Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Om Namah Sivaya. The spiritual highlight during the Easter weekend was the Puja for Hanuman Jayanti on Saturday evening which uplifted the energy in the Centre. Swami Gokulananda and Amba went to Reith for the Easter retreat, Swami Annapurnananda and Surya stayed back in Berlin to serve all the students who did not leave the city for Easter holidays. A well visited headstand workshop and a Mantra workshop with an inspired group were the other weekend programs this month. On Sunday middle of the moth the day of the open house was held. It was very successful, many people came for the different activities like Asana demonstration, cooking workshop, trial class and intro to meditation. The Centre was preparing for the departure of the Staff to the Staff Refresher in Orleans. Different Karma Yoga was passed on. Swami Annapoornananda, Swami Gokulananda and Ishwara Chaitanya left happily to Orleans looking forward to the refreshing experience. Amba and Suray stayed in Berlin to serve the students with the help of the teachers and close students. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/berlin

Om Namah Sivaya. Hello from Buenos Aires. At the beginning of April three beginner courses started, one of them intensive. We welcomed new karma yogis who approached for helping in various tasks. The newly graduated yoga teachers assisted senior teachers’ classes. We had a workshop about Conquest of Anger plus, a well attended trial class. Prem & Om to all.

http://www.sivananda.org/baires

http://www.sivanandayogachina.org

Om Namah Sivaya to all Blessed Selves from the Chennai Centre. At the beginning of April we began with a new Morning Beginners course and Weekend Beginners Course, both with good number of students. The climate was warming up, getting hotter every day. Thanks to the Blessings of the Masters everything went smoothly at the Centre.

Mid-April began with new ladies batch, with good number of students. On 14th April (Tamil New year) we performed Ganapathy Homa with two of our regular priests. A good number of students and our staffs participated in the Homa and were blessed. Finally a nice prasad was given to all our students. On 15th we celebrated Vishu (Kerala new Year). All the staffs here were given new cloths with Vishu ‘Kayneetam’ to represent a small donation, as a custom of this festival. New staff member, Rishin, joined on 17th of this month to our Centre. Radha left from Centre on the 19th night back to Columbia. As usual, all courses ran as normal. The climate was extremely hot in Chennai. The month was pleasant, thanks to the Grace of the Masters. Teachers and staff are well and sending pranams to the Sivananda family.

http://www.sivananda.org/madras

Om Namah Sivaya. At the beginning of April we started a Positive Thinking Part 1 course as well as a new course, Positive Thinking Part 3. Both were off to a good start with full groups of enthusiastic students. The Part 3 course was created at the request of students who were interested in a deeper study of Vedanta. Shakti’s saw her last day as staff, and we wished her farewell and pray that the Gurus continued to guide and protect her always. Karma Yogis stepped in to offer extra help, so all continued smoothly. Chicago enjoyed a period of very lovely Spring weather.

During mid-April the Centre continued well. We were happy to have a visit from Swami Jnaneswariananda, who gave programs on Sanskrit and Chanting. Students, teachers, and staff found her presence, teaching, and humor very inspiring. Attendance at Satsang, classes, and courses remained steady, though the days with the most beautiful Spring weather tend to be a little quieter. Chicagoans were eager to spend time along the lakefront. Weather-wise, April can be a dramatic month here, with 40-degree shifts and surprise precipitation in all forms. Students in the current courses seemed particularly enthusiastic about both practice and theory. Those in the Positive Thinking 3 course, one of whom joining class via Skype, were already requesting Positive Thinking Part 4 and Part 5. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi.

http://www.sivananda.org/chicago

Om Namah Sivaya. At the beginning of April, positivity was radiantly flowing at the Dalat Centre! Three Yoga 1 Beginner courses started with full attendance of students in each class. The new karma yogis and students arrived to help with the Centre’s projects which included: a front door entrance garden project and a greening of the inside of the Centre environmental project. Every day we practiced a one-hour English class with the staff to learn how to teach yoga asana class in English. We also offered Kirtan every day to make the Centre’s energy raise higher and increase the focus on our mission. We have a lot of joy and feel the blessings from the Guru just by living in the Centre.

https://sivanandayogavietnam.org

Om Namah Sivaya. At the beginning of April, by God’s grace and Gurudev blessings, all the activities went very well in the Centre. We started new beginners course with sufficient numbers of students. All the classes and courses continued very well. We held a two hour weekend advanced class and kriya workshop attended by a good number of students. Otherwise, the weather was getting pleasant by the day.

During mid-April, by the grace of the Lord and the blessings of Gurudev, all was well at the Centre. The Summer set in with its usual severity in temperatures. We prepared to greet it with open arms. We planned to get some shades for the asana halls, so the students don’t experience any discomfort. Classes continued as usual. We had some new students join us for our pre-natal yoga course. We had two new beginner courses and an advance class. Sending all are love and wishes. Pranams. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/dwarka

Om Namo Narayanaya. April started with a beginners’ course at 6:30am with good no. of students. We started Yoga-2. The Sunday Satsang was attended by good no. of people(staffs, teachers, students and others).It was more energizing and motivating for all of us. As the weather becoming more pleasant the number of students in open class is increasing. Everything is going good with the grace of the Gurus.

Mid-April started the week with beginners’ course at 6:30am. We also started weekend intensive beginners’ on Saturday. A good number of students are registered for both beginners’ course. There were two workshops in this week. One is know yourself on Wednesday and the other is Vegetarian cooking on Saturday. The cooking workshop was attended with more no. of students. The students enjoyed the variety and the taste of the sattvic food. The know yourself workshop motivated the participants to have inquiry about Self and understood the importance of meditation. The stress has been given at different times on the importance of attending Satsang to improve the quality of teaching and to spiritual growth. Recently, the teachers are reminded to attend Satsang as they are coming to teach regularly. Some regular out side teachers are coming to attend the Saturday morning or Sunday evening Satsang according to their convenience. As the result, the Satsang became more powerful and beneficial for all of us and for the Centre. With the Grace of the Masters everything is going smoothly at the Centre. Pranams to All.

http://www.sivananda.org/delhi

Om Namah Sivaya. Spiritual highlight of the month was the Rama Navami Puja with many of our teachers as well as new students. On a Saturday we had a good open day. Many Karma yogis supported the Centre and more than half of the new students signed up for beginners’ courses. Over the Easter weekend the Centre was closed for a few days. Swami Mangalananda spent some time in Vienna and Saraswati Chaitanya supported the retreat in Spain. The renovation of the building has started with some construction work taking place in the common areas and maintenance personal coming for evaluations. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/geneva

Om Namah Sivaya. At the beginning of April, after a long month waiting for all the courses, we started 5 courses such as the Yoga Beginner course, Level 1 and 3 in Vietnamese and English. Also a Meditation course brought a lot of students to the Centre. Most of the courses have full attendance, from 10-14 students each class, bringing the energy of the Centre very high. The staff remain positive with a lot of Karma yoga projects in the works, such as the set up new altar, library and office. We also prepared for the Yoga Retreat program at the end of the month. Open class and Satsang were still very popular, with high energy.

During mid-April a very busy and blessed time passed at the Hochiminh Centre. We focused on the painting project, re-decorated the Centre room with lot of painting. This project brought everyone together, staff, karma yogis, resident painted 2-3 hours a day, joyful and happily. Our new staff also started their 1st ever teaching class for the open class, as well as assisting for the yoga beginner course. The open class and course was still popular, filled with students. We welcomed Narayan for the workshop of “Proper Diet for Peace of Mind” which was very well received by the students.

Om Namah Sivaya. At the beginning of April the yearly Easter Retreat was held for the first time in North Wales. It came to a very successful conclusion. A sincere and harmonious group of 28 participants joined the retreat, which included daily workshops on Yoga and Stress management and Asana Expansion as well as beautiful silent walks amidst rugged mountains, pristine lakes, tumbling waterfalls and coastal scenery. Meanwhile at the Centre, we were happy to see how the staff team grew with the arrival of Damodara and Narayani as temporary staff members. Close student, Sofia, moved in as a resident. There was much joy in a kirtan workshop one Tuesday evening which focussed on the practice of simple chants. The Open House one Saturday brought an enthusiastic group of newcomers to the Centre.

Mid-April saw the start of a 4-week Sanskrit for Beginners course, learning to write and read simple Sanskrit. We saw much staff and resident movement and renewal at the Centre, with adjustment to new roles and responsibilities for many. Swami Jyotirmayananda departed for the Staff Refresher in Orleans. France-based karma yogi Manohara arrived from Paris for a week of karma yoga. His positive presence and teaching were immediately appreciated. The new arrivals have afforded more space for household de-cluttering and cleanliness to be addressed. We were happy to welcome several first timers in the Saturday and Sunday Satsangs. Staff are well and send OM & Prem to All.

http://www.sivananda.org/london

Om Namo Narayanaya! At the beginning of April Janaki left and was replaced by Mirabai, who is visiting from Ho Chi Min Centre for 2 months. We held a Yoga of Creativity session with Stephen Fiske one Friday night and a kirtan concert by Temple Bhajan Band. This was well attended by visiting scholars who had been presenting at a 2 day symposium on Yoga Sutras at the local university. We held our monthly Devi Puja at Satsang one Sunday night. We offered Yoga1 and 2 courses, plus the Positive Thinking course.

During mid-April attendance at asana classes has picked up and this last week we have seen the return of several students who had ‘disappeared’. Swami Omkarananda has been teaching a Positive Thinking course at the local Episcopal Church. The 12 students are very open and appreciative of a new perspective and we concluded the last session agreeing that Jesus was a fine example of a ‘positive’ leader!Sending our Pranams to all.

http://www.sivananda.org/la

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves! Special events of the last weeks were a preparation day for the yoga teachers training course, a further teachers training day “Pranayama and Relaxation”, a “yoga and fasting day” and a cooking class “Soups and Healthy Snacks”. We celebrated the spiritual festivals Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanthi by performing two Pujas. We are now looking forward to a program on Vedic Astrology with Stephen Quong in mid-May. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/madrid

Om Namah Sivaya. Staff convey their Pranams to all. Om Shanti!!

http://www.sivananda.org/madurai

Om Namah Sivaya! Om Shanti to all!!

http://www.sivananda.org/montevideo

Om Namah Sivaya. At the beginning of April, the Centre was closed on Easter Monday. The Centre activities continued on the Tuesday. The highlight was Satsang with Swami Kailasananda ji one Wednesday evening. Swami ji arrived from the Camp with Swami Shivabhakatanada ji. Staff, teachers, karma yogis and students were delighted to be in her presence. Approximately 45 people attended. The Satsang was inspirational. She read from Swami Vishnudevanandas Upanishad ‘Final Instructions’ carefully stopping at each point elaborating how we can apply these to our daily lives. It enabled students at Satsang to reflect and learn about practical tools for change and better improve their Sadhana. We are deeply grateful for the warmth, love and kindness that Swami Kailasananda ji offered while she was at the Centre. We moved smoothly, ending with a successful engaging workshop on ‘Expansion on the Twelve Asanas’ exploring some of the variations in depth. Students were inspired to practice more regularly. We were ever grateful for the guidance of Master and Swami ji.

During mid-April the weather changed dramatically with the sun shining most of the time. All classes and courses continued to move well. We were pleased with the attendance. A few Yoga 1 courses ended and most people subscribed to the Yoga 2. The Centre welcomed 3 new karma yogis that began training in various areas, such as cooking, housekeeping and maintenance. Their enthusiasm and presence was welcomed. Staff focused on scheduling, as well sharing the news of the morning program with Swami Shivbhaktanada. The program became quite full. We offered a raw food cooking workshop, ‘How to Make Healthy Food On the Go’. It was a wonderful workshop taught by Shambu. The group was very pleased and felt the timing was good as the weather warms. A workshop for older people was held to keep them inspired to stay regular in their practice. Swami Shivabhaktananda also came to the Centre one Sunday evening to give the Satsang. People were thankful for his attendance. Om Namo Narayanaya. Pranams from Montreal.

http://www.sivananda.org/montreal

Om Namah Sivaya. At the beginning of April, the Centre was closed on Easter Monday. The Centre activities continued on the Tuesday. The highlight was Satsang with Swami Kailasananda ji one Wednesday evening. Swami ji arrived from the Camp with Swami Shivabhakatanada ji. Staff, teachers, karma yogis and students were delighted to be in her presence. Approximately 45 people attended. The Satsang was inspirational. She read from Swami Vishnudevanandas Upanishad ‘Final Instructions’ carefully stopping at each point elaborating how we can apply these to our daily lives. It enabled students at Satsang to reflect and learn about practical tools for change and better improve their Sadhana. We are deeply grateful for the warmth, love and kindness that Swami Kailasananda ji offered while she was at the Centre. We moved smoothly, ending with a successful engaging workshop on ‘Expansion on the Twelve Asanas’ exploring some of the variations in depth. Students were inspired to practice more regularly. We were ever grateful for the guidance of Master and Swami ji.

During mid-April the weather changed dramatically with the sun shining most of the time. All classes and courses continued to move well. We were pleased with the attendance. A few Yoga 1 courses ended and most people subscribed to the Yoga 2. The Centre welcomed 3 new karma yogis that began training in various areas, such as cooking, housekeeping and maintenance. Their enthusiasm and presence was welcomed. Staff focused on scheduling, as well sharing the news of the morning program with Swami Shivbhaktanada. The program became quite full. We offered a raw food cooking workshop, ‘How to Make Healthy Food On the Go’. It was a wonderful workshop taught by Shambu. The group was very pleased and felt the timing was good as the weather warms. A workshop for older people was held to keep them inspired to stay regular in their practice. Swami Shivabhaktananda also came to the Centre one Sunday evening to give the Satsang. People were thankful for his attendance. Om Namo Narayanaya. Pranams from Montreal.

http://www.sivananda.org/munich

Om Namah Sivaya! At the beginning of April the Centre was flourishing with the arrival of Spring. Along with the arrival of the long-awaited sunny days, we are again able to use our garden space. We noticed the buds on our newly planted tree. We also saw an increasing number of new students coming to the Centre. New Positive Thinking and Meditation courses are fully subscribed. By Master’s and Swamiji’s grace, our group of committed karma yogis is also grew so that we now have a good team helping to keep the Centre clean and welcoming. We welcomed Swami Narayanananda back from his trip to Canada, this time for a longer stay at the Centre.

During mid-April we enjoyed the beautiful Spring weather here in New York. Classes were busy, especially on the weekends when we saw our asana room full to capacity. New courses were also well attended. Teacher Girija led an afternoon of classes and workshops for the Yoga of Recovery program. All staff are well & sending pranams to all the Sivananda family.

http://www.sivananda.org/ny

Om Namah Sivaya. In April God gave us a beautiful spring weather. We started with a bank holiday in France. Sudha came back from Spain where she was helping with the Easter retreat. Swami Gopalananda came back after a short stay in Orleans where he gave a support with the Easter program. Swamiji worked mainly on finalizing the accounts of 2014. We put some prana in the planning of karma yogis and teachers during the staff refresher. The teachers planning was almost full for the next five weeks. Many karma yogis have confirmed that they will come and support the Centre during the staff refresher. One Tuesday, there was a “Yoga at Home” workshop with a little group of close students. The staff went to the UNESCO for a lecture with the prime minister of India. He talked about India, education, unity in diversity and also about Yoga Day. Many Indians were there and they manifested their support with loud “Jai”. The same day, Arjuna gave an open class. He was happy as well as the students. We had a meeting with the lady who will make the new shelves in our asana rooms. The work will be done in two days the last week of May. One Saturday we had a successful Open house. The rain and the clouds sent many students for the regular classes and the activities of the day. There were 72 students for the trial class. The new visitors were motivated to start with yoga classes and felt inspired with the teachings of the Masters. A wonderful time. Everyone said words of appreciation to the flowers in the entrance. They are blooming beautifully. The chant of the birds accompanied us during the morning meditations. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/paris

Om Namah Sivaya from Brasil. At the beginning of April we started a Yoga 1 and Yoga 2 course. Unfortunately we had a problem in the location of a new house so we decided to stay where we are. We had a concert with the band The Darma Lovers. They are from the Tibetan Buddhism.

During mid-April we had a cooking workshop with Narada, a very closed teacher and excellent cook. We are also varnishing the deck wood. Pranams to the Sivananda Family.

http://www.sivananda.org/portoalegre

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed selves. During mid-April we focused at the beginning of the week on making the main asana room beautiful after it was freshly painted. We started two Yoga 1 courses. We had an Open House one Saturday. This was the first time that we had more experienced students present, who practiced Yoga before, than a new comers to Yoga. People left happy after the classes. Teachers and Karma yogis helped nicely. Swami Sankarananda left for the Staff Refresher in Orleans. Pranams to all. Om Shanti to the Sivananda Family from the Rome Centre.

http://www.sivananda.org/rome

Om Namo Narayanaya, Blessed Selves. Pranams to all from the new San Francisco Centre.

http://www.sivananda.org/sanfrancisco

Om Namah Sivaya. At the beginning of April Shankara Chaitanya traveled to the Yoga Retreat to assist in teaching in the ATTC. It just so happened that it fell on his birthday, so he was fortunate to celebrate with us as well as in the Ashram. One weekend we held our 4-day annual Passover retreat. This was the first time Bhargavi and Pranava were fully in charge of the retreat’s operation on their own. We had a nice group of 106 participants, of whom 25 were yogic children. Although the weather changed drastically in two days, from sunny spring to freezing winter, the retreat was a great success. We constantly get e-mails from guests, thanking for a wonderful and transformational experience. Our new brochure was offered on the internet, drawing a lot of interest. We received the printed brochures a couple of days later.

During mid-April we returned from the 4 days Yoga Retreat and plunged right into intensive programs promotion. The printed brochure arrived and was mailed to over 3000 students. Atma Swaroop, a Sivananda Teacher from Haifa joined us in the Centre to help during the time that Shankara Chaitanya travelled to the Bahamas. He will stay with us 4 days every week. Many other karma yogis recruited themselves to give a helping hand during this intense period. Many courses were about to start in the next two weeks and registration was coming along very nicely. Om and Prem to all. Blessings and Peace to all the Sivananda Family.

http://www.sivananda.org/telaviv

Om Namah Sivaya. At the beginning of April Ananda Mai, from Dalat Centre in Vietnam, joined residence staff in Tokyo Centre. She helped the TTC in Vietnam last February to March. We held a Pawanmuktasana workshop by Yashashvin. Pawanmuktasana focus on mobilisation of the joints: Wrist, ankle, shoulder, elbow etc. Student were rotating, moving and stretching with comfortable breath. A Yoga1 course started. The students were interested in applying the skills of yoga to their own individual life.

During mid-April Yoga 1, Yoga 2 and Meditation course continued very successfully. We held a Sivananda cooking workshop by Kalyani who is professional cooking teacher. Students were interested in vegetarian cooking because Vegetarian cooking is not popular in japan. They enjoyed making and eating the cookies made of Oatmeal, cashew nuts, raisins, sunflower oil etc. The weather was almost cloudy with rain sometimes. Om and Prem to all the Sivananda family.

http://www.sivananda.jp

Om Namah Sivaya. At the beginning of April we started a Yoga 1 beginner course, as well as a Yoga 2 course. We also started another Prenatal course, run by our teacher Padma. One Sunday afternoon Janaki offered an Inversions Asanas workshop. Our karma yogis signed up for volunteering at our Yoga Show booth and helping set up the booth, drive and hand out flyers. Yoga Show and Conference draws lot of Yoga Centres from Canada and US that exhibit on the main floor of a large convention Centre in downtown Toronto. Our booth was very sattvic and sunny looking as it was bedecked in our signature yellow and white colors. It drew a lot of attention because we had a lot of karma yogis who were very eager to hand out flyers and enthusiastically explain programs that the organization offers. Saraswati participated in the conference teaching a two hour workshop on Mind, its Mysteries and Control, following the guidance from Swami Sivananda’s book. She also taught a four hour class on Applying Teachings of Raja Yoga Sutras Within the Meditation Practice. In this class she conveyed main concepts from the sutras and how they relate and benefit our practice. It was very nice to see how eager students were to learn and how appreciative they were of Swamiji’s teachings. Prahlada was away at the Yoga Camp.

During mid-April, as the weather in Toronto warmed up into a whole week of Spring, a lot of students came to the Centre for open classes. We started a new Y1 and Y2. Our evening meals open to students were full, plus Friday and Sunday Satsangs were very well attended. We continued to have groups of teens from the mental health centre. It was very rewarding to see how they progressed in applying some some of the yogic practices on dealing with depression, trauma and other challenges. Vijay gave a very popular workshop on Indian Vegetarian cooking that was full and in the afternoon we had eight hour course on Chair Yoga with Anjaneya, a graduate of TTC and ATTC . It was nice to see how our teachings can be adapted simply in order to benefit those who are not able to do regular class. Lots of teachers and students attended and were happy to expand the knowledge of our basic yogic principles. Pranams to all.

http://www.sivananda.org/toronto

Om Namah Sivaya. At the beginning of April the Ladies and Evening beginners’ batches successfully completed their courses. A 6-day Meditation Course started on Mondays. The daily Kids Yoga classes are doing well. Swami Rajeshwariananda Mataji conducted 3 days Chanting classes for them. We also started 12 days of Kids Yoga Classes at the nearby NSS Public School. The student numbers were less at the Centre due to a general strike one Wednesday. Our regular priest conducted Lalitha Sahasra Nama Poojas. One Saturday students were introduced to the practices of Jala Neti and Sutra Neti in a Kriya Workshop. One Sunday Satsang was led by Sw. Rajeshwariananda Mataji.

During mid-April a new beginners’ batch started for ladies in the mornings and a mixed beginners’ batch in the evenings. The current early morning beginners’ batch completed their last week. All other classes went well. We celebrated Vishu, the harvest festival of Kerala. To celebrate we distributed new clothes to the staff and had a Ganapathy Homa as it was also the first day of the new Malayalam month. Lalitha Sahasra Nama Pooja was conducted by our regular priest on Fridays. Nataraj ji conducted a Headstand Workshop which helped the students to improve their posture. Nataraj ji also led that Sunday Satsang. Pranams to all. Om Shanti.

http://www.sivananda.org/trivandrum

Om Namah Sivaya. In the beginning of the month we celebrated Hanuman Jayanti Pooja. In spite of the Easter holidays many teachers and students helped with the preparations and also joined the celebration. The energy was joyous, loving and strong. Swami Vidyananda and Madhava Chaitanya in turns left for Reith to participate und support the Easter program there. Swami Mangalananda from Geneva came for a personal visit over the Easter holidays. Sivani left for Reith, where she will probably be staying for the next weeks. Our second highlight was the weekend special program Yoga Inspiration with Kailas from Orleans. Attendance was well for the three inspiring asana workshops and Satsang. On the same weekend we also had an introduction into thought power. During the week a dedicated Karma Yogi worked on refurbishing our small wooden altars in the asana rooms. Also staffs were busy preparing the Centre for their departure to the Staff Refresher in Orleans. Many Karma Yogis and teachers signed up for additional tasks at reception, kitchen and household, as well as for teaching to make it possible that the staffs could leave the Centre for three weeks. Narayani from Reith came to Vienna especially for coordinating and taking care of the Centre during the staff’s absence. Last but not least the Centre also participated in a second meeting for preparing the UN World Yoga Day at the end of June. The meeting had again been initiated by the Indian embassy in Vienna. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vienna

Om Namah Sivaya. For the Easter Monday of April the Centre worked on reduced schedule, offering morning Satsang and asana class. We had TTC prep day and five students joined all activities. One Sunday we had a small but successful Open Day. Many inscriptions for Yoga 1 were made. Also, students continued to subscribe for the TTC in Lithuania, with thirty five students to date. We also offered several different courses. Our main focus was to continue to organise the Centre, teachers, karma yogis before the beginning of the Staff Refresher in Orleans. One yoga teacher and karma yogi stayed in the Centre for the whole time, taking care of all activities while Staff left for Orleans. Om Shanti OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vilnius