Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Om Namah Sivaya. In April the Berlin Centre saw courses and classes continuing as usual. A Yoga 2, 3, 6 and 8 started as well as a Positive thinking-course. In spite of cold and windy weather, courses and classes had good attendance. Senior students and teachers came back for a visit after a long time and we were happy to see them again. The altar was beautifully decorated with lively spring flower bouquets. Another highlight was one Sunday Satsang with a talk about Meditation and energetic chanting of the prayers. A TTC from Ukraine visited us for a class and Satsang and was warmly welcomed. Dedicated Karma Yogis supported the Centre throughout the whole week, in many different departments, helping to keep everything flowing. Berlin Centre staff travelled to the Retreathouse in Reith, Tyrol, Austria, to support the Easter programme and to recharge. Teachers continued to teach open classes and took care of the Centre, which went very well.

Staff are all well. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/berlin

Om Namah Sivaya. We are grateful to be able to offer daily yoga classes through Zoom. Please join us! 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] Call: 11 4804 7813.

For any queries, 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 to all Blessed Selves from the Chennai Centre. In early April regular classes went well. We organized a free trial class for a gated community. There were 20 participants with the majority of the people new to Yoga. It was quite an interactive session. We focused on promoting upcoming classes & events by announcements made at the class and through phone calls to the people from the inquiry list, we have been also working actively on keeping up with our social media presence.

Mid month Chennai Centre organised a special yoga class for an enthusiastic group of people from Denmark. We had a Ganapathy Homam on behalf of Tamil Puthandu Vizha, Puthandu, also known as Puthuvarudam, Tamil New Year – the first day of year on the Tamil calendar and traditionally celebrated as a festival. On the same day we welcomed a new staff Ragesh, from Gudur. We celebrated Vishu, Kerala NewYear, we had a beautiful feast followed by the cultural dance programme by Kalaikoil Dance school. Another highlight was the Science Of Yoga conducted by Mahalakshmi. The workshop went well, it was quite an interactive session with 10 participants. We also made plans to promote and conduct a 15-day Kid’s Camp at the Chennai Centre mid May.

All our staff are happy & doing their Sadhanas. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/madras

Om Namah Sivaya from the beautiful DaLat Centre. Thanks to Guru’s blessing, our Centre can keep the strong energy to serve the community. In April three Beginners’ Yoga courses continued smoothly. Devika (from HCM Centre) came to Dalat and to stay for 2 months. Sivashakti came back to Ashram after 1 month stay to direct the Centre. Sankari new staff finished training and taught all level of classes very well. Staff members joined Vedanta for a Beginner Course by Swami Sita and internal Q&A Satsang, with a lot of inspirations. We re-opened Gentle Yoga Course & Prenantal Yoga Course on site. We arranged Asana Outdoor in the mornings and Satsang with Mary Thompson on the topic of Ayurveda during the time she visited Dalat Ashram. Da Lat Centre staff will come to Ashram from 29th Apr to 2nd May for the Liberation Day celebration.

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. Namaste to one and all. The Dwarka Centre’s activities went well during April 2022. We were happy to see our old students returning to the Centre, those who left their practice due to Covid pandemic. We started new beginners’ yoga course with good numbers of new faces. On weekends we conducted the kids’ classes. We had Satsang followed by Devi Puja. The weather was getting hotter day by day. Rest is fine.

May Master and Swamiji bless all in continuing on the yogic path. Pranams to one and all. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/dwarka

Greetings and Namaste from Sivananda Nataraja Centre. With the Grace of Gurus everything was fine at the Centre for April 2022. We started two Beginners’ Yoga courses at 10am & 6.30pm with a limited number of students. The days were getting hot & hotter day by day but the number of students increased gradually in open classes. On the 8th day of the Navratri, The Chandi Homa was performed by a priest from Varanasi which lasted for about five hours. The Homa was attended by students, teachers & staff. We received a lot of positive vibrations from this powerful Homa. We had a teachers meeting after almost three years, attended by 25 teachers both onsite as well on online. We discussed how to increase the income for the Centre to sustain it. Suggestions were given by the teachers which we are going to implement in the near future. A corporate class for meditation, with 18 students, was very much liked by the students. Temperatures continued to become hotter day by day. The number of students reduced because of very hot extreme weather in Delhi. Binoy & Sreevidhya turned to the Centre on 23rd April.

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. All levels of asana classes and Beginners’ Yoga courses continued in April. Girija came back from the inspiring Easter retreat in Reith. The Centre was quiet as it was still the school holidays. Close students and teachers joined the advanced class on Fridays. With best wishes for health and peace. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/geneva

Greetings from the Hanoi Centre. Thanks to Guru’s blessing, our Centre can keep strong energy to serve the community online and onsite during the pandemic. In April all classes went well. We had an Open House class for beginner people, with 5 students attending. We attended the online Satsang with Swami Sita for the topic: Purification. We opened Beginner Courses online with 5 students. We had Satsang online with Swami Sita for the topic: Yoga for Depression. We had Satsangs online with MahaVidya Mary Thompson for the topic: The Art of Living in Harmony with Nature from Ancient time.

The Staff’s Sadhana is steady. Om.

[email protected]

Om Namah Sivaya. In April we had good energy in the Centre with many activities onsite and changing of staff. Swami Pranavananda came to stay for a few weeks. We had good participation for the Open House, with eight people. Four registered for the Beginner Course. We had a high-energy Satsang with over 20 people, including some foreigners. We had a Therapeutic Massage course combined with restorative yoga, taught by Tarini with six people attending. We finished a Yoga Beginner Course taught by Narayani, and started a new Beginner Course taught by Amrita with five students.  We welcomed Hari, a new TTC graduate, who came to help the Centre for two weeks while Daya Chaitanya and Ambika went to the Dalat Ashram to take the Sadhana Intensive Course.

We welcomed back Ganga Chaitanya after 2 month service at the Ashram Yoga Farm, as well as welcomed Viveka from Dalat Ashram to transfer to the Hochiminh Centre. At the same time we also sent Swami Pranava off to the Los Angeles Centre and Devika off to Dalat Centre. All the online and on site classes still continued with a good energy. A highlight was the online Vedanta for Beginners course, taught by Swami Sitaramananda with more than 50 students from Vietnam, China, and the USA.

Hochiminh center welcomed the new staff Lila to serve at the Centre for the next 6 months. We started many new courses for teachers, taught by Ganga Chaitanya, with a good number of attendants, such as: training how to teach open class in bilingual course; how to do the adjustment-correction course; how to teach yoga beginner course and advanced asana course. We have a very successful Chanting Workshop taught by Viveka, with 14 students attending. Other courses such as Vedanta for Beginners, yoga for beginners, Yoga for cancer, Gentle yoga still continued with a good number of regular students. Our open classes and Satsangs slowly built up the number of students.

Staff continued their Sadhana regularly with love. We are grateful for every chance to serve. We pray for everyone’s health and inspiration to keep practicing and teaching! May the Sivananda family worldwide be safe. Om.

https://sivanandayogavietnam.org/ho-chi-minh-center/

Om Namah Sivaya. In April 2022 the Open House brought many new people to the Centre while some students who are already practising with us also took the opportunity to join and benefit from the group energy. The Centre was a beehive of activity throughout the day and it was a joy to see the Centre so full of energy. There was much sincere interest in yoga and people commented feeling uplifted having discovered the Centre and its teachings. We look forward to seeing them coming back to join the Sadhana in the Centre. The London Centre closed over the Easter holidays while staff enjoyed a rejuvenating stay in the Retreathouse in Reith.
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. In early April Mahalakshmi concluded her time at the LA Centre teaching several weekend programs: Relaxation Techniques for Busy People, Good Karma Diet (Indian feast) and Seasonal Foods and Nutrition. Her support meant that Swami Sivasankariananda could complete a 4-day Pain Care Aware training for individuals with Neil Pearson. Each practitioner brought a guest with chronic pain and all walked through practices with Neil and provided feedback. All found some relief, albeit with differing responses to the menu of practices, including themes of awareness, regulation and visualization. A karma yogi installed trellises in our raised garden beds to support the beans, which are growing fast. So much prana. One of our new rose bushes has buds! Beautiful days!
During mid April Swami Pranava emerged out of quarantine! We enjoyed a steady stream of retreat guests. Staff and guests enjoyed an afternoon walk in Griffith Park. Swami Sivasankariananda flew to the Yoga Farm for a couple of days to teach Restorative Yoga and Chronic Pain classes for SYHET. Lalitha Vaidyanathan led a workshop on Ayurveda & Migraines. We started two courses: Pranayama 1 and Meditation 2. A yoga therapy student returned for more followup. Satsangs were delightful with the Ganapati and Darshana. They were such a help. Jacaranda trees were beginning to bloom around town!

We are grateful to be here and serve and support this mission. May the Gurus guide us as our reach grows 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. In April 2022 classes and courses at the Madrid Centre continued with good attendance. The Easter family retreat in Almeria, South Spain was almost full with 14 children and 60 adults. The new 2022 Centre brochure arrived and was distributed. Ishwari, employed staff for many years, returned to her country Colombia. Many expressions of gratitude and farewell wishes were received in her last week of service at the Centre.

Mid-April the Centre continued with a reduced schedule while staff went to Almeria, South Spain, for the one-week Easter family retreat. It was an inspiring and joyful retreat, with almost 30 teachers from all over Spain, some beginners and of course the children: 17 kids participating in a full program, including a children’s Satsang. Gopala, from the Madrid Centre, came to support with enriching lectures and Satsang. The weather was friendly specially towards the end of the week. We did many activities outside enjoying the fresh air and inspiring views. Everyone returned to their homes happy and recharged.

Following the new regulations, the practice of yoga was done without the face mask for the first time after 2 years. Students were happy to practice pranayama again and we saw many new faces in the Center! We offered a beginners course and a new meditation course. The Boutique was re stocked and we started Spring cleaning in the facilities. Sunday Satsang was well visited, reading Masters words about what is real Freedom and with nice inspiring chanting.

We are grateful to Master and Swamiji. Staff are well and sending our best wishes for health and peace. Pranams to all. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/madrid

Om Namah Sivaya to all. We thank our Masters for all blessings and support bestowed. May all be blessed with equanimity and steadiness in practice. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/madurai

Om Namah Sivaya from the Montevideo Centre. We are happy to serve, love to all. 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. 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. April 2022 started with a number of new courses: a Yoga 1 beginners course with a group of very nice and motivated participants, a Yoga 2 course, a Yoga 3 course and another follow-up to our advanced course. Swami Vidyananda and Swami Vasudevananda went to the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith/Tyrol/Austria to join the Easter special program there. The Centre teachers supported us very well by volunteering to keep the Centre open by teaching the drop-in classes and also some of the courses.

By mid April the staff stayed for the Easter special program in the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith/Tyrol/Austria. Also some of the Munich students joined us there and spent Easter in Yoga Sadhana in the beautiful Tyrolean mountain nature. Our teachers kept the Centre open by teaching the most important drop-in classes and some of the courses for all those who had stayed in town.

On Monday of the Easter weekend we offered a drop-in class in the morning. Swami Vasudevananda and Swami Narayanananda returned from the Easter special program in the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith/Tyrol/Austria. Later we felt that it was still holiday time because most of the classes were smaller than usually. When most of the people returned from their vacations we had well attended drop-in classes and a nice Satsang with lots of prana for the chanting of the Sunday prayers.

Staff are well and inspired. We wish everyone health and inner strength. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/munich

Om Namah Sivaya. 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. Life gave us a luminous month in April. We continued the daily chanting of Om Namo Narayanaya for Peace. Life also gave us an uplifting and auspicious beginning to April with four Pujas. Three were led by the priest, one online for Hanuman from Orleans and two onsite, then one for Ganesha and one for Siva. Krishna, The Divine Mother and the Masters were also honoured with the recitation of mantras. We had also the purification of the building. The fourth Puja led by Swami Nityananda was for the celebration of Ram Navami. We were all grateful for the inspiring Pujas. A short visit of Swami Kailasananda uplifted everyone. Swamiji put prana on the preparations for a short visit of the Acharyas on May. The presence  of Swami Kailasananda and the Priest brought new prana to the Centre. The workers were on the roof setting the pipes for the central heating. There were two days of heavy rain and new leaks in the entrance. The owner of the building contacted the workers and they came to repair. The Masters keep sending help. Ananda came to support the Centre for few days. He took some pictures of the Pujas and of the reception area with students teachers and karma yogis. Swami Kailasananda and Gopala had an online meeting with the accountant to see the new accounts’ software. Gopala started to use it successfully. There was a Yoga for the Eyes workshop with a group of motivated students. There was also the last class on the Sadhana Pacakam, given by Vasishta. Parallel to the regular open classes and beginners courses there was a positive thinking course. The altar looked like a blooming garden with the flowers brought by the students.

Mid April: God gave us the music of the rain and beautiful sunshine. It was a calm week. Easter was in the air. Many teachers, students and karma yogis went on holidays. A couple of teachers cancelled at last moment. Happily, The Masters sent precious help. Everyone seemed full of prana after practicing again kapalabhati in the open classes. The Centre received a couple of new teachers. The workers changed the canopy at the entrance and repaired the gutters. The central heating’s maintenance now has it fully operational. We celebrated Vasishta’s birthday in advance with Krisna’s Kirtans, the chanting of Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya and the inspiring words of Swami Sivananda on the topic of Love, read by all the participants of the Satsang. There was a cheerful bhakti mood in the air. Gopala and Vasishta went to Orleans for the Easter long weekend. Prema, Gopika, Uma and the cat Rana stayed over that weekend to support the Centre. We were grateful for life to give us the opportunity of chanting for peace daily, chanting 108 names of Lord Krishna, chapter 12 of the Gita and Lalita and Mahisasura Mardini. We appreciated participating to a couple of Satsangs online. The weekend was calm, luminous and joyful. Life gave us an uplifting Hanuman Jayanti: we celebrated with Kirtans, two poems of Ram of Swami Sivananda from Pushpanjali and a beautiful barathanatyan dance performed by Prema, honouring Lord Ganesha and Lord Hanuman. After Arati everyone offered flowers while chanting “Om Ham Hanumate Namah”. We enjoyed silent walks in the mornings. For the collective Sadhana we had a recording of an asana class given by Swami Sivadasananda. After the class we meditated. For the evening Satsang we had the Sunday prayers, inspiring words of Master on the topic of Mind from Bliss Divine. We had also a poem on Silence and a powerful bharatanatyam dance, this time a Siva dance performed again by Prema. The flowers in the entrance bloomed beautifully. The main hall looked like a green house and the plants looked happy.

Life gave us a calm exit to April. Some newcomers were here for the open classes and the Satsangs. Gopala and Vasishta came back from Orleans after an inspiring Easter weekend. The priest passed by on his way to Orleans. Swami Nityananda accompanied him to the Ashram. She went there for the Academy retreat. Gopala was in charge of the Centre. Vasistha guided the karma yogis and prepared the staff meetings. The evening Satsangs were given by Omkari, Gopala and Kaivalya, on the topics of Service, Raja yoga and Vedanta. Gopala led the Daily chant for peace. Sivakami Prema and Pranava were there to support the Centre. Vasishta prepared an Indian meal as a celebration of his 30th birthday. We had a beautiful time together with few teachers and karma yogis. There was an inspiring Ganesha Puja in the morning led by the priest from Orleans. There was a Yoga and Stress Management workshop with a little group of motivated students. Vasishta’s birthday was celebrated at the end of the Satsang.

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

Om Namah Sivaya. April 2022 started with an evening Satsang with Sivakami Chaitanya on the subject of “The Power of Thought”. Sivakami Chaitanya opened a yoga 1 course with 12 students – a wonderful new group. We worked on a plan for celebrations of the Passover and all the preparations beforehand. It was quiet and peaceful.

Mid month we had a very special week of preparations for the Passover celebrations. We were busy cleaning the whole Centre with the kind help of students and teachers. We had the special Passover celebrations with a beautiful feast and many songs and stories. And to finish the celebration we had an evening Satsang on the inner significance of Passover – the freedom from all bondage and all limitations.

For Passover holiday week less people came to the Center and not all the courses were taught, therefore we had time to catch up with accounting and plan a future program. We had a beautiful evening Satsang with teaching from the book “Yogi” about Swami Vishnu Devananda. Pranava Chaitanya finished a meditation course.

May the blessings of the Masters be upon us all! Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/telaviv

Om Namah Sivaya. In early April the Online TTC Asia was successfully completed. All of the students received Guru’s grace, by which they were radiant and full of energy and started to tread the path of spirituality. We extended our appreciation and gratitude to everyone who involved in the operation of the course and teaching, namely, all the Swamis, all the staff members at the Dalat Ashram in Vietnam, and all the Karma yogis from the concerned countries. Online asana classes were well-attended by good number of students. Yoga 1 went well.

By mid April Spring arrived to the area around the Shojiko Retreat with cherry blossoms in full bloom, finally being released from the bitterly cold weather. Online programs such as asana classes, Satsang, etc. progressed very well. A Yoga 1 course was completed with all of the students proceeding to Yoga 2. An event called Organic Life Tokyo was held in Tokyo, for which Hikaru, a Sivananda Yoga teacher, taught a class, with many Karma yogis joining as an assistant.

The module II of SYHET course started, for which some Karma yogis stayed at the Shojiko Retreat to help us with translating the lectures broadcasted from the Da Lat ashram in Vietnam into Japanese. New Yoga 2 course started. A trial class was given online, in which the attendees had the first time experience of yoga, relaxing and enjoying the deep breath, even for a short period of time.

May Master and Swamiji’s grace be with all. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.jp

Om Namah Sivaya. Saraswati started a new Yoga 1 course. We had a very nice workshop with Ram Vakkalanka – Sacred Vibrations of Sanskrit. During the Easter weekend Saraswati visited Yoga Camp with family and teachers helped with the Centre as Nalini was recovering from Covid. It finally felt like Spring in Toronto as we looked forward to working in the garden again.

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. Greetings to all from Trivandrum Centre, Kerala, South India. In April all was well with the grace of almighty. We started a new Beginners’ Yoga course with good number of participants. All regular classes were fine. Sunday Satsangs were attended with quite good participants which was led by Yashpal. All the staff are well and good with maintaining their duty and personal Sadhana.

By mid month we started a morning beginner course with good number of students. Kids Summer classes was in its 2nd week with kids enjoying the classes. Morning open class is bringing many students. Yashpal took two weeks break to attend his niece’s marriage. Sunday Satsang was led by Amla. Staff took care of the Centre as well as their personal Sadhana.

Praying for world peace – Om Namo Narayanaya. 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 all around in the planet. Please stay connected. Pranams to all from Trivandrum Centre Kerala South of India. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/trivandrum

Om Namah Sivaya. In early April we had a Yoga 1 course start with an enthusiastic group of young students, some of them were already attending Satsang. We had a successful Kirtan workshop with a good number of participants – some were Centre’s teachers and most of the others were TTC graduates. Staff celebrated Ram Navami with a Pooja before leaving for Reith to support the Easter Retreat for a week. During this time the Centre stayed open for some drop in classes will local teachers taking care of the Centre, supporting the online activities with translations of Satsangs and courses. Many students took the chance to keep up their practice during the holidays. For the local teachers it was inspiring to take over some more responsibility at the Centre and to express their devotion to the teachings.
After Easter the Centre’s staff was still supporting the Retreat house in Reith, Tyrol. The Centre’s teachers wholeheartedly took over another week of additional receptions and classes so most Drop In classes and some courses could go on. Many students returned from their Easter vacation and plunged right back into their practice. We prepared the upcoming brochure.

We wish everyone health and inner strength. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vienna

Om Namah Sivaya. In April 2022 we noticed number of students increased. We try to compensate the lack of inscriptions for Yoga 1 courses with the higher courses – Yoga 4 and 5. Teachers again took care of the Centre: Satsang, asana class and lunch. Durga Devi and Atmadev visited another town in Lithuania, Visaginas – a unique city, in the middle of a beautiful pine forest, near a lake. In the Soviet times it was decided to build a powerful nuclear power plant here. For this purpose a city was built and the people came from all over the Soviet Union. There are 43 nationalities living there. The plant was shut down at the request of the European Union. We conducted the yoga program in Russian, because it is the language of this city – everyone knows it. The Satsang took place in the modest studio of yoga teacher Konstantin. People attended the Satsang for the first time, so we brought printed Mantras and Kirtan texts transliterated into Cyrillic, so everyone joined in the chanting. After Arati, everyone was happy with the prasadam, made by Mother Parvati. The Asana class took place in another part of town, in a rented hall. People in Visaginas were very grateful that we arrived, performed asanas. They learned a lot, as we corrected postures and advised about a yoga practice. They asked we visit more often. In such programs, there is an opportunity to feel more oneness and inspiration to spread yoga. Meanwhile, our teacher Bharata conducted an asana class for students from the Ayurvedic Academy. Our biggest hall barely accommodated them. Everyone was grateful, peaceful and happy.

With the help of Mother Parvati and teachers, the Centre continued its service. Despite strict restrictions – students and teachers were not allowed to visit the yoga centre without the green passport. The number of participants didn’t drop significantly, courses for beginners and Satsangs continued. Seniors visited the special asanas with great enthusiasm and enjoyed fresh vegetarian soup after the sessions. The new courses: Yoga 1 , 2 and 3 started. It is a very good sign that more and more students come for the trial evening class on Mondays. The Lithuanian group (8 students) in Reith TTC did very well. Two more students joined in for the 9 days TTCOL module and successfully and very naturally integrated into the teaching groups.

We are very grateful to the teachers, who support the Centre so well. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vilnius