the old rubber trees were cut down, making space for new trees. We planned to plant various fruit trees which will supply the Ashram and attract many birds. We started making plans for the forthcoming International Day of Yoga, including a mass event at the new International Stadium in Trivandrum, sponsored by the Ministry of Health. By Gurus’ grace, we managed to continue functioning at the Ashram, despite frequent and long lasting power cuts. A coil in the main electric panel and the battery in the main generator were not working over a weekend, causing considerable inconvenience. Om. Pranams.

IYD 2016:

The day kicked off at 8 am with 108 Surya Namaskar, performed by ashram guests and staff. The participants were fully charged with prana by the end of the practice. This was followed by a Yoga talk, a demo and a class for about forty students from the neighbouring Kerala Institute of Cooperative Management (KICMA). At 12 pm the local panchayat (local administration) invited us to give a Yoga talk, demo and trial practice to their members and the school children at the Neyyar Dam School. The children were visibly impressed by some of the postures. After a short lunch break staff and guests were off to Trivandrum to participate in an IDY event sponsored by the Ministry of Health. Over 400 youngsters participated alongside the Sivananda ashram guests and staff. The day finally ended on a high note with satsang at the Trivandrum centre and Erode Rajamani Bhagavatar group singing bhajans. We thank our Gurus for the opportunity to share this wonderful practice and energy with others.

http://www.sivananda.org/neyyardam

Om Namo Narayanaya – Greetings from Uttar Kashi. During early June the Ashram celebrated the anniversary of the Ashram’s Sri Akhandeswara Mahadev Temple.  Ganapathy Homas, Mrityunjaya Homa, Devi and Vasathu Pujas were conducted by the three Kerala priests for the annual purification and energizing of the Temple.  At the same time a thorough cleaning took place as this was the week between two TTCs.  With less people in the Ashram the opportunity was taken to complete some additional painting of the new Akhanda Kutir both inside and out.  Everything was ready again for the new arrivals.  The fresh intake of students were initiated into the TTC with positive hopes of a great spiritual experience.

Mid-June flew by smoothly with hot weather finally arriving, after plenty of rain the previous weeks. Durgesh, the priest from Uttarkashi, came to conduct the Ganapathy Homa.  He conducted all the special Pujas at the Ashram during the TTC. The students fell easily into the routine of the schedule. Swami Parameswariananda headed the Vedanta and chanting classes; Swami Janardhanananda taught the Bhagavad Gita classes; Dr Chinook led the A&P classes and Koely from Delhi taught the hatha yoga classes, assisted by Anuradha, Shweta, Dedem and Bhavna. A planned trip to Gangothri was postponed due to a forecast of heavy rain. With Master and Swamiji’s Grace the visit to Swamiji’s Guha will happen. With Master and Swamiji’s Grace, all staff are doing well. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/uttarkashi

Om Namo Narayanaya. For early June a modest number of yoga vacationers reveled in the calm and quiet atmosphere of our Ashram. Preparations began for the conduction of second International Yoga Day on the 21^st June. Staff from our Madurai Centre paid a visit to the Ashram. They spent some time here, savouring the scenic beauty of Ashram and surroundings.

Mid-June was busy with the preparations for upcoming International Day of Yoga celebrations. We were busy with the designing of our invitation letter and the pamphlets to be distributed among the local Madurai people to create awareness about healthy life style through yoga practice. Also the chief guests to address the gathering to give talks on Yoga and its myriad of benefits were decided upon after meetings. The yoga vacationers went on with their usual routine with a new group arriving for the vacation program. According to our guests this is the best time to be around in India and be a part of Yoga Day celebrations. The weather here was mostly cloudy with the sky opening up with occasional showers to quench Nature’s thirst. All of us had a wonderful time at the Ashram with the grace and blessings of our Masters. Om Shanti. Pranams to all.

www.sivananda.org/madurai

Om Namah Sivaya! For early June the Ashram saw the TTC’s completing their first week of classes and transitioning into the second week smoothly. The students adjusted to the Ashram and course schedule nicely and seemed to have a familiarity with each other from the beginning. The energy increased with the increase of students. Staff are appreciating the assistance of the students in several of the karma yoga duties. One weekend program brought many new guests for the Yoga, Stress and Food workshops taught by Ambika (Katie Papo). We also offered a Beginners Meditation weekend program that a few guests were interested in attending. Staff were regular in their Sadhana and were focused during their karma yoga. By the grace of Master and Swami ji, all are inspired and happy.

During mid-June the TTC course moved into the third week and started the teaching groups. It’s was serious group of students, already teaching with a lot of confidence and knowledge of the sequence.  Swami Yatidharmananda, who was a personal assistant of Swami Chidananda ji, visited the Ashram for a few days and gave Satsangs on life with his Guru.  Staff and students enjoyed Swamiji’s down to earth talks on life in Rishikesh with Swami Chidananda ji. We offered two weekend programs, one was a hiking weekend. Our staff, Prasanta and Jaya, took the guests to a local state park for a moderate hike up the mountain. The other program was a vegetarian cooking workshop with Jayanta, who came up from NYC to teach. Jayant, a professional vegan chef, shared his knowledge with very satisfied guests who attended the program. Srinivasan and Swami Paramananda went to the New York Centre for a special Satsang with Srinivasan, to commemorate International Day of Yoga. By the grace of Master and Swamiji, staff are doing well, keeping up their Sadhana, with the weekly Sadhana meetings keeping them inspired to practice. May the Blessings of Master and Swamiji grace all of our lives.

Om Namah Sivaya! With the TTC finishing in early June the Ashram was full of light and high energy with many programs running and full house of guests. The inspiring Passing the Flame workshops for TTC graduates, led by Swami Sitaramananda, offered guidance on how to teach, go deeper into personal Sadhana and to tune ourselves to the mission of Master and Swamiji. Day trips to Donner Lake and the Yuba River were beautiful and inspiring for all and excellent for group Sadhana and Satsang. The Restorative Yoga training with Sundari (Nora Benian) was very successful and provides techniques for those seeking modifications to their practice with emphasis on deeper states of relaxation. Sadhana Intensive was taught by Krishna Darshan and assisted by Ananta Chaitanya, with students undertaking rigorous pranayama practice, Satsang and a sattvic diet. Manu Dawson led the 10-day Juice Fast and Detox retreat. We welcomed Komilla Sutton for the very informative Vedic Astrology workshop on the Navamsha chart.

During mid-June the Ashram Yoga Farm was in its busy summer season, fully booked, with up to 4 courses and and activities going on at the same time. Staff was very busy serving. The Sadhana Intensive energy, with 18 students, was very high, with students going deep into their practice with advanced pranayamas, kriya practice and asanas. All the Ashramites benefitted from the dedicated Sadhana energy. The 10-day Juice Fast, with Manu Dawson, concluded with all participants grateful for the purification, guidance and knowledge gained from the course. The weekend Ayurveda Massage Retreat was very successful with participants having daily Ayurveda talks, therapies and consultations by Bharata Surya. The 5-day Beginners’ Week, with Mahadeva and Radha Krishna das, introduced the Five Points of Yoga to new yogis in the making. The 25th Anniversary Kids Camp, directed by Deviyani, began with a beautiful initiation of the Camp, the introduction of all 30 children and the counselors. All the children were sweet and eager to learn Yoga, enjoying the Ashram food and swimming in the pond! Swami Sitaramananda and Mahadev went to LA Centre for a weekend program on Meditation and Mantras, while Swami Jnaneswariananda went to LA to send her Mother’s ashes to the ocean. We sent off Tibetan monk, Tulku Sherdor, for the brilliant presentations in our evenings Satsangs on Awareness, Guru Yoga, Obstacles to Meditation, Devotion as well as the Beginners meditation workshops in the afternoon for guests. Staff and Swamis enjoyed the final meditation lesson with Tulku ji on the rock at the Yuba river. Swami Sankarananda travelled in India to place the ashes of Sw Arjuna-Krishnananda to Mother Ganga in Uttarkashi. We welcomed, as special guests, our Vietnamese contacts Siva and Amba who visited for the 45th Anniversary of the Ashram. We were all feeling the grace of Master and Swamiji. Om Namah Sivaya to all Blessed Selves from the Yoga Farm.

http://www.sivananda.org/farm

Om Namo Narayanaya, Blessed Selves. For early June we celebrated Swami Swaroopananda’s 61st birthday, with a 9 day symposium on unity in diversity. We welcomed many close friends of the Ashram – G.S. Sachdev, Swapan Chaudhuri, Shayk Abdul Haqq, Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein, Brant Secunda, Gaura Vani and Dr. Marilyn Rossner. Each concert, presentation, workshop and lecture were gifts for all who were present as well as for Swamiji. Swami Medhananda Puri, who teaches a daily session on the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, offered special Satsangs and offered a special birthday message following the Birthday Puja. Amongst these celebrations, 10 senior staff of the organization were initiated into Brahmacharya and Sannyas – Krishna Das, Iswara, Rukmini, Minakshi, Narayani, Parvati, Jnaneshwari as well as Bhargavi and Pranava from the Tel Aviv Centre became Brahmacharis – and are now Krishna Chaitanya, Iswara Chaitanya, Rukmini Chaitanya, Minakshi Chaitanya, Narayani Chaitanya, Parvati Chaitanya, Jnaneswari Chaitanya, Bhargavi Chaitanya and Pranava Chaitanya. Shankara Chaitanya from Tel-Aviv, took Sannyasa and is now Swami Shambhudevananda. The initiation was celebrated during a morning Satsang. The event was very moving and spiritually powerful for the initiated as well as for everyone who assisted in the celebration. Shyam and Mohini have come back to the Ashram and are offering a Spiritual Film Festival program. The TTCs were in their second week of the course and seemed to be doing fairly well. Om Shanti from all the staff in Nassau.

http://www.sivananda.org/nassau

Om Namah Sivaya. For early June a group of seven guests joined the Retreat House for a week. Nearly all of them were new to yoga and wanted to experience the completeness and variety of the yogic methods. Beside a strong focus on physical and mental relaxation in the yoga classes we worked on, increasing the flexibility in the main joints of the body. In the lectures the five points of Swami Vishnudevananda were discussed. In particular, the meditation workshop and the talk on yogic nutrition were received very well. A weekend topic was “In Peace Lies Strength”. The lectures on positive thinking and the mantra chanting workshop were well attended. The weather remained unsteady and allowed asana classes on the platform only once in a while. The guests also liked to meet in the shop for tea and snacks and discuss different questions on yogic lifestyle. Swami Keshavananda left for the special programs held in Munich. Swami Ramapriyananda and Pushpa returned from Vienna.

Mid-June started with the Yoga Relaxation Days. Theory and practice of stress reduction and the different levels of relaxation, gave our guests more insight and several tools to apply in their daily lives. Even though we had an abundance of rain, we managed to do a lot hikes for the Yoga and Mountain Magic program. The guests were very appreciative for these opportunities, enjoying the surrounding nature to its fullest. One weekend we explored the importance of thought power and positive thinking. We celebrated the International Yoga Day with yoga classes, lectures, an asana demonstration and nice yogic-vegetarian snacks. A small but very interested group took part. All in all a peaceful and harmonious energy pervaded this special day. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/tyrol

Om Namah Sivaya.  For early June the TTCs were in their third week of the course. The dynamism of the group created a very positive vibration in the Ashram. It seemed to be one of the best TTC groups we had. They enjoyed classes on the outside platform whenever the weather allowed. They also presented a nice talent show. Cecile Dubois was here for two days and spoke about how to create a sattvic and healthy environment, plus, the effects of various kinds of radiation that humanity is becoming more and more exposed to. Sivakami again joined the Ashram staff team. Swami Kailasananda went to Paris one weekend, returning with Yagneshwara, who concluded his European tour. The two Ashram priests performed a wonderful Sri Yantra Lamp Puja. Ramanarayan started to come regularly to the asana classes in the afternoon. It rained a lot again. Unfortunately a huge poplar tree fell down, due to the soft ground. On descent it just touched the roof of the priest’s kitchen, with luckily, no serious damage. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/orleans