Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashrams

Om Namah Sivaya, Greetings from the Headquarters. During April Dr. Madan Bali and his assistant Maria came up to host a special weekend guest program called “Yoga for Management of Stress and Psychosomatic Disorders”. Every bed was sold out! His students came from all around Quebec. His emphasis was: be compassionate, love ourself, that we are all wonderful, beautiful and perfect as we are. He reminded us of Swami Vishnu’s message “Health is wealth, Peace of mind is happiness, Yoga shows the way”. It was truly inspiring to be in Dr. Bali’s presence, he invokes love with every word and every gaze. Kumari came to host some courses and brought us some joy, light and inspiration. Her Satsangs were so very informative and charged with her infectious bhakti. The first course she gave was Teaching Yoga to Seniors. In the class she set the stage nicely, first by giving us a nice gentle class in the morning, followed by a very informative lecture after lunch, which also included some postures. Students learned that with age, stiffness sets in as the spine compresses and we lose joint mobility and balance, as well as muscle and bone mass. Some asanas can harm a student so some adaptive postures are needed. The second course was Yoga Therapy for Back Care: A practical Course for Yoga Teachers. In this highly informative course Kumari shared practical training in how to adapt the traditional Sivananda hatha yoga class to safely accommodate the needs of individuals with back issues. Students from both courses were filled with gratefulness and advanced understanding about how to guide the student with reduced mobility and back problems. Alain and Isabelle gave their bi-annual drumming workshop. A lot of eager spiritual newbies came from all over quebec for this workshop. Alain and Isabelle are such gifted and passionate musicians. The participants left charmed and jubilant. May the blessings of the Masters remain with us all. Pranams.

http://www.sivananda.org/camp

Namah Sivaya to all. At the beginning of April everyone’s spirits were lifted by a few heavy down pours of rain which gave us relief from the heat wave which seemed to last indefinitely.  The AYUSH (Ayurveda Yoga Unani Siddha Homeopathy) Ministry has announced that it will offer Government of India Yoga Certification exam at Dhanwantari Ashram on 17th April immediately after TTC. Over thirty TTC students and some staff have shown interest to do the exam. Tuition classes are going on in the evenings to prepare for this exam. Haridas ji gave a talk and demo of Vedic Maths to the amazement of all when he calculated cube roots mentally within seconds. Other highlights of the month included bhajans with Rajamani Bhagavatar, Alaknanda’s (Noida staff) wedding and mantra initiation with over forty students. We welcomed Sivakami from Delhi to conduct TTC A&P and sadly said good bye to Hanuman, after six month service.

Mid-April saw the monthly Ayurveda Medical Camp with eight hundred sixty five patients. Extensive work was done to make a roof cover to shade the people from the elements. We were grateful to Swami Gayatriananda and other donors who made this possible. Twenty four people including six staff were initiated into the Fasting Detoxification Program. The course was conducted by Narayana and his wife Karen. Kids Camp initiation, with eighty nine kids, including two children from Korea and France. Bala ji, our long time staff underwent kidney donation operation for a family member who is suffering from kidney failure. Binoy and Sridevi, staff from Nataraja Centre had their house warming function. The Ashram donated towards construction of their home. We welcomed some new TTC graduates as staff, as well as Juan from HQ. We hope to make use of his metal working skills during his stay. We bid goodbye to Swami Gayatriananda, Avatar, Vijaya and Kamal with for their service. Om. Pranams.

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Om Namo Narayanaya – Greetings from Uttar Kashi. At the beginning of April the Ashram’s high season got off to a good start. The new high season staff were initiated into the responsibilities around the Ashram and the Ashram was given a final clean all over in time for the arrival of the TTC students.  The initiation of 29 students took place at 2 pm on Sunday 3rd April.  They were introduced to their first Satsang in the evening.  The following morning, the traditional Ganapathy Havan took place giving a good start to the this first week of TTC.  Lila came to teach the hatha yoga classes and support Swami Parameswariananda ji with the Satsangs, whilst Swamiji is giving the 2 pm lecture.  She also introduced the students to the purpose and joy of Kirtan in the chanting classes this week. Sukumari arrived ready to share the Bhagavad Gita with the students.  The weather was kind; a little rain and cloud so it is not too hot in the day but also not too chilly in the early morning.  Most students took the opportunity to explore Uttarkashi.  We thank Swamiji and Master for a good start to the season.

Mid-April third week of TTC went smoothly with the students successfully completing their teaching groups.  The special event of the week was a Sudarsana Homa one Wednesday night to clear the atmosphere.  And for the day off, the weather was good for a hike to Nachiketa Tal.  It is believed that Nachiketa, a young boy who learnt the nature of the Self as a boon from Lord Yama, meditated by this mountain forest lake.  With Master and Swamiji’s Grace, all the students and staff are doing well.

http://www.sivananda.org/uttarkashi

Om Namo Narayanaya. At the beginning of April the Yoga Vacationers welcomed the second week of their schedule with renewed vigor derived from the previous week. It was relatively hotter in the afternoons with the temperature within tolerable limits. In the evenings the sky would take on a cloudy look and then relapse back to normal. Then…there was a welcome change with a slight summer drizzle, much to the delight of guests who kept on speculating about the rains. The hard work and efforts put in by our gardening staff was paying off well with a rich harvest of tomatoes, brinjal and okra from our vegetable garden, thereby motivating them to put in their best towards cultivation. The Sivananda Rural Hospital conducted a Diabetic and Dental  Camp for the neighboring villages. The activities of the Ashram followed the normal routine. With the blessings of our Gurus all are doing well and are contented and happy as well.

Mid-April the Ashram geared up for its first summer camp for kids. Cleaning and setting up of the dormitories, purchasing of sports items are all being done very enthusiastically by our karma yogis. Madurai city witnessed a tremendous rush on account of ‘Meenakshi Thirukalyanam’, a local festival celebrated with great pomp and splendour. The belief is that Meenakshi, an incarnation of Goddess Parvathy is married to Lord Siva during the month of Chithirai in Tamil calendar. The celebrations lasted for few weeks and is one of the major local attractions. We had some of the kids from our neighborhood coming for the morning yoga sessions. The Yoga Vacationers enjoyed their time at the Ashram and were getting on well with the daily schedule. The talent show had some scintillating performances by our guests. Thanking our Masters for blessing us with a joyful and blissful month. Om Shanti. Pranams to all.

www.sivananda.org/madurai

Om Namah Sivaya! The beginning of April saw the last week of the TTC.  To the delight of the students and staff, we had a snow storm! Many of the students and staff are International visitors and had never seen snow before. The TTC’s had the advanced pranayama class one morning and the pregnancy & kids class in the afternoon.  They had the mantra initiation and we took the group photo in the afternoon.  The students had their final review classes, and the end of the Bhagavad Gita class, the Gita Arati was chanted and a special prasad, prepared by our priest, Sankara, was distributed.  You could begin to feel the festive energy the Friday Day Off for study, as staff went shopping for last minute preparations for the graduation and feast.  The students entered the exam on Saturday morning, full of joy. As they finished the exam and joined each other for the morning meal, you could sense the strong connection this group came to form with each other.  It was a lovely, calm, peaceful evening.  The feast, decorations, the entire prep for the graduation, was well planned and executed with organization and teamwork.  The following day the students began to leave the Ashram, ready to share the teachings of yoga with the world.  By the Grace of Master and Swamiji, another successful TTC was completed.

Mid-April we celebrated the arrival of Spring with our first outdoor yoga class of the 2016 season.  The weather had been beautiful, with mild temperatures and sunny skies.  Paul returned back to the Ashram after several weeks in a rehabilitation facility where he was receiving physical therapy to help him with walking and basic self care skills.  The staff were keeping very busy, and with the nice weather, we washed all of the yoga mats outside and started wash and put up the staff tents.  The grounds were worked on during a karma yoga night, under the stunning full moon.  Staff also were busy working on the EBM report, reporting their respective departments.  Mahadev Chaitanya went into New York city to teach the weekly Bhagavad Gita class and give the evening Satsang at the Centre.  We had a huge turn out for the Passover Seder that was celebrated with Rabbi Zoe B.Zak leading the services. We offered a hiking weekend, with over 40 guests joining the staff on three different levels of hiking at nearby Lake Minnawaska State Park.  It was a festive weekend, with guests and staff celebrating the renewal of Spring.  By the grace of the gurus staff are happy and well. Staff were focused and regular in their Sadhana and send Pranams to all. May the Blessings of Master and Swamiji grace all of our lives.

Om Namah Sivaya! At the beginning of April the Yoga Farm Ashram was happy to welcome back Ananta Chaitanya, Annapurna and Sri Devi from their service in Vietnam programs. We also welcomed returning staff Anandamayi and Kartikeya. Many programs were under way at the Ashram: Karuna Devi taught the 5-day Beginner course with students learning the 5 Points of Yoga and gaining deep appreciation for their Yoga practice; Swami Dharmananda led the weekend Stress and Relaxation workshops identifying the sources of stress and the benefits of Yoga practices to create more flexibility in mind, increase prana for greater stress resiliency, and how to understand one’s karma to gain perspective of one’s life and see through the illusions in our mind. We welcomed Steven Weiss for the Principles of Asana Alignment course, teaching on injury-free Yoga asana practice, alignment principles and tools for integrating body, mind and spirit in one’s practice. The Food as Medicine course, with Bharata Surya, was ofered. This excellent course combines Ayurvedic teaching with hands-on cooking workshops to expose students to the healing power of food through proper food combining, spicing and proper ingredients.

Mid-April we had a Yoga 2 course with Ananta Chaitanya that focused on the Four Paths of Yoga.  The guests got a lot out of the teachings and really appreciated being in the Ashram environment. We had a course on Emotional Intelligence with Arun Deva, an Ayurvedic doctor who is also on the board of National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA).  Arun Deva gave very inspiring talks at Satsang on Ayurveda Chikitsa and how to apply Ayurveda and yoga asanas for healing in our modern world. We had an Ayurvedic massage rejuvenation retreat, with Manas Kshirsagar, which was very much appreciated.  Swami Sitaramananda returned from her travels in Asia and was happy to be back at the green and flowery Yoga Farm.  The construction of new Om Cabins continued, led by Hara Mahadeva.  We also started the extension of our animal fence to give more space to our friendly animals.  We had a garden party as well where we cleared weeds and prepared all the beds in the garden for planting.  We then had a Satsang at Samadhi Estates with a slideshow of Swamiji’s travels and teachings in India, China, and Vietnam.  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. The April TTC and ATTC courses saw a great start as usual as they completed the first week in the course. We welcomed Tulku Sherdor, Imam Jamal Rahman, Rabbi Shella Peltz Weinberg and Father Vincent Pizzutto to present for the Interfatih Meditation as a Path to Enlightment Symposium that we hosted this past week. Guest speakers were representatives from the various traditions and the workshops presented included very inspiring teachings. Savitri Devi also offered her professional training course Yoga for Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment.

Mid-April saw the Nature of Consciousness Science & Spirituality successfully held at the Ashram. Presenters were Peter Russell, Menas Kafatos, Shauna Shapiro, Swami Kashi Muktananda and Swami Brahmananda.  It was an extremely informative and thought provoking and enjoyed by all. The Yoga of Recovery Retreat with Durga Leela completed on April 18.  It was another year of this successful and valuable course and well attended. The Yoga of Recovery Certification for Counsellors course with Durga Leela and Swami Dharmananda graduated a successful course in the Durga Temple on April 24. Swami Kashi Muktananda graduated a wonderful course “Vedantic Meditation: Studies from the Vivekacudamani” on April 20.  A wonderful study on the work of Shankaracharya. Rukmini talked in the morning Satsangs on the subject From Darkness to Light:  The Need for a Spiritual Teacher.  These talks were informative and interesting. The Spring Family Holiday Program with Omkari and Aaron Jones returning to the Ashram, two well loved teachers, heard the flute flowing through the morning Ashram and lots of sweet little yogis chanting, practicing asanas, painting and generally having a wonderful time. Sivananda Teachers Reunion began on April 5 with Shyam and Mohini, Satyadev and Nirmala and other senior Ashram staff with lectures, workshops and connections with new and old members of the Sivananda Family. Passover Seder Celebration was led by our beloved Acharya Swami Swaroopananda and was highly inspirational. Among the participants were Bishop Trevor Williamson from Nassau and his congregation. It was a wonderful evening with a lot of singing, great food and was enjoyed by everyone. The Way of Nature, Reconnection and Renewal workshops began on April 23 with John Mlton a special guest who is a pioneering ecologist, spiritual teacher and shaman and Douglas Canterbury-counts who practices sacred psychology and specialties in neuropsychology. The April TTC and ATTC continued into their fourth week. Om Shanti from all the staff in Nassau.

http://www.sivananda.org/nassau

Om Namah Sivaya. On April 1st the Retreat House was closed for one month. Swami Vidyananda and Narayani drove to Mittersill, a scenic retreat hotel higher up in the Austrian Alps, where the Sivananda Vacation Programs continued. The first group of 14 students enjoyed a weekend with yoga classes and lectures on “Yoga at home”. As the weather stayed pleasant the guests could enjoy the beautful nature walks around the house. The central topic of the first week in Mittersill was ” active relaxation and stressreduction” . We shared a lot of information on stress research, burnout, techniques for the relaxation of the nervous system and the hormones. The lectures on positive thinking and regulation of emotions through mantra-recitation were well attended. For the first time of our stay in Mittersill we could use the wooden yoga platform next to the garden pond. The presence of the very close by mountains which were still snow covered intensified the peaceful atmosphere of the yoga class. The second bigger seminar of the month was “meditation and inner balance”. Lectures on the physical effects of meditation and a workshop on concentration and meditation were well attended. The asana classes focused on a detailed step by step approach to the different techniques of Pranayama. The Springlike temperatures allowed again several beautiful naturewalks. As the number of guests increased towards the middle of the month, Swami Keshavananda came to support the Programs in Mittersill. He gave dynamic yoga classes and two inspiring Satsangs. With over 30 guests per day the most frequented week of April followed. “Yoga and mountain hiking” was scheduled and we had the most beautiful walks in the fascinating surroundings of the “Hohen Tauern”. “Yoga for a flexible spine” was the last subject during our stay in Mittersill. Problems of the back and body alignment were discussed in lectures and workshops and the guests enjoyed the combination of relaxation in the wellness rooms, yoga classes and the quiet atmosphere during meditation. On Friday, April 29, Narayani and Swami Vidyananda drove back to Reith to get ready for the arrival of the TTCs next day. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/tyrol

Om Namah Sivaya. The certificate course “Yogic Way of Cooking” course, taught by Swami Bhagavatananda, attracted many students. At the same time we had Asana Intensive Workshops during the first week of the month. We had a positive group of guests who enjoyed their stay very much, a mixture of beginners and intermediate/ advanced students, who appreciated the guidance and the corrections. The group practice helped them to relax and feel more comfortable in the postures. The silent walks also gave them a chance to connect to mother nature and thus to bring up their prana level. The workshop “How Yoga works – Posture, Flexibility and Anatomy”, a 4 day Program with Padma from the UK went very well and was appreciated by her students. Also this month we had a “Intensive Meditation and Silence Retreat” started, given by Swami Kailasananda. For this Program we had a morning yoga class and an additional practice of meditation in the afternoon. Charles Poncet, senior disciple of Swamiji, came from Geneva for a one week stay at the Ashram to rest and rejuvenate, he also inspired us with daily discourses on the Bhagavad Gita in the evening Satsangs; it is always very inspiring to chant properly selected verses from this important scripture. The Ashram priests conducted inspiring Ramnavami and Hanuman Jayanti Pujas. Spring is in the air with daffodils and tulips coming out in every corner of the Ashram. It is a beautiful peaceful time and all are enjoying the beauty and serenity of the Ashram. The month was still a little cold, but Spring is on its way, flowers are blooming and our bee hives are very active when the sun is showing – their buzzing then can be heard already from a distance. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/orleans