Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Om Namah Sivaya. 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 online classes and online courses were well visited in the month of May. As the weather got warmer in Berlin the first preparations for the garden started. While Covid-19 numbers were reducing in Berlin we began to look forward to reopening the Centre in the near future. Registrations were coming in for the summer retreat in July in the Northeast of Berlin. We were visualizing it to happen. It seemed possible that the Centre may reopen on the 7th of June. Students, teachers and staff are looking forward to meet in person in the near future. Staff are all well. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/berlin

Om Namah Sivaya. We now offer with face-to-face on-site classes. There is a beautiful and spacious room, with the appropriate sanitary measures – a space to connect! We will wait for you! 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. 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.

Apart from that, we continued our regular chanting of Om Namo Narayanaya every evening, Vishnu Sahasranama & Lalitha Sahasranama. We concluded each week with a Satsang. All our staff 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. Our Centre held the strong energy to serve the community, up until the month of May, thanks to Guru’s blessing. We had a 3-day Proper Diet Course with positive feedback. We had Satsang with Swami Pranavananda. Then soon after we closed the Centre in compliance with the authority’s order due to Covid-19 situation in Dalat. Classes and courses switched to running online, including a basic meditation course, and a 108 Surya Namaskar workshop. We did our best to keep our Sadhana strong and maintain energy. We pray for Guru’s grace and blessings.

Later in May, even though temporarily closed to the public due to Covid-19 safety in Vietnam, thanks to Guru’s blessing, our Centre can keep the strong energy to serve the community. We’ve been cooperating with the Ho Chi Minh Centre and Ha Noi Centre to recruit students and run all the classes online. The Basic Meditation course continued smoothly. We started a Proper Breathing course for beginners. We had online Satsang with Swami Sitaramananda and a 2-day course on Yoga For Connection and Healing of Relationships by Swami Sitaramananda. We kept promoting all the online classes and courses to spread yoga to the larger community. 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 look forward to practicing together. We’ll are continuing with our online classes, courses & programs. For details, please visit sivananda.org.in/online-yoga The Covid-19 pandemic situation has escalated in Delhi keeping students at home for now. The staff are well at the Centre. May Master and Swamiji bless all in continuing on the yogic path. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/dwarka

Greetings from Sivananda Nataraja Centre. The Covid-19 situation has escalated in Delhi and all of India, keeping students at home for now. The staff are well at the Centre. May Master and Swamiji bless and protect all while continuing on their yogic path. Please stay connected – https://sivananda.org.in/delhi/ Pranams to all. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/delhi

Om Namah Sivaya. We continued with online activities. The staff also participated in the European online workshops, classes and Satsangs. With best wishes for health and peace. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/geneva

Om Namah Sivaya. In May the Hochiminh Centre went through a lot of changes because of the Covid-19 ‘s reoccurrence in Vietnam. After starting new courses in the beginning of May, we had to close the Centre because of Covid-19 regulations. During this time, we welcomed Swami Sitaramananda and Swami Adi Parashaktiananda to stay in Hochiminh Centre for a few days on their way back to the US. Swami Sitaramananda conducted a very successful Satsang online with more than 130 attendants on the topic of “You Are Always With Yourself”. Staff were positive about creating more online courses to catch up with the new situation.

As May continued, due to Covid-19 situation in Vietnam, Hochiminh Centre remained closed. The Centre was fully busy with all the online courses and workshops. On average the Centre taught 5 classes a day including online and offline training classes for teachers and karma yogis, open classes, prenatal yoga classes. Satsang continued with good attendance. We started the Basic Anatomy online course for teachers, taught by Ganga Chaitanya with 46 students. We also started the new advanced asana online course, taught by Ganga Chaitanya, well attended by 12 students. A highlight was the special workshop taught by Swami Sitaramananda on Yoga of relationship with 53 people in attendance. They all felt  happy and inspired from learning yogic way to improve their relationships. Staff was doing Mantra Chanting, Sadhana, and Satsang daily with lots of inspiration. We were happy to share the yogic wisdom to help more and more people find their peace in this crisis time.
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 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.

May the Masters’ blessings and protection be with all of you, always. With best wishes for health and inner peace. Om Tat Sat. 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. Meanwhile, we are combing through the reopening regulations for LA County “fitness Centres”, as we begin envisioning reopening  the LA Centre in the coming month or so.

In May the LA Centre remained closed due to Covid-19 cases, hence the LA Centre staff continued to live and teach from the Yoga Farm Ashram. Radha Chaitanya and Swami Sivasankariananda drove to LA for a day to check on the Centre. Despite the somewhat overgrown garden, the energy is serene. They did Puja and headed back to the Yoga Farm. On Mother’s Day, we offered a program of stories, chanting and mantra to Divine Mother Durga. Her power was definitely felt. We started Positive Thinking 2, Meditation 3 and Yoga 4 courses. Our Pranayama 1 course finished, as did the 3-session Improve Your Sleep course. We planned to offer it again soon in a 5-week format to give more time for students to refine their sleep practices. A sleep diary and nighttime ritual seemed key. We were receiving almost daily calls from students eager for in-person classes. We were grateful for the support of our online community and for the guidance of the Gurus.

By mid May, all are happy to have Swami Sitaramananda back at the Yoga Farm and so appreciated our masked Satsangs while she is quarantining. One weekend offering was Yantra Painting. For 5-session courses we finished Traditional Sanskrit Prayers and started Overcoming Stress in Daily Life. A core group of online students worked their way through our menu of courses, interested in learning and enjoying the camaraderie. We were brainstorming ideas for upcoming programs at the LA Centre and fundraising to build a yoga deck in the shady side yard. We were all savoring our peaceful time at the Yoga Farm and
grateful to serve this mission. May our reach grow wider and wider. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/la

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves! Welcome to the oasis of peace amid the pressures of everyday life in the city. The Sivananda Yoga Centre in Madrid is the place where you can recharge and reconnect with yourself. Enjoy face-to-face classes with all health guarantees.
We also offer you a wide schedule 7 days a week of online classes. If you prefer now, you can also have an unlimited 24-hour pass. NEW! Access to recorded classes within subscriptions. Classes and courses continued in good spirits! We were happy to remain open despite the Corona situation in Madrid. Several online seminars started and students were tuning well to this mode of teaching. The TTC-OL continued with an inspired and open minded group. We looked forward to the next course on the 5th April.

In early May we continued regular activity. There was a bank holiday in Madrid. Classes continued as usual, both on site and online. A small weekend Beginners’ Yoga course took place. We celebrated the second Open Day of 2021 with very nice atmosphere and some enrollments. The new Summer place in Sierra de Gredos, 2 hr from Madrid, was visited to supervise logistics for the July TTC and Yoga Vacation programs. Staff are well and 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 pandemic situation we recommend you contact your local Centres and Ashrams directly for their latest update. Free online Yoga classes, courses and programs are always available during the Covid-19 Pandemic. 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. During the month of May the Centre’s activities continued to be very positive, both in person and online. We had cool, sunny Fall weather. The Centre remained closed for regular classes. We started only a presential course for beginners. Nine students registered and Chandrashekar is the teacher. Students were very grateful for their class. The Satsangs were either led by Vani Devi, Chandrashekar or Swami Dayananda. Students and teachers continued participating, very thankful for the opportunity to gather for meditation. We prayed 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! We have an extensive lineup of classes online.
Visit https://sivanandacanada.org/montreal/class-schedule/
Visit https://sivanandacanada.org/montreal/Covid-19-19-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 lockdown in Germany. All Staff are residing in the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith / Tyrol / Austria. Meanwhile students were thankful to participate in the online Satsangs, classes and courses. Due to fast dropping numbers of Covid-19 infections in Munich it was announced that that indoor-sports will be allowed again with a number of strict regulations – the main one being that participants have to present a negative Covid-19 test result or have to be fully vaccinated. We were very happy about this news and decided to reopen the Centre after Whitsun on 26 May.

Meanwhile during May we were invited by the Technical University in Munich to take part in stress-reduction week for their students. We taught two very well attended online yoga classes with the topic “Yoga for a Strong and Healthy Back”. We had already taken part in this program since some years. It was interesting to see how this year, by teaching online, we could reach much more students than in the former years when the event had taken place in conference hall in the university.

Swami Narayanananda and Swami Vasudevananda went from the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith/Tyrol/Austria to Munich to prepare for the reopening of the Munich Centre on 26 May. Our resident Chandrika had taken good care of the Munich Centre – the rooms looked beautiful and fresh, waiting for the mission to teach yoga to continue. Also the energy in the meditation room is still amazingly high. We pray for the blessings of the Masters for the reopening of our Centre! We wish everyone health and inner strength. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/munich

Om Namah Sivaya from Manhattan. We successfully continued to teach online classes and courses in conjunction with the Ranch Ashram and Chicago Centre. https://sivanandanyc.org/

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 is open. We continued to chant daily online the Om Namo Narayanaya for peace chant. We also chanted the mantra onsite with a group of students and karma yogis.

During early May God gave us inspiration with the visit of our Gurubais from Orleans. We started the days with morning pranayama and Satsang, or silent walk or Puja with the Lalita sahasranama chanting. There were two online courses: the Meditation course 2 and the Positive Thinking course for beginners online with interactive groups of motivated students. The onsite courses have been limited to one or two students. We chanted daily Om Namo Narayanaya for world peace. As the government talked of changing the curfew time and reopening many places, many students were calling to know if we are open. They slowly returned, little by little. The Centre was happy to welcome Narayana and Pushkar(the dog), who stayed for 4 days. Narayana did an inventory of the sound material of the Centre. He checked that everything was working properly. He worked on the computers, updating the programs and creating space. He did a little tour of the building with Swami Nityananda in order to have an overview of the maintenance projects he was planning for now and in the months to come when he will coming back from time to time. He cleaned the gutters with a little devise that he created with a rope and a ball of rags. Narayana gave a well appreciated asana workshop on the topic of the mobility of the spine. Pushkar the Ashram’s dog  assisted him for the demonstrations. Pushkar brought a sweet mood and Narayana was very efficient with many maintenance projects. Narayana does many things keeping a harmonious mood and always with a smile. The staff did the hatha yoga course with Swami Sivadasananda, the Fire of Yoga and some Satsangs with Reith. We were all very grateful for this opportunity to be guided and accompanied using the new technologies. The students were coming back. There was a joyful mood with well-attended asana practices in the mornings and Satsangs in the afternoons. For Satsangs we had many Kirtans and some inspiring words of Swami Sivananda on the topics of will power and how to control anger from the book  ‘Religious Education’. The Centre was happy to welcome Saraswati. She had some days of rest and then gave an asana workshop on the psoas. The little cat, Lila, was with her during her stay. The flowers bloomed with Ganga chanting mantras while she watered them.

By mid May Life gave the Paris Centre an uplifting visit from Swami Kailasananda. Swamiji guided the staff and listened to everyone. The Gurabais of Orleans were also there included plus Pushkar the little dog of the Ashram. Narayana continued with maintenance projects.
We put prana in the new summer program. Saraswati was of great support entering everything in the reception software and creating posters. The architect of the building came to see the leaks. He told us that the owner will change the gutters, which is great news. That day, the Centre was calm. We could hear the noise of the city with the reopening of terraces, restaurants and bars. We received many calls asking if we were open.
There was no telephone nor internet from morning to evening because of a general connection problem. Some days started beautifully with a weekly Puja from Bangalore. Weather wise, God sent heavy rain, wind and sun. The asana workshops and the themed asana practices continued. We chanted Om Namo Narayanaya online and onsite with a couple of karma yogis. A dose of sattva was put in the laundry and in the kitchen. In spite of the public demonstrations we had good attendance for the public Satsangs and the open classes. For Satsangs we had many Kirtans, cheerful mood and inspiring words of Master on the topics of prayer and moderation. One sunny morning we had a silent walk in the Vincennes forest. We did the Fire of Yoga with the teachers in the Main Hall. We all were very grateful for the online courses, classes and Satsangs with the Acharyas and the gurubais. The online attendance went down a little bit and the onsite went up a little bit.
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. In May we hosted a group of 30 teenagers who are finishing school at the age of 18. They joined a yoga class, were given explanation of the Centre, the principles of yoga and body-mind connection.  The teenagers were very enthusiastic and said that they felt a deep experience of peace and quiet and managed to let go a lot of stress.  Some have expressed interest in doing yoga in the future. We had an open house one Saturday at the Centre, after a year and a half that we didn’t because of the Coronavirus. It was exciting to see teachers and students coming to all of the Centre’s activities, including a Satsang, a yoga class and 3 vegetarian Shabbat meals and all. The guests expressed deep gratitude. We started with a 28 day challenge, featuring 20 teachers who committed to get up every day at 4am. We started with the Gajananam prayer at 4:20 in Zoom and then everyone did meditation, Japa, Pranayama and Asanas. It was exciting to see so many teachers collaborating and making an effort to strengthen and promote spiritual practice. While Israel was under attack, Tel Aviv was bombarded several times at daytime as well as at night. The sirens started just before the final relaxation, and together with 40 students we had to go to the shelter and practiced abdominal breathing and relaxation techniques.

Mid May: we did a very thorough work on our garden, we painted walls and columns at the entrance to the Centre in beautiful white and light blue colors. We added a fertilizer and put in an irrigation pump  which will help us take better care for the plants in the future. We made plans to plant many flowers at the entrance. We celebrated Pentecost. Swami Shambhu delivered a very beautiful study which was broadcasted on Zoom during the night.  We were joined by about 20 people overnight. We also worked on beautiful videos to advertise the Centre’s courses. The atmosphere was still not quiet in terms of security in Israel and many of the courses were canceled or took place on zoom. By the third week in May it was calm and we returned to normal activities. May the Master’s grace be with all. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/telaviv

Om Namah Sivaya. During the month of May the Tokyo Centre remained open until it transitioned to the Shojiko Retreat Centre.

By mid May we saw the Hatha Yoga Sadhana online course navigated by Swami Adi completed. All the students were sharing their wonderful eye-opening experiences with each other, and they are so happy that this experience will help deepen their daily Sadhana. Karma yogis gathered at the Centre for packing things in preparation for relocation to the Shojiko Retreat Centre while looking back the 10-year history of the Tokyo Centre and sharing countless memories. A Yoga 2 finished with attendees proceeding to the online open class. Asana classes were joined by many TTC graduates as well as students. A special Satsang with Swami Sita offering a talk was deeply appreciated, with a Japanese translation service provided. Karma yogis gathered to clean the whole building of the Tokyo Centre as all the belongings were removed. We performed our final service in the Tokyo Centre in gratitude and appreciation of the days of last 10 years that we spent here. Online asana classes were very much underway. May Master and Swamiji’s grace be with all. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.jp

Om Namah Sivaya. We continue to teach online, maintaining virtual contact with our students and teachers as a preventative measure during these times of Covid-19. Ontario government extended yet another lockdown due to the rising cases, the variants and the lack of the vaccines. May Master and Swamiji’s blessings bring all good health and peace. May 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-19-19 situation we request that you contact the Trivandrum Centre directly for our latest update. Meanwhile, join us through online classes, courses and programs. [email protected]

Meanwhile in May all was well by Gods & Gurus blessing in this difficult time. Though we don’t have classes at Centre as the triple lockdown was extend until 23rd of May, we offered some classes online. Staff Mira & Shahina took care of the Centre and activities. We were hoping that the lockdown will not extend anymore and we would again welcome our students. Staff continued their Sadhana and duties. 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.

http://www.sivananda.org/trivandrum

Om Namah Sivaya. The Vienna Centre is closed because of the lockdown in Austria and staff are at the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith/Tyrol. Students are thankful to participate in the online Satsangs, classes and courses. Teachers support us with translating online-activities. For further details please see the weekly report of Reith. We are planning to open in spring and serve the students. Online lessons will also continue to provide inspiration for your Yoga@Home practice. Let yourself be inspired by the extensive live online yoga classes offered.
During early May the Vienna staff started to plan and prepare the reopening of the Centre. It was announced during the online Satsangs. Teachers and students were happy about the Centre resuming its activities. As we can teach only four students in the big hall at a time, an adapted schedule with shorter but more asana classes was developed. The new measures and concepts for the control and prevention of Covid-19 were studied and a hygiene concept was developed. We bade farewell to everyone at the Retreat House in Reith where we had stayed for the last six months which was a very special time. We were very much looking forward to opening the Vienna Centre again and serve the students.
We arrived at the Centre on a warm and sunny afternoon and the rooms were bright and welcoming. After a painting-project in the big hall was finalized we reopened, following the Covid-19 measures of the government. The teachers were inspired and positive, many often arriving with flowers. We had good support from dedicated Karma Yogis to prepare and freshen up the Centre. Students were happy to come again and enjoy classes in small groups. The weekly Puja on Saturdays and the classes on Sundays which were fully booked. A nice group of teachers was here for the Satsang about Meditation. Gathering together again was enjoyed by everyone as well as the lovely Prasad. We wish everyone health and inner strength. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vienna

Om Namah Sivaya. In early May it was the second week after the Centre reopened. We continued slowly, carefully step by step. For the asana class the set limits allow us to accept only five students. Students registered for the classes online. We continued teaching online: the same teacher gave the class in the hall and online, another teacher or student – demonstrated, so it gave more freedom for the teacher to walk around the hall distributing prana to all. We had a Satsang with the closest teachers/students, followed by asanas and lunch, prepared by Mother Parvati at home and brought to the Centre. We enjoyed the meal outside on the platform.

Expanding the activity of the Centre step by step: we added one morning asana class. We were so happy to have the first Yoga 1 course after 6 months of Centre being closed. For the first time we have one deaf student, supported by a gesture translator. Very good experience for us. We saw the limitations very clear: it is not that the deaf student is limited – it is the teacher, who has no means to give the corrections properly. Even the touching is not fully helpful. But the atmosphere in the class was very good, we felt some limitations of the heart were overcome. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vilnius