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 April by the Berlin students. Participation in courses and classes online were good. Several new bookings of flat rates brought new students into the online classes. Students were happy to see us online, and are looking forward to see us again in real in the near future. Berlin students and teachers kept the connection open using the online courses and classes. Nevertheless we are looking forward to see everybody in person soon. The lockdown in Germany continued. Staff are all well, teaching online from Berlin and Reith. 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. We are happy to announce that we are now open. 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.

For the beginning of April we saw continued lower student numbers most likely due to the state election and concern locally over the rise in Covid cases. Nonetheless we continued with new morning and evening Beginners’ Yoga courses and a Meditation 1 course in the evening, attended daily by one inquisitive regular student. Staff were busy working on updating the weekly schedule, moving back to Beginners’ Yoga courses taught over three weeks as we had done pre-Covid and planning workshops and special courses for the upcoming months. A contingency plan was designed in case programs need to quickly move back online due to lockdown restrictions. We said goodbye to staff Shruti and Roopam who decided to continue their travels together. We held a teachers meeting which was attended by 15 teachers both onsite and on Zoom simultaneously. We had a class together, Satsang, and then shared a meal afterward. It was wonderful to have all the teachers together after so many months. Some of the online teachers (on Zoom) expressed how inspiring it was to hear the prayers chanted by all the teachers together.

By mid April we began a new Beginners Yoga 1 Course. We welcomed two new staffs from Trivandrum. Both of them were (COVID) tested negative. We are maintaining social distancing throughout the classes. Apart from that, we continued our regular chanting of Om Namo Narayanaya every evening, Vishnu Sahasranama on Thursdays & Lalitha Sahasranama on Fridays. 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. All classes went well in April. We started 2 Beginners’ Yoga courses morning and afternoon. Basic Ayurveda course started with 13 students – online and offline with positive feedback. We had a relaxing painting workshop for kids, with 5 students. Last week we hosted 1 resident for 3 nights. She enjoyed her stay very much. We had a headstand workshop. Hamsa Devi left the Centre due to an urgent matter.

By mid April, all classes continued to well. Our Basic Ayurveda course finished with positive feedback. We had an energetic 108 Sun Salutation workshop. We also had an oil self-massage workshop and 2 Open House classes. Harini came back from ATTC. 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 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 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 early April the Hochiminh Centre welcomed a new staff member, Ambika. Shakti Chaitanya taught the training course how to teach yoga open class in bilingual for the TTC graduated teachers. They were all happy to continue learning and serve at the Gurus’s house. Shakti Chaitanya continued to offered 2 workshops in making Mala Bead and Jaya Asana class. The open classes, Satsang and other courses went well as usual. We started the new Ayurveda beginner course, taught by Shakti Chaitanya. All the other courses such as Beginners’ Yoga courses and open classes were still attended with a good number of attendants. Satsangs were popular with around 20 people in attendance weekly. Last but not least, we sent 2 staff Devika and Narayani to the Dalat Ashram for 2 weeks to attend the Sadhana Intensive. 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 temporarily closed for onsite classes. We 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.

Online in April: Everything went quite smoothly at the Centre in April. We offered more online courses to our students, each week the registration numbers increased. We noticed we touched so many more of our students with the Masters’ teachings across the United Kingdom than we used to, through the online activities, including in London itself. Kailas received his first aid training. Ramachandra came to the Centre to reconnect a bit with the Masters’ energy, spent the night here and after some recharging practices and karma yoga, returned to his family. Many students called, asking when the Centre will reopen, some even showed up at the Centre spontaneously for classes, without asking, as if we had officially reopened. Even though a few restrictions were lifted, we were still officially in lockdown. Marian and Sasha continued to be very active in the garden with the Spring days coming. They planted and started growing many things. Life slowly but surely started coming out in many different forms from beneath the Earth. With so much love and care given, how can it be otherwise? 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.

In April the LA Centre remained closed due to a surge in Covid cases, hence the LA Centre staff continued to live and teach from the Yoga Farm Ashram. All continued well with the online TTC. Days were busy. Mahavidya (Mary Thompson) gave a thorough and well-received Ayurveda talk: Nourish Your Body with Taste. She covered the eight factors that affect digestibility and metabolism of food. We started another Pranayama course and the 8-week Global Village grief support group ended. The mutual support received by the varied participants was profoundly transformative, as they shared in the closing Ritual of Appreciation. We prayed that funding will materialize to allow this important work to continue. We were inspired to contribute to the online Module 3 of SYHET. Swami Sivasankariananda returned from visiting her mom, enjoying her quarantine at the Yoga Farm. An animated group took the 5-day Raja Yoga Sutra course with Swami Sivasankariananda, with much heartfelt discussion and visibly deepening understanding and commitment. The LA Centre participated in “24 Hours of Serenity,” organized by KCRW, an LA radio station, offering two yoga classes online to over 100 people each.

By mid April, Swami Vasishtananda led a beautiful Puja for Ram Navami. After five years of study on Friday evenings, we finished the Bhagavad Gita! Swami Jnaneswariananda joined us to look at the last few verses and close with a joyful Gita Arati. Hasu Patel continued her ongoing teaching of classical Hindustani music for us with a new set of five classes. She is a gem. Swami Sivasankariananda and Satya did the research and launched an Improve Your Sleep course. With the help of their sleep diary, we hoped to guide students to more awareness of their habits and insight into building an effective nighttime ritual. Swamiji taught four hours each of Chair Yoga and Restorative Yoga for SYHET. We started a Traditional Sanskrit Prayers course to look at the meaning and pronunciation of our most-often-recited chants and mantras. We finished a Positive Thinking course, with all students conscientiously digesting the material and setting thoughtful goals for continued practice. We are grateful to serve this mission. May our reach grow wider and wider. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/la

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves! Enjoy Yoga at home. We offer you a wide schedule 7 days / week, always with live 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 April we resumed regular activity after the Easter break. A new webinar “How to Control Emotions” was well received. The Spring weather encouraged students to come and practice yoga in the patio. Fresh flowers were planted to make it nice. we celebrated Open Day with 16 participants. The young group showed much interested in yoga and meditation and many signed up for the Beginners’ Yoga’ courses. 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 situation nationally and locally we have had to change our opening dates. We request that you contact your local Centres and Ashrams directly for their latest update. Free online Yoga classes, courses and programs are available during the Covid-19 pandemic. Boost your immune system by practicing all paths of Yoga to feel healthier and stronger in both body and mind. 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 April the Centre’s activities continued to be very positive, both in person and online. We had autumn weather – sunny and cool at night. The Centre remained closed. We only continued with online classes and workshops. We had a special class just for Beginners’ Yoga. These students started in March and we had to cancel their course twice. Chandra taught them and they were very grateful, more than half of the group participated, the rest took the possibility of taking classes online. We began the Sanskrit course module I Online taught by Durga Devi. Swami Dayananda started with the first level online Viveka Chudamani Shankarachara Study. Satsangs were led by Prajña, Swami Dayananda or Kanti Devi. We pray 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-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 are thankful to participate in the online Satsangs, classes and courses. Let yourself be inspired by the extensive live online yoga offer. Call us if you have any questions: 089 700 9669 0

Our close teacher Chandrika has been taking good care of the Centre, doing daily aratis and forwarding us the mail to Reith. She says it feels as if the rooms are waiting for the time Centre life can start again. We wish everyone health and inner strength. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/munich

Om Namah Sivaya from Manhattan. The Centre remains closed as we wait for the government directives to restart operations. We successfully continued to teach 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 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. The first part on the chanting online was with the whole world, led by Swami Kailasananda and the second part was led by the Centre’s staff. We ended the chanting session with meditation, Aarati and Prasad.

April started with the end of the inspiring easter weekend onsite in the Centre. Close teachers, Ganga and a group of karma yogis assumed new responsibilities while the staff was in Orleans. 19 students were there for the asana practice given by Parvati. Omkari led the public Satsang. The students were offered a new plan for their in person practice. Instead of the variety of courses at the Centre we changed the possibility to register for open classes. Parvati from Orleans did the changes to the website while Swami Kailasananda guided her. Girija put much prana guiding Vyasa and Parvati with the webpage. We hoped this change will bring more students to the Centre. Girija gave a Pranayama workshop. We chanted daily Om Namo Narayanaya with the students. Parvati and Gopika came to support the Centre while Swami Nityananda had some extra time to rest. Kaivalya and Gopala gave inspiring Satsangs on the topics of fear and the fourth paths. The Karma yogis and Ganga put a dose of sattva into the Centre. Girija guided everyone. We enjoyed many Satsangs online with Reith and Orleans. The fire of yoga in the Main Hall as well as the Puja with the priest from Bangalore.

Mid April God gave us beautiful days with sunshine and blue sky. Girija went back to Geneva after 3 months of precious support of the Centre. The Paris’ family adopted her and hoped to welcome her whenever she can come again. Sharada Devi from Orleans stayed at the Centre for a couple of days to get familiar with the rhythm of the Centre as she will come as staff for a couple of months. We started two online courses: a Meditation 2 and a positive thinking course. There was a workshop on the topic of asanas for the abdominal girth. That day, the family was big with an uplifting visit of Swami Kailasananda and some of our Gurubais from Orleans who were there for a day. Kailas from London, supported the Centre, chanting Om Namo Narayanaya online for peace. We celebrated Swami Kailasananda’s birthday chanting Om Namo Narayanaya online with Orleans. The Open practices were well attended. Ganga Liban, gave a workshop on ‘how to be grounded with yoga’. Kaivalya and Gopala gave joyful public Satsangs on the topics of Viveka and Vairagya. The Masters keep sending many karma yogis to support the Centre. 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. 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 Shanti Shanti to all the Sivananda family. Om.

https://www.sivananda.org/saopaulo

Om Namah Sivaya. In April we celebrated Swami Shambhu Devananda’s birthday. Many teachers and students came to celebrate in a festive Puja. It was beautiful and exciting. We had a screening of a recording of Swami Sivananda’s Universal Prayer in English and many other languages sent by many devotees! Swami Shambhu was very touched and excited. Bhargavi Chaitanya opened a Beginners’ Yoga course. Hagar, the new teacher from the last teacher training course joined as an assistant. Swami Shambhu opened a new Bhagavad Gita course which focused on the seventh chapter, teaching how devotion is an important part of the meditation practice. Pranava Chaitanya finished teaching a Beginners’ Yoga 1 course and planned a continuation in Yoga 2. We worked on a new schedule of yoga classes that will include more classes in the Centre itself and via zoom.

Swami Shambhu gave an evening Satsang on “How to Get Rid of the Illusion” mid month. We were busy promoting many courses that are about to open at the Centre and online in the coming weeks. We started uploading daily podcasts of morning satsang studies and daily study of the Bhagavad Gita, many students who cannot physically get to the Centre enjoy very much daily enriching study. We uploaded vegetarian yogic recipes every day in a whatsapp Sivananda cooking group. Students reported that they make the recipes at home and get a lot of inspiration for vegetarian cooking. Parnava Chaitanya opened a Yoga 3 course. Swami Shambahu opened a new Bhagavad Gita course on Chapter 7 that emphasized the importance of Bhakti in the practice of meditation. May the Master’s grace be with all. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/telaviv

Om Namah Sivaya. During April the Tokyo Centre remained open. Yumi gave an Ayurveda workshop focusing on the topic “AMA and its effects on mental Health”. Yumi studying Ayurveda as well as Shintoism in-depth and students were inspired by her long experience and insightful knowledge. A 3 weekly session “Non Violence Communication” course navigated by Sonomi (India) started, in which we learned ideas and notions that are very close to Ahimsa, giving us a good opportunity to review how we communicate with others. Online asana classes were well underway, for which many TTC graduate joined us, turning into a lively community.

Mid April saw the final weekend for the Tokyo Centre before its closing down permanently with so many students visited us for asana practice. We were imposed to set the upper limit for the capacity of asana room, causing us to split the class into 1st and 2nd floors and offer a class simultaneously. We offered the evening Satsang, taking care to avoid 3Cs with all the windows opened. Students, teachers and Karma yogis enjoyed a reunion for the first time in the long time. We’re all bound to miss the time we spent together at the Centre for all these years. Our regular monthly Kirtan workshop was given, joined by regular students as well as novices growing in numbers. We hoped this program will be gradually popular and appreciated. The final class of Sanskrit Beginner course was held. The new Beginners’ Yoga courses 1 and 2 are scheduled to begin in May. May Master and Swamiji’s grace be with all. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.jp

Om Namah Sivaya. We continued to teach online, maintaining contact with our students and teachers. Due to new Ontario provincial government health measures the Centre is closed. It is a preventative measure the government introduced in order to regulate the increase numbers of Covid cases.

In April we finished the Bhagavad Gita online course. We had quite a few new students join open classes. We had an online class with all teachers then read several verses from Bhagavad Gita, as well as discussed some practical aspects of teaching online. It was nice to see everyone. The weather grew nicer and although Toronto is under stay at home order, we are able to spend time outside, working in the garden. Gentle yoga course and Positive Thinking course with Maheswari finished with many students continuing with their practice in other courses. Students enjoyed new early morning open classes. Mookambika went to Montreal. The Ontario and Quebec provincial border is now closed and government announced stricter measures as we are awaiting to receive more vaccine supplies. May Master and Swamiji’s blessings bring all good health and peace to all. 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 situation nationally and locally we have had to change our opening dates. We request that you contact your local Centres and Ashrams directly for their latest update. Join us through online classes, courses and programs online.

In April all our Courses and classes did well. A bit increase in student numbers are seen. A highlight of the month was the new Morning Yoga Beginners’ Yoga course started with 13 Students. All other classes ran smoothly. Kids really enjoyed the Summer Yoga classes as well as being out of home from the past year as Coronavirus just started in the month of March 2020. We received some rain to relieve the intense hot temperature. One of our staff Sreejith left to pursue his career as he got a job. Sunday Satsang was full of devotional and good vibration created by all who joined the Sunday prayer. Everything went well by the grace of gurus.

Mid April started with a complete lock down in Kerala. We pray for everybody’s health and peace from Trivandrum Centre Kerala South of India. The number of students has reduced since the lock down. Even though the Corona cases were increasing day by day in Kerala and in India, still people are very keen to keep up their practice which inspired our team to keep up the positive energy and enthusiasm. The temperatures were hitting a peak but we were lucky to have some timely rainfall. The Centre was closed on a weekend while we had a chance to deep clean in and out. Staff are keeping well their Sadhana and duties. All is well by gurus and gods grace. 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. Please stay connected. [email protected] OM NAMO NARAYANAYA.

http://www.sivananda.org/trivandrum

Om Namah Sivaya. The Vienna Centre is closed because of the partial lockdown in Austria. Staff are in the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith/Tyrol in Austria. Students are thankful to participate in the online Satsangs, classes and courses. Let yourself be inspired by the extensive live online yoga offer.
April started with the inauguration of the April Online TTC. Teachers support us with translating online-activities. For further details please see the weekly report from Reith. Students were thankful to participate in the online Satsangs, classes and courses. We visualized and planned to possibly open in Spring 2021 and serve the students. The testing and the vaccination gives us hope. Both staff have an appointment for a vaccination. We wish everyone health and inner strength. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vienna

Om Namah Sivaya. In early April we had less students in online asana classes. It was the first warm weekend of the year, so all flocked to the city parks, forgetting any restrictions. We had a good opportunity to clean the courtyard. The owner of the house planted 3 new pine trees and prepared the space for the renovation of the brick fence surrounding the garden. We concentrated on the preparations for the reopening of the yoga center: last minute paintings of some walls, deeper cleaning, over thinking the strategy and whole process of accepting the students and making them feel comfortable and safe, fulfilling all the quarantine requirements. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vilnius