Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashrams

Om Namah Sivaya, Greetings from the Headquarters. In May we were busy with the online classes, introducing a few new courses. The weekend Raja Yoga course by Swami Shivabhaktananda was popular with 36 participants. Other new courses: a 21 day Yoga Challenge, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation and Positive Thinking, Deep Relaxation. Swami Vairagyananda led a beautiful meditation and Satsang for the online community. Our kirtan recording project continued and was scheduled as a weekly thrice project. We continued our quiet Sadhana and participated in many of the courses, so that the seclusion time is also adding value to our personal practice and upliftment. Summer arrived. We were enthused about caring for our gardens and setting up our vegetable patch. Staff was busy trimming and pruning the beautiful trees, readying them for summer.

As May continued, the summer sun was showed itself to be strong and mighty as we experienced sudden hot and sweltering days mid month. We were almost at the verge of a dry summer, with a minor forest fire setting the local municipality into panic. The garden karma yoga was on in full swing. We cleaned up the whole premises and then moved up to the Temple for cleaning, raking and gardening. We prepared new introductions and innovations for the upcoming online classes. The online classes are doing well. We concluded the integral yoga challenge and have the students interested and ready for signing up for the next challenge. The Raja Yoga, Prenatal, Chair Yoga and other specialized classes were popular. Our online Kirtan videos were also very popular and have the audience asking for more and deeper understanding of the techniques and tutorials. The staff earnestly practiced their Sadhana and invested their time in learning various facets of our philosophy and practice. 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. Om.

COVID-19 Update:
Our Online classes/courses will help keep you connected, inspired, and energized. Amidst the obstacles and concerns of life today, the Sivananda Community wishes to create a space for all yogis to come together at anytime and any place. We’ve seen how important community practice and study can be. By coming together to better ourselves, we help spread those positive vibrations out into the world. Canadian Ashram and Centres will be offering Online private and group yoga classes, courses, and workshops over the upcoming weeks. Let us take this time to reconnect with ourselves through the practice. https://sivanandacanada.org/camp/Online-courses/ Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/camp

Namah Sivaya to all. In early May heavy rains frequented the Ashram, finally bringing the temperature down a bit. The positive feedback for the online programs was inspiring.  We were thankful to Satya, Dayakar and Shibin for being more or less full time in managing / hosting the online programs, both from the Ashram and other SYVC branches around India.  A couple of new phones were put into action to help manage power cuts if they occurred during the programs. With a new stage in the COVID-19 lockdown commencing, three Ayurveda staff left for home. Voluntary staff, Sreyas having finished his commitment as staff a few weeks ago, managed to get the police permissions required to travel all the way home to Trissur in North Kerala. Workstudy Vishnu returned to his home in Trivandrum.  Five more guests returned to Europe and one Indian guest returned home around the same time, bringing the total guest number down to 27. With harvesting on the lakeside going on, wheelbarrows full of coconuts have been trundling, enroute to the kitchen. In addition the harvesting, the meditative activity of broom making started, using the stems of the coconut tree leaves that were lopped off. To the delight of the guests and staff, the kitchen produced fresh banana and jackfruit chips for selling in the boutique. We were thankful for the teachings from the Gurus during this unusual time.

Mid May we started chanting of the whole Bhagavad Gita in the Rama Hall on the occasion of Ekadasi, with good attendance from guests and staff especially at the end in time for the arati and Prasad! Although there hasn’t been a heavy mango harvest this year, still the volunteer staff hunted for the fallen mangoes just after each morning Satsang. This year they don’t have the local paid staff to compete with them, as they are mostly at home.  However, about 10 or so paid staff have been coming in each day to work in the agricultural area to clear the ground and plant banana ‘saplings’.  We were happy to have a steady supply of home grown bananas, as well as jackfruit. The guests continued quietly with their practice and karma yoga duties and the staff continued to serve in the Ashram setting and through the online service. Dr Jayalakshmi went to her family home some hours away. May all be healthy and happy. May Master and Swamiji bless all with good health and peace of mind.

COVID-19 Update:
Due to the lockdowns announced by the Indian government, we will not be accepting any new visitors or guests to the Ashram until July 1, 2020. During this phase, we’ll be offering various classes, courses & programs Online. https://sivananda.org.in Details regarding this can be found at sivananda.org.in/Online-sessions. Please like our Facebook page to stay notified about live open classes, Satsangs & other programs. Our thoughts are with you all and we pray that you keep well and positive during these challenging times.

May Master and Swamiji’s blessings continue to support all in their Sadhana. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/neyyardam

Om Namo Narayanaya from Uttar Kashi.

COVID-19 Update:
Due to the lockdowns announced by the Indian government, we will not be accepting any new visitors or guests to the Ashram until July 1, 2020. During this phase, we’ll be offering various classes, courses & programs Online. Details regarding this can be found at sivananda.org.in/Online-sessions. Please like our Facebook page to stay notified about live open classes, Satsangs & other programs. Our thoughts are with you all and we pray that you keep well and positive during these challenging times.

http://www.sivananda.org/uttarkashi

Om Namo Narayanaya. Namaste from Madurai. In early May the third phase of lockdown was set in place. The Ashram guests began trying harder to get back to their homes. A group of 8 Keralites secured Interstate pass for getting back to Kerala state with mandatory home quarantine conditions. There was also a group of 10 foreigners, including guests and staffs leaving for Chennai to board flights taking them to their native country. The farewell turned out to be pretty emotional in view of the current pandemic scenario with one eye smiling to be back with family while the other eye teary to leave behind Ashram family. We thanked them all for being understanding and patient with the long and tedious travel documentations. One of the TTC students, Mr. Joseph asked us to prepare a feast to commemorate his 50th Wedding Anniversary. All his plans of being back home for the celebrations were thwarted owing to the pandemic. All other programs continued as per the Ashram schedule with some of the time being devoted to Online teaching by the staffs with a view of spreading and putting into practice the Yogic teachings, helping people to cope up with the present tough situation shaking the entire world community. Sending Prem and Om to all from our family of guests and staffs. Om.

COVID-19 Update:
Due to the lockdowns announced by the Indian government, we will not be accepting any new visitors or guests to the Ashram until July 1, 2020. During this phase, we’ll be offering various classes, courses & programs Online. Details regarding this can be found at sivananda.org.in/Online-sessions. Please like our Facebook page to stay notified about live open classes, Satsangs & other programs. Our thoughts are with you all and we pray that you keep well and positive during these challenging times. Namaste. Om.

www.sivananda.org/madurai

Om Namah Sivaya from the Ranch. In early May we had some beautiful spring sunshine, bouts of rain, a snowstorm and even hail. We continued our daily morning isolated Srimad Bhagavatam study with Srinivasan. We’ve had good participation for our online classes and courses including a Morning Pranayama class, a Positive Thinking Workshop, Yoga Classes in Spanish, A Yoga 2 course, A Yoga of Devotion workshop, A Chair Yoga Class, Deep Relaxation, a Prenatal class, and our ongoing Bhagavad Gita Study and Knowing the Scriptures Courses. We had a Zoom meeting with the New York Teachers to connect and discuss plans for the future. We still have an abundance of spinach from the garden, and we began planting our summer veggies and preparing flower beds in the green house. We had a Karma Yoga day where we worked together to clear a bed in preparation for planting the Three Sisters; corn, squash and legumes. Remodeling work in Ananda, our guest lodge, continued.

Mid May brought glorious spring weather. We got a lot of work done in the garden and the grounds and enjoyed feasting on an abundance of spinach and lettuce. There was so much wildlife appearing at the Ashram. The birds sang beautifully. There were a lot of deer that browsing. We even saw a fawn that was just born in a clearing close by. We’re continuing the Sri Bhagavatam morning study, with Srinivasan, and the online Bhagavad Gita study, with Neeti.  Our online classes had good attendance, with a lot of positive feedback and gratitude received about the availability of the online classes. We offered Morning Pranayama, Essentials to Meditation Course, A Pre-Natal class, a Sacred Sounds workshop, a Spanish class and a Kids class. We had Satsang with Swami Asokananda “Will My Real Self Please Stand Up; Discovering our Authentic Being Through Jnana Yoga”, with special guest Jorge Alfonso “Music for Meditation and Transformation.” Renovation work continued in Ananda, our guest lodge. Overall, our staff are healthy and well, sending our pranams to all!

COVID-19 Update:
Om Namo Narayanaya Blessed Self, dear friends and students,
Join us live Online via Zoom for our morning yoga instruction on Mondays and Saturdays 8-10 am (Eastern Time); meditation and Satsang on Sunday and Wednesday evenings at 7:30 pm (Eastern Time).

We will continue to share our practice with you, as well as to bring to you, teachers and musicians outside of the Ashram for as long as this crisis continues and we cannot meet in person. Though our income stream has been cut off since the closings, we know that you too are being challenged economically and we are making all of our sharings free of charge. However, if you have the means and the concern we will accept any donations to help support our full-time staff during these challenging times.

With the blessings of Master and Swamiji all are in good spirits. Our Staff send Pranams to all! Om.

www.sivanandayogaranch.org/‎

Om Namah Sivaya. Staff and karma yogis are healthy and doing well as the Ashram celebrated Buddha Purnima with a beautiful morning Puja in the Radha Krishna Hall. Staff shared inspiring stories of the Buddha’s life and teaching with each other. Santanu taught the 5-day online Intermediate Yoga course with teachings on the Four Paths of Yoga and introducing asana variations in the Hatha Yoga classes. Pandit Samavedula’s weekly Sri Suktam mantra chanting course continued. Our weekly online West Coast Teacher Meeting continued with Swami Sitaramananda giving encouragement to teachers to teach online as much as they can. The Yoga Stress Relief course continued with the Russia group receiving 57 requests for appointments overnight! We welcomed back Sw Vasishtananda ji from 2 weeks seclusion, Swamiji gave a wonderful Satsang talk on Meditation according to Adi Sankaracharya. The Ashram garden continued to grow with many vegetables planted for the season. Grass cutting continued. Boutique repainting began. The Durga Temple pond and shrines were refurbished.

We are blessed to offer the Eco-Yoga for Self Healing and Healing the Earth online conference over the Memorial Day weekend. Swami Sitaramananda gave the key note talk on Ahimsa and Love extolling the virtues of vegetarian diet and its impact on the earth and our collective well-being; Lila Lolling delivered wonderful talks on Eco-Yoga and the effects of Artificial Living; Olga Mandodari presented Vastu and working with space to tune to the natural Earth energies; and Pavan Manocha spoke on sustainability practices, giving practical tips each of us can do at home. Swami Sivasankariananda offered a workshop on recycling and Children’s Yoga, including writing love letters to the Earth. The weekend concluded with a beautiful Durga Puja by Swami Vasishtanandaji as we ask for forgiveness from Divine Mother Earth. Swami Dharmananda taught the online Bhagavad Gita course with an enthusiastic group of students. The weekly Sri Suktam course with Pandit Samavedula carries on with a dedicated group. We sent our prayers to the family of Keshava, our long time karma yogi of 25+ years who passed from the body unexpectedly mid May. He spent the last 2 months at the Yoga Farm revitalizing the Peace labyrinth, Krishna Temple and painting a beautiful Dhanvantari for the Main Yoga Hall. We are grateful for this opportunity to serve. May all feel Master and Swamiji’s blessings. Om.

COVID-19 Update:
Blessed Yoga Farm Community,
The Sivananda Yoga Farm is now closed, but we are happy to let you know that you can connect to the Ashram and to each other through our Online classes, courses, and workshops. We are offering Online Yoga classes every day at 8am and 4pm. Please visit https://sivanandayogafarm.org/yoga-classes-online/ to easily join. We have also added 2 Online 90-minute Gentle Yoga classes at 10:30 and 5:30 being taught from our LA Centre. We began offering Online workshops, which can be found at https://sivanandayogafarm.org/yoga-classes-online/ M-F @ 7-8:30pm for a Meditation Course. We will also have twice weekly Satsangs Online with acharya Swami Sitaramananda on Sunday and Wednesday evenings from 6-8pm PDT. This challenging time is our opportunity to turn inward, deepen our practice, and to keep our community strong and healthy. Through Satsang and our collective positive thoughts we support each other and the world. https://sivanandayogafarm.org/yoga-classes-online/ Om Shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/farm

Om Namo Narayanaya, Blessed Selves. Two new online courses began in early May: Chair Yoga with Krishna Chaitanya – assisted by Kumari – and Practical Raja Yoga with Swami Brahmananda. Participants in the chair yoga course learned how to modify the asana sequence so that they can benefit from the practice no matter what time, space, or physical limitations they may experience. Swami Brahmananda guided course attendees through Patanjali Maharshi’s Eight Limbs of Raja Yoga and gave strategies for applying these teachings in daily life. A full recitation of the Devi Mahatmyam was led by Swamini Atmaprakshananda. Krishnan Namboodiri performed a Puja to honor the Divine Mother. All of this took place in celebration of the Purnima, the full moon day. We celebrated the Buddha Jayanti with messages from Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnudevananda that honored his teachings. Swami Hridyananda introduced students to practical ways to arrange one’s environment and habits to promote positive thinking in uncertain times in an online course entitled Yoga is Alive! Spiritual Practices and Inspirations in Times of Change. Students also learned the basics of Vedanta from Swami Brahmananda in the course Foundations of Vedanta. Swamini Atmaprakashananda Saraswati elevated the energy daily through the in-depth analysis of the Taittiriya Upanishad, with commentary by Adi Shankaracharya. Around the Ashram, the plants were very happy with the recent rains. Napoleon, the cat, and other non-human residents were doing well. We send our prayers to the worldwide community and wish everyone a blessed week. May all be well and may this be an opportunity to turn inward to that which is eternal and ever-free. Om Shanti.

COVID-19 Update:
https://sivanandabahamas.org/yogic-tips-for-staying-healthy-during-uncertain-times/

Our Online courses are fully operational. https://sivanandabahamas.org/visiting-the-Ashram/Online-program/ Please visit our Online Program page for the latest schedule. We look forward to continuing to add Online programs, courses and guest speakers to our calendar. https://www.sivanandabahamas.org/travel-update/ Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/nassau

Om Namah Sivaya. In early May the first online TTC started with 12 motivated students. Both the teachers and the students soon got used to the technical aspects and were able to focus on the teachings themselves and on the daily individual mentor sessions. We also continued the online drop-in classes, some webinars (courses) and shared Satsangs with the European Centres and even had a lecture with Swami Vairagyananda from the Yoga Camp. Live Online programs from India continued with the priest Yagneswara Dixit giving Puja workshops from Bangalore and Dr Kamlesh participated with a cooking workshop from Lucknow.

It is a joy to share classes and Satsangs Online with a steadily growing audience. The live online yoga classes, webinars and Satsangs continued with a steady attendance throughout. The online TTC had a great week, with kriyas and a talent show. At the Ascension Day weekend we had inspiring shared Satsangs, yoga workshops and from India, the Priest led us in a Vishnu Puja and Dr. Kamlesh cooked some authentic dishes. Enrollment for the next TTCs, both online and residential went well. We plan to open the Retreat House in Austria again at 26th of June. OM.

COVID-19 Update:
During the corona shutdown, in view of the measures taken to contain the coronavirus, the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House is closed until further notice.
Join the Sivananda TTC Refresher – this year Online, Thu 4th June to Sun 7th June
Deepen your vision, expand your knowledge and share the peaceful message of yoga.

Also,
SIVANANDA YOGA Teachers’ Training Course available Online
9 June – 6 July 2020
Live Online Yoga, Workshops, Webinars and Group Meditations. Meanwhile receive all the latest information via our newsletter. https://www.sivananda.at/en/newsletter

http://www.sivananda.org/tyrol

Om Namah Sivaya. In May the leaves of the trees were seen dancing with the wind. The music of the rain, the birds and the frogs brought a meditative and calm mood. The first TTC online started with a motivated group of 22 people students. Online TTC was a new adventure for the Sivananda family. For the Inauguration there was the traditional procession around the Ashram and the repetition of mantras by the priest, from Bangalore. So far the role of the mentors proved to be one of the keys to allow the students to have the full experience of the TTC. There was a cheerful atmosphere in the Ashram with everyone teaching. Little by little we all are getting use to the rhythm. The students did well, completing their first weekly exam. Meanwhile, students and staff continued to be grateful for the special Satsangs with the Acharyas and the European staff as well as the weekend asana workshops with Swami Sivadasananda and the staff from Reith. We also enjoyed the two altar workshops with our priest Yagneswara and the weekly cooking class with Dr. Kamlesh. The regular classes, courses, chanting for peace and workshops were also well appreciated. There was a Raja Yoga course given in French and a Sanskrit course.  There was also an asana course entitled “Going Beyond Our Limitations” in English and a French beginners course. Rukmini put much prana in the online boutique. The staff and the students continued to familiarize themselves with cameras, microphones and zoom meetings. A couple of close teachers continue to take care of the London and Paris Centres.

Later in May the Ashram, and the fields around, looked cheerful with colourful flowers blooming everywhere. The TTCs  finished their third week. They continued to enjoy the course with fresh and inspired attitude at every class. There was a long weekend free program offered from Reith, Orleans and the other european Centres. Students and staff continued to feel grateful for the special Satsangs with the Acharyas and the European staff as well as the weekend asana workshops entitled the “fire of yoga” with Swami Sivadasananda and the staff from Reith. We also enjoyed the programs with our priest from Bangalore and the weekly cooking class with Dr. Kamlesh on Saturdays. The regular classes, courses, chanting for peace and workshops were also well appreciated. We hosted two open houses online in French and in English. We started to teach some of the asana classes from the Paris Centre with a couple of close teachers. There was also a Raja Yoga 2, a Mantra course and a Sanskrit course. A couple of close teachers continued to take care of the London and the Paris Centres. The Masters keep sending students and inspiration. The teachings of the Masters continued to inspire hundreds of people every day. OM.

COVID-19 Update:
The Ashram de Yoga Sivananda is closed at the moment. We are offering classes and Satsangs Online. You can keep in touch via our newsletter. For more information, please contact us on +33 (0) 2 38 91 88 82. Let us use this time like a period of spiritual retreat, during which we can regenerate and give us a fresh impetus to our spiritual practice, and contribute to the peace and health of the planet. Change in the world starts with our lifestyle. Modern technology makes all this possible. We can be connected together Online! We now offer courses, retreats and Satsangs on Zoom, Online in French and English.

Also Online,
SIVANANDA YOGA Teachers’ Training Course is now available – TTCOL –
9 June – 6 July 2020

Also,
Unite for a Healthy Planet
Every 1st Sunday of the month at 2PM Continental European Time for 30 minutes

We look forward to continue to serve you in this way. Together, we can put to practice one of the instructions of Swami Sivananda: “Adapt to all situations”. Take care of yourself, take care of others. See you soon. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/orleans

Om Namah Sivaya from DaLat Ashram. In early May the Ashram moved more towards normal functioning as government restrictions on domestic travel and group gatherings were further eased. We started to focus again on recruitment of guests to visit the Ashram. A small but enthusiastic and appreciative group joined a beginner course, as did others for a weekend retreat on the Yogic approach to understanding and training the mind. The Dalat City Centre, which had just moved to a new location when the “lockdown” in Vietnam began, was able to open up again following certification by the local government. All swamis and some staff from the Ashram visited the Centre to perform a Puja ceremony to mark the reopening. The next day, Buddha Purnima, was a special day at the Ashram, we again celebrated with a Puja with all swamis present, to remember the teachings of the Buddha and to pray for the safe and successful restarting of activities at the Ashram and Centre. We said farewell to Swami Pranavananda who returned to the Ho Chi Minh Centre after helping with all of the courses at the Ashram since the beginning of TTC in February. Everyone enjoyed a morning silent walk into the forest above the Ashram. Swami Sitaramananda continued with her series of online Satsangs, this time speaking and guiding practice on the practices of proper breathing and relaxation.

By mid May the Ashram settled back into more regular activity. We welcomed a small group of guests who, in addition to the regular program, participated in special workshops on Yoga and Health. All were very appreciative of the advice on how to make positive changes in lifestyle to increase energy and well-being. We welcomed a larger group of mostly first-time visitors for a weekend program “Life without Disease”, taught in Vietnamese by special guest Dr. Hung. Dr Hung is an expert in traditional medicine and natural healin, and spoke about how we can in many cases become our own “doctor” by increasing awareness and making more conscious decisions about diet and lifestyle, thus preventing the onset of disease. Along with the talks by Dr Hung participants experienced the basic routine and practices of the Ashram, all were inspired to continue and to take more responsibility for their own health. Swami Sitaramananda participated via video link in the Memorial Day Retreat activities at the Yoga Farm, giving talks on Ahimsa, vegetarianism, Yoga and ecology. Here in Dalat, the rainy season began, meaning some adjustment being made to our routine to adapt to the usual heavy rain in the afternoons. The Staff continue to be inspired and look forward to busy times in the coming months, grateful for Guru’s grace and protection. Om.

www.sivanandayogavietnam.org/

Om Namah Sivaya.

COVID-19 Update:
Due to the lockdowns announced by the Indian government, we will not be accepting any new visitors or guests to the Ashram until July 1 2020. During this phase, we’ll be offering various classes, courses & programs Online. Details regarding this can be found at sivananda.org.in/Online-sessions. Please like our Facebook page to stay notified about live open classes, Satsangs & other programs. Our thoughts are with you all and we pray that you keep well and positive during these challenging times.

May Master and Swamiji bless us with true devotion and blessings be with us all! Pranams.

http://sivananda.org.in/gudur