Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Om Namah Sivaya! In October the daily Navaratri Pujas were divine and uplifting for the whole Berlin Centre. The South Indian Priest, Yagneshwara Dixit, stayed at the Centre for the full 9 days. Many students and teachers came to the morning and evening Poojas. Some intermediate and advanced courses and a well attended Yoga 1 course started this month. The new brochure was sent out in a bulk mailing and it was well received. Swami Gokulananda went to Munich to support the Centre during its move. Munich Staff Gayatri came to Berlin.
We had a TTC prep with some outside students, they all received further inspiration to sign in for the course. There also was an introduction class into Thought Power. Many students came for theoretical and practical advice on positive thinking. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/berlin

Om Namah Sivaya. By Gods Grace and Masters’ blessings, all went well and smoothly in October. We began with the celebrations of Navaratri, as every year, the Divine Mother, renewed our energies. We had the visit of Saraswati who is an long time teacher from Uruguay, who helped us in all the preparations for the Celebration. We also continued with the Vedanta Course, taught by Swami Dayananda. We gave a Yoga and Back Workshop and a Weekend Beginner Course. Many Karma yogis helped the Centre of which we were grateful. We hope that all of you are well. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/baires

Om Namah Sivaya from Chengdu. In early October we concluded the Yoga Teacher Training Course and came down from the mountain back to the city. We had 3 Swamis with us in the Centre. Swami Sitaramananda and Swami Narayanananda gave workshops while Swami Adiparashakti taught hatha yoga classes. We also began the 9 day worship of the Divine Mother during Navaratri. Soon after Swami Sitaramananda and Swami Narayan departed for Dalat, Vietnam Ashram along with Centre director, Sivani and staff Saraswati to start the 2nd module of the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training which was officially accredited by the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Swami Adiparashakti stayed at the Centre for another 10 days. We offered daily Navaratri Pujas, staff training sessions, and Raja Yoga sutras workshops during his stay. We had a Hatha Yoga Intensive retreat with participants going deep into the practice of asana, pranayama, and even practice kriyas, including the three hour Asana class, taught by Swami Adi Parashakti. It was so inspiring and refreshing. The latest Raja Yoga Sutras workshops finished this month. Open classes went well. The new staff adapted themselves well to the Centre with Swami Adi Parashakti training them on teaching open classes and Ambika training on housekeeping and reception. We also arranged for the new staff to assist open classes and practice teaching among karma yogis. By Guru’s Grace we all doing well. Om Shanti.

http://www.sivanandayogachina.org

Om Namah Sivaya to all Blessed Selves from the Chennai Centre. October started with a Ladies’ Beginners’ course with good number of students. On 8th October night JSY Yatris came to Chennai. On 9th morning they all performed Paduka Pooja with all of our staff attending. All the staff members were blessed. On 10th October morning we started with another Paduka Pooja. At 9 o’clock a special public program started with a very nice speech from Mr. Selvanayagam, one of our students. Trustee, Mr. Rajaram, also gave a nice speech. For this program our chief guests were Mr. Radha Krishnan (DGP), offering a useful lecture during the program. We garlanded some of senior members with shawls and momentos. The same evening we had few cultural activities with nice Satsang. Everybody had good dinner before the program ended. Next day Pharhaldji came to Centre and conducted special class to our students. Prahaldji and Gopan left for Gudur Ashram to receive JSY Yatris. On 13th we had a nice Satsang with Prahaldji. Karthidevi (Achariya), Swamii Premananda and Gopalananda conducted Satsang with a Devi Pooja. All were blessed.

Mid October we started an evening Beginners’ course with good number of students. On the 17th October night Karthidevi ji (Achariya) left our Centre after performing JSY Yatra. We had nice time with Achariya. On 18th October morning we performed the monthly Ganapathi Homa also performed a Saraswathi Pooja with Centre decorated with Gollu dolls. Prahaladhji left on 18th to Thailand after visiting Madurai Ashram & Neyyar Dam Ashram. We performed the regular Sunday Satsangs. Our new staff, Shivani, joined our Centre. With the Grace of God and our Masters everything went smoothly. Pranams! Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/madras

Om Namah Sivaya and Happy Navaratri from Chicago! The Meditation and Positive Thinking courses came to an end in October. Our Navaratri celebration kicked off with an evening of 20 people attending. There was good participation and support for the Navaratri festival. We were grateful for many donations and offerings of flowers and Prasad, as well as the opportunity to do Puja daily. Each day the altar shone a little brighter, making it easier to hold an oasis of sattva in a city that has seen a rise in gun violence. The Yoga 1 course continued well into its second week with students reporting a lot of benefit from the practice.

During mid October Navaratri continued with good participation and a lot of inspiration, ending with a special Vijaya Dasami Puja with very healthy attendance. By the grace of the Gurus and the Divine Mother, it was a wonderful festival and the Centre’s regular classes, courses, Satsangs and Bhagavad Gita study all continued well. One weekend we had special programs with Lakshya Panthappallil, a Satsang regular who is a Bharata Natyam and Kuchipudi dancer. She gave a workshop about Natya Yoga symbolism and mudras, plus, a classical Indian Dance performance during the Satsang. Attendees loved the program, which brought in several new people to the Centre. Staff are ever grateful for the grace of the Gurus and send pranams to all with best wishes for an auspicious Vijaya Dasami. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/chicago

Om Namah Sivaya from the beautiful Dalat Centre. In October regular classes and Satsangs were well attended, three Beginners’ courses, with 22 students, continued steadily. We celebrated a Navratri Puja which gave much inspiration and energy for staff. Maha Shakti came from Da Lat Ashram to help for some day. We were happy to welcome special guests for the Satsangs. We were joined by Swami Jnaneshwariananda, Swami Narayanananda and Dr Sharma, who was in Dalat teaching the SYHET course. One Satsang Sunday Dr Ramdas joined us. All Satsangs were well attended. Students were happy to have the opportunity to meet and ask questions to the special guests. Jaya Jeff Sims also visited the Centre and gave a workshop on pain management that was much appreciated by the students. Three Beginners’ courses continued steadily. Narayani came back to the Centre from HCM Centre. We give thanks for Guru’s grace. Om.

https://sivanandayogavietnam.org

Om Namah Sivaya. With Guru’s blessing, everybody in the Centre did well, The Centre ran smoothly and efficiently. Early October started with the new Beginners’ yoga classes at 6 am and 4 pm during the weekdays and the Beginners’ students who completed the 8 classes were happily joining the open classes. We saw a good increase in participants in the open classes, especially the 6 am class. We had new enthusiastic students participating in a Sunday Trial Class, as well as some new students taking part in the Pranayama Workshop. We also had a special Karma Yoga session to do some deeper cleaning of the Centre. The Karma Yogis participated happily and worked together to make the Centre shine. We were getting more and more requests for Meditation courses and workshops. To celebrate the Divine Mother we had daily Poojas at 5:30 pm during Navaratri.

By mid October we started with the new beginner classes at 10 am and 6:30 pm during the weekdays, and we had a good number of potential new Beginners’ participating in the Trial Class on Sunday. We saw a slight drop in the number of students, mainly due to the many celebrations connected to Navaratri. We launched a Weight Loss course. The participants were very committed and took part also in the Shat Kriyas workshop as an integral part of their program. We were happy to welcome Hanuman Chaitanya from the Sivananda Yoga Camp Headquarters – Val Morin, who spent 3 nights with us at the Centre and taught several classes, very much appreciated by our students. We were blessed by the visit of Swami Govindanandaji, the direct disciple of Swami Vishnudevanandaji. Almost 50 people participated in the workshop on Meditation and Stress Management. The audience was very active and raised many questions to Swamiji, hence the workshop was very lively and inspiring to all. Most of the participants also stayed for Satsang, which was very energetic and heart-warming too. All the staff did well, busy preparing the next event, which will be the welcoming of the participants of the Janma Samadhi Yatra with a Special Program on October 26th. We are happy to serve, and we pray the Almighty for everybody’s peace and happiness. We hope that everybody in the Sivananda family is healthy and happy. All the staff are doing their best to improve themselves while serving others. We send our Pranams to all. Om Namo Narayanaya! Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/dwarka

Om Namo Narayanaya. With the grace of the Masters, we started October with two Beginners’ Courses, one at 6;30 am and the other at 4 pm. Vipin left for personal work and holiday to Uttarkashi on the same day. Kapoorji left for Madurai TTC on 11th. In celebration of Navratri, we chanted Shree Lalita Sahasranamam everyday from 10th to 18th Oct with Devi Pujas. Swami Govindananda arrived to the Centre, residing with us for a week. The painting work was completed in the reception area. We conducted a private session on twice a week for the people who could not join the regular classes.

By mid October we started two Beginners’ courses, one at 10am & the other at 6:30pm. We also started Advanced Meditation course at 6:00pm with Swami Govindananda. Hanuman arrived from Canada on 16th October, staying a few days with us then went to Dwarka Centre for two days. He taught open classes and helped us in Karma yoga during his stay. Padmavati ji returned to the Centre for a week. She taught open class and joined us for Satsang and special programs at the Centre. The Navaratri days continued with chanting of Sree Lalitha Sahasranamam until we concluded the celebration with a Devi Puja with a priest attending. Swami ji also conducted a Spiritual retreat for a day. The retreat started at 6:30am with Pranayama & Satsang and concluded by special Satsang and dinner at 8:00pm. The talk “Yoga for Joyful Living” and asana class was also part of the program. We welcomed Swami Vidyananda, Kailias, the priest & Sivakami to spend the night with us on the way to Rudraprayag TTC. Abeba and Bitanya went to Mukteshwar, Uttrakand for two nights to visit cottage Nirvana which was offered by the owner Mr Aditya who is interested to work with us in conducting yoga retreat. We send our Pranams and hope everyone is happy and peaceful. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/delhi

Om Namah Sivaya. We are grateful to the Masters for this wonderful opportunity to serve. Pranams to the Gurus. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/geneva

Om Namah Sivaya. In early October we celebrated Navaratri with Pujas everyday, attended by staff and close teachers and other Karma Yogis. During the evening Satsangs students came and enjoyed the festival. Ganga Chaintanya and Durga went to Dalat Ashram for studying the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training (SHYET) course for two weeks. Lilamayi just returned to the Centre from visiting her family in Hanoi. We welcomed previously Dalat Ashram staff Radha who came to join the Centre staff. We also welcomed many guests who came to visit the Centre before flying to the Ashram for teaching the Ayurveda Retreat and SHYET course. Two of the teachers Cynthia and Jeffrey stayed with us a few days before leaving. We also offered a weekend workshop on Anatomy, taught by Dr. Sharma, an Indian Ayurvedic doctor. The workshop was both Saturday and Sunday mornings 8 am to 10 am with 12 students attending. Devika started a Beginners’ course. Narayani, staff from the Dalat Ashram, went back to the Ashram after doing a wonderful job helping the Centre for two weeks. We were happy to continue spreading the wisdom of Yoga follow the teachings of the Master and Guru. Pranams to the Sivananda Family. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

Om Namah Sivaya. In early October a special program with Kailas continued with daily asana classes and workshops. The focus was on dynamic variations of the classical asanas as well as meditative holding of the postures, talks were about asanas as a powerful tool to rejuvenate the body and he use of mantras in Hatha Yoga. The whole program was much appreciated with teachers and staff participating, bringing a nice energy to the Centre. A highlight was a one day retreat in Oxfordshire with a nice group of students. In spite of the rainy weather the day went very well and everybody returned home inspired and recharged. Preparations for Navaratri started. Fabric for new deity clothes was bought for dresses for the Divine Mother. Staff focused on advertising upcoming activities. Flyers were distributed as we hoped for a positive outcome. Two sweet and ripe figs were harvested in our garden and offered as Prasad to Ganesha.

By mid October another Yoga1 and Y2 started. We had a staff meeting ahead of Swami Jyotirmayananda’s departure, to discuss events, Pujas, strategies, bookings for upcoming events, staff movements among others, leaving staff inspired. Swami Jyotirmayananda left safely for India. Swami Mangalananda returned from a one week’s stay in Vienna. Parvati left for Orleans for a week. Annapurna Chaitanya left for Hong Kong. Her support at the Centre was much appreciated. We welcomed Santosha who has already been here before and will stay with us for a year. The project to reorganize the basement continued. We had a productive meeting about the Christmas theatre play. Navaratri was celebrated with daily morning Pujas with good attendance of inspired regular students and teachers. The priest came for the Vijayadashami Puja. The altar was full of prana with lots of flowers. A weekend Retreat at the Orleans Ashram in France was organized with very positive feedback from the students. Another highlight was the participation in the OM Yoga Show in London. Staff and close teachers took turns in assisting with the event. The atmosphere at our stand was lively and there was a lot of interest, mainly for retreats and international activities at the Ashram in France and the Retreat house, as well as TTC´s, further trainings and classes at the Centre. Throughout the month, thankfully we had help from karma yogis in the kitchen and with various projects at the Centre. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/london

Om Namo Narayanaya! In early October we united in celebration of Divine Mother! Pujas were magnificent, abundant in selfless service and offerings from the many devotees. By Mother’s Grace, Her children joined to create this beautiful worship. All enjoyed the Glories of Devi Mahatmyam and sing the many forms of Mother. Open classes continued, Yoga 2 continued. Karma Yogis offered assistance to the Centre. Hamsa Chaitanya was at the Yoga Farm to support their TTC. Arjuna arrived to assist the LA Centre with teaching and sharing many devotedly inspiring stories of Swami Vishnudevanandaji. May Guru continue to bless us with our sincere efforts. Navaratri concluded with Pujas, led by Pundit Sharma. On Vijaya Dasami, long time devotees, as well as first-timers, gathered their tools of karma for blessing. Everyone was grateful as they felt Mother’s Grace. Karma Yogis joined together in maintaining the Centre and keeping an elevated mood. This Holy energy was carried right into the Vedanta Intensive weekend, led by Gajananam. He taught asana classes with a Vedantic focus on awareness, as well as lectures coinciding with practice of Vedantic methodology. Students were feeling inspired by the boost of knowledge, now equipped with plenty of tools to practice implementing until the next Vedanta Intensive! A Positive Thinking course concluded with students sharing their feats over thought tendencies as they dove deeper into their Sadhana. May God keep us all on His path! May the Blessings of Master and Swamiji continue to light the way. Pranams. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/la

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves! In early October classes and courses continued alongside a meditation course. Work on the new Madrid website continued. We offered a weekend with a lively full day program “Yoga and Life Energy” as well as a well-attended teachers’ meeting. Karuna, new graduate from TTC Aluenda, arrived to stay as work-study for one month.

By mid October the Centre’s classes and courses continued with good attendance. Focus of the staff was the promotion of courses and activities. Navaratri continued with daily Pujas and mantras. Vijaya Dasami was celebrated, uplifting the energy of the Centre. We had a well visited Open House day and a well appreciated workshop “Yoga and Stress”. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/madrid

Om Namah Sivaya. Namaste. We thank our Masters for all blessings and support bestowed. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi.

http://www.sivananda.org/madurai

Om Namah Sivaya! In early October, with the blessings of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati, the Montevideo Centre received new memberships. Also a Beginners’ Course started with lot of energy. Omkari Marisa gave a posture head workshop. Regular yoga classes and the nights of Navaratri Puja were well attended. Kanti Devi was in India participating in the Yatra/Pilgrimage in India commemorating Swami Vishnudevananda’s 50 years Samadhi. We continued promoting (via website, announcements, and flyers) the TTC 2019 in Garopaba. We also continued promoting upcoming special activities here in Montevideo. More highlights included the continuation of Navaratri. The Vijaya Dasami was beautiful with the presence of Kanti Devi, who just returned from India. We shared delicious Prasads prepared by some devotees and our Staff, Abhaya. The regular classes and Beginners’ courses also developed normally. Love to all. May all live under the Masters’ grace. With Prem and Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/montevideo

Om Namah Sivaya and Greetings from the Montreal Centre! We had a busy and start to October at the Centre. Roy gave a meditation and mantras workshop. Most of the students were new to the Centre and they were really grateful for the workshop. We started the Navaratri celebrations with Durga Puja. We had a beautiful ceremony with the priest Manju and Atmaram. We had a Meditation day retreat, with 12 participants. During the retreat the students joined a gentle yoga class, two meditation workshops and a meditative yoga class, and a delicious vegetarian meal. The students left very happy with the experience. Bhagirathi gave a workshop, Yoga for the Shoulders. We welcomed Swami Shivabhaktananda, as he started a 5 class course on Raja Yoga. The students were very inspired and very happy with the course. We celebrated Lakshmi Puja with Swami Shivabhaktananda and 57 participants joining the Puja for a joyful evening, full of uplifting vibrations.

The joy continued to flourish mid October at the Centre. We were happy to welcome Swami Vairagyananda who stayed at the Centre for two weeks. Bhagirathi started an “Ayurveda for Beginners” course. We continued with the Navaratri celebrations with a beautiful Puja for Saraswati led by Swami Vairagyananda and the priest Manju. We started a Meditation for Beginners course. Swami Vairagyananda gave a workshop “The Power of the Creative Mind”, where the students enjoyed it very much. We had a juice fasting retreat where the students joined two yoga classes, a deep relaxation, pranayama and meditation workshops. The retreat was very nice, the students left feeling happy, relaxed and grateful for the experience. We had a workshop “Yoga for the Eyes” with 11 participants. We concluded the Navaratri celebrations with the Lamp Puja with 80 participants. The priests Manju and Harisha, Swami Shivabhaktananda, Swami Vairagyananda and some of the staff from the Yoga Camp joined us for the celebration. The Puja was beautiful, full of joy and positive energy. Everyone left feeling happy and uplifted. We were so blessed to have very committed karma yogis who are always willing to serve, keeping the Centre always clean and inviting. We are ever grateful for our Guru’s grace. Pranams to all! Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/montreal

Om Namah Sivaya. In early October our monthly Open House welcomed many interested people. Some of them were complete beginners, some had already practiced yoga and some were even interested in taking the TTC. We also taught an advanced asana workshop with the topic “The Shoulder Stand Cycle”. Swami Gokulananda came to Munich to support the Centre for the coming weeks. Gayatri went to Berlin.

By mid October we were happy to open the new reception, a very cosy space with a large shop-window so that the reception and boutique area can be well seen by the many passers-by. We can now directly enter from the reception into our two main yoga halls. Students were amazed how quick we managed to move to the new reception and immediately felt at ease there. Coincidently we also had a special program with Swami Sivadasananda: Two asana workshops, a teachers workshop and two Satsangs. In the asana workshops our yoga hall was filled to the very last place. Afterwards everybody enjoyed the Satsangs with powerful Kirtan and inspiring talks by Swamiji. We also ended the Navaratri celebrations with the last Pujas and the final Vijaya Dasami Puja. We started a “Positive Thinking and Thought Power” course and a Meditation Course part 2 with two very open-minded and interested groups of participants. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/munich

Om Namah Sivaya from Neuquen. All is well, with the grace of the Masters. Shanti and Prem to everyone! Om.

Om Namah Sivaya! A highlight of October was the celebration of Navaratri. The first days of powerful Durga were held in the Durga Room, with Pujas led by Shakti and Neeti. We moved to Sivananda Hall for the Laskhmi Pujas, full of abundance and beauty. We had an extra special day as Swami Paramananda came to teach the advanced class followed by the evening Puja. We had a great headstand workshop, taught by teacher, Prasanta. We bid farewell to two wonderful visiting Karma Yogis, Bhavani and Mirabai who were of immense help! We were grateful for their service and look forward to them coming back soon. The month in general can be summed up with a few words: Abhishekam, Devi, flowers, purification, grace! All thanks to Masters Blessings and God’s Grace we powered through the nine nights and one morning of Navaratri. This year’s attendance was great. Many people attended every evening. We celebrated Vijaya Dasami with a beautiful Puja of all three Devis and a breakfast made by Neeti! And even after the consecutive visits to the Centre, people still came to practice on Saturday and Satsang on Sunday! We had a full day as we did a photo shoot for the upcoming 2019 brochure. We gathered together 15 karma yogis to be in the photos and a very good, enthusiastic karma yogi photographer. It was a fun, successful day and we look forward to seeing the photos! We welcomed Harasaka, a new staff but familiar face! Harasaka has been a consistent staff at the Ranch and we were happy to have him here at the Centre. He will stay for a few months. Until next time, all the staff are well and send their Pranams from New York City. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/ny

Om Namah Sivaya. Devi’s energy was very present in October, a positive and elevating time during the Celebration of Navaratri. The Centre had a beautiful opening Puja led by the priest. The Masters sent many students to the Puja, led by Swami Kailasananda. A group of around 15 people attended the morning Pujas. Sarasvati had her knee operation and gently recovered. Rukmini, Prema, Vishnu and Gauri put prana into the Yoga festival. Swami Kailasananda guided and supported the staff with the preparations. Preparation day was a cheerful day with the setting of the booth. The booth looked very beautiful thank you to Rukmini and her assistants. It was very welcoming with the presence of our yogis. Rukmini, Prema, Sivakami, Srinivasan and Vishnu where set to be there for many hours. Madalassa and Daya came to assist during the festival. Some karma yogis were also there. Kailas gave a workshop and an asana class, Sivakami led an asana class. Swami Kailasananda gave an asana class and a workshop. Many people were inspired by the workshops, the classes, the videos of the Ashram and of the Centre. They were also inspired by the books and the teachings of the Masters. Parallel to the Festival, it was an active week in the Centre. We had full house in the evenings with classes in all rooms. We had a meditation course, a positive thinking, a kirtan course and a raja yoga course. During these days, Suman from Orleans fed the whole family with healthy and delicious food. He also prepared the Prasads. There was even room for a cooking class. Ganga and Suman prepared a delicious meal supported by a big team of karma yogis. Life gave us summer days. The Hibiscus in the Main Hall gave beautiful new flowers each day towards Swami Vishnudevananda’s portrait.

We participated on the last day of the Yoga Festival where Swami Kailasananda gave a Yoga class and an inspiring lecture. The continuation of Navaratri went very well in the mornings with staff and students attending. We had a special celebration of Vijaya Dasami with the two priests Yagneswara, Manoj and Swami Kailasananda. Sivakami travelled to India and the TTC Rudraprayag. Swami Kailasananda gave also an inspiring program at the Centre then Swami Kailasananda and Swami Nityananda left for the TTC Rudraprayag. Swami Gopalananda and Omkari arrived the same day to help during Swami Nityananda’s absence. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/paris

Greetings from Porto Alegre. In October we began the second group of Beginners’ with a good number of students. Lalita came back from her trip to Chile. We began with the celebration of Navaratri with Archana and Pujas, always accompanied by teachers and students. We finished with the Vijaya Dasami ceremony that was quite busy. It felt a very special energy on that occasion. We started a new Beginners’ course with an enthusiastic group of female students. Nandini returned to Montevideo for a few days then she will be leaving for her country, Bolivia. She was with us for 4 months at Porto Alegre’s Centre. Otherwise, regular classes went normally, supported by the grace of Master and Swamji. Blessings and Peace to all of the Sivananda Family. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/portoalegre

Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed selves. In early October we were very happy to receive Yagneswara who came to the Centre to do some Pujas. He started with a morning Puja for Ganesha, Siva and Hanuman and purification of the Centre, then in the evening it he conducted a beautiful Divine Mother Puja, as a preparation for Navaratri. He continued with a Krishna Puja in the morning and in the evening a Sudarshana Yantra Puja with chanting of Vishnu Sahasranama. The energy at the Centre was very strong. Teachers and students were very happy with the program. Karma yogis helped with the many events. We were so grateful for Yagneswara’s visit leaving a wonderful energy at the Centre. Our staff are well, steady in their Sadhana and sending pranams to all. Om Shanti. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/rome

Om Namo Narayanaya, Blessed Selves. In October Navaratri began with joy and lots of flowers. The Divine Mother drew her children close. Krishna Das arrived in San Francisco to join Swami Sivasankariananda and drive to the Yoga Farm for TTC preparations. Lalitha took over leading the nightly Pujas. Gajananam led the Puja for Lakshmi, complete with a very sweet performance by three young Odissi dancers. We held an Open House one Saturday. Parvati went to Dr. Jain’s office to get oriented before beginning a series of SYHET practicum hours there. Navaratri celebrations culminated with a beautiful Puja, abundant Prasad and a feast for guests. Our new banner out front of the Centre was miraculously installed on Vijay Dasami. Sitar master Peter Van Gelder gave a blissful concert. A seasoned karma yogi, Padmavati, offered a Chair Yoga Class. The monthly Men’s Yoga Circle focused on change of seasons. Durga Leela gave a very welcomed talk on Yoga of Recovery at a Sunday Satsang. Swami Sitaramananda made a late night visit to the Centre on her way back to the Yoga Farm from Asia. Parvati spent a day at Dr. Jain’s office seeing clients for the SYHET practicum. She reported that Dr. Jain was generous with her time giving feedback. We felt the Gurus’ blessings. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/sanfrancisco

Om Namah Sivaya. As October approached it was busy at the Sao Paulo Centre. We had some karma yoga activities at the “garden” and the external area of the Centre. We celebrated Navaratri with a special Archana ceremony to the Durga Devi. We started a new Beginners’ course and a workshop about Yoga and Occupational Health for a small neighborhood engineering company. We also started a new Beginners’ course on Tuesdays and a workshop about the 5 principles of Yoga to a small neighborhood engineering company. The 20 participants really enjoyed it. We planned and advertised the visit of our Acharya Kanti Devi for the beginning of November. May the Masters continue to maintain prana and harmony in the Sivananda Centre of Sao Paulo. Om Shanti Shanti to all the Sivananda family. Om.

Om Namah Sivaya. After a brief, yet eventful, stay in Israel, the Centre’s manager, Swami Shambhudevananda went back to the Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas in early October. Swami Shambhudevananda played a key role in the four day Succot Yoga retreat and was instrumental in guiding the staff through another successful year. The inspiration and prana was held high after the retreat after an evening of Questions and Answers with Swami Swaroopananda in the Sivananda Affiliated Centre in Tiv’on. Students and devotees were treated to Swamiji’s dissertation on The Yogic Path, taking home many valuable and practical tips about the yogic lifestyle. Staff from the Tel Aviv Centre were able to join the evening, as well as encourage attendees to participate in future events back at the Centre.
With the holiday month over, courses were back in full swing at the Centre, with introductions being held to the Positive Thinking and the Meditation course.

Later in October we cheered Happy Victory Day! The staff of the Tel Aviv Centre and many devotees joined senior staff members and Swami Swaroopananda for a beautiful final Puja of the Navaratri Festival, in the Ashram in Matta. In the Tel Aviv Centre an introduction was held for a new Deep Relaxation course, with Yana Lakshmi, a long time Sivananda Yoga teacher and practitioner. Many students were able to come and enjoy a taste of the healing power of deep relaxation. New students were also able to join an introduction to Meditation session, conducted by Bhargavi Chaitanya. A Yoga 3 course and a Meditation course were concluded with many students coming out of the courses with new skills and tools to use in their daily lives. The teachers looked forward to seeing the graduating students in other courses and also invite them to upcoming Yoga Retreats. Pranams and Peace to the Sivananda family from the Tel Aviv Centre. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/telaviv

Om Namah Sivaya. In early October Navaratri started with the Tokyo Centre being protected by a immense powerful energy of Devis. Some students joined in the Pujas every single day. We noticed the gradual increase in number of students who are getting familiar with Indian culture even though Japan is not that open to “religion” other than Buddhism. We offered the very first series of Yoga 3, taught by Mirabai. The long list of applicants for the course grew beyond the capacity of the hall indicating a large number of students are aspiring for an opportunity to learn Sivananda Yoga more deeply. Trial classes were held with 18 people attending with more than half of that group signing up for Yoga 1 courses and our membership. A new Yoga 2 started, joined by 8 students.

By mid October the daily celebrations for Navaratri ended with Vijaya Dashami. So many people joined us for the festival bringing flowers, Prasad, etc. filling the Centre with Divine Mother’s grace and energy. The former staff, Vishnu, temporarily stayed at the Centre while offering a Kriya yoga workshop. Many participants were prepared to adopt the Kriya techniques to their daily life. A Sanskrit class was led by Vanidevi. A staff member Narayani made a debut as a workshop conductor for the many fans of Sivananda cookies that are available at the Centre. Narayani taught the students how to make the cookies without fail. Chinmayi, a former staff at Tokyo Centre for some months and now staff at Madurai Ashram visited and stayed with us for two days and led the English open class during his stay. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.jp

Om Namah Sivaya. In early October two Beginners’ courses started as well as a Prenatal course. We started a Positive Thinking course. Veena taught a Introduction to Ayurveda and Panchkarma workshop. Manjunat, the priest of our Subramanya/Ayyappa Temple, came to Toronto to perform Puja for Navaratri, attracting many students to the Centre. Lots of them prepared many varieties of Prasad and brought flowers. It was very uplifting evening and all left feeling the presence of Divine Mother. We also thought classes at a school as part of our ongoing school program, plus taught 126 students in all girls Catholic school.

By mid October several Yoga 1 courses and a Yoga 2 course started. We had a Chanting and Tea community event with students bonding, learning about kirtans, melody and rhythm and enjoying varieties of tea with our teacher Vikram. We met with another contractor for our potential basement renovations. Saraswati and Bhavani visited Yoga Salai, an affiliated Yoga Centre founded by Mayavan, that serves mostly the Tamil community. Saraswati led Satsang to about forty teens and children who attend classes at the Centre, some of whom completed a special Yoga assistant program. It was a joyful event and we enjoyed hospitality of Yoga Salai’s staff and teachers. We continued teaching at a local school , having around 125 students again in eight different classes. Our student, Rama came to finish our kitchen cabinets that he has been renovating for us. Mookambika and Nalini joined their English class group in visiting some nearby towns and enjoying beautiful Canadian colors of the fall season. All staff are well. We send Om Namo Narayanaya to everyone. Pranams. Om.

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Om Namah Sivaya. In early October heavy rains continued in Kerala. A Beginners’ batch for ladies started on Mondays. With the Navaratri festive season starting all are in celebratory mood. Thiruvananthapuram received idols from Tamil Nadu. We have unique Navaratri tradition. It crosses state borders. Saraswathi, Kumaraswami and Munnuttinanka set out on a three-day journey to Thiruvananthapuram from Padmanabhapuram Palace, in Tamil Nadu. Each of these three deities had their own little stories. Idol of Goddess Saraswathi from Padmanabhapuram Palace. She travelled on an elephant. Idol of Kumaraswami, set out from Kumarakovil in Velimala. He mounted a silver horse. Idol of Goddess Munnuttinanka came from Sucheendram Temple. She was carried on a palanquin. Saraswathi was installed at the Saraswathi Mandapam near the Padmanabhaswami Temple. Kumaraswami was installed at the Aryasala Temple and Munnuttinanka went to Chenthitta Devi Temple. These deities stay in Thiruvananthapuram for the Navaratri festivities and then after a day’s rest go back to their respective Temples. Satsangs were led by Yashpal ji.

We started an early morning batch on Mondays mid October. Along with it we also started a one month Beginners’ course in Govt. Women’s College, Trivandrum. A highlight of the month was the visit of Prahlad ji. He conducted a special class in the evening which was followed by his Satsang. Nataraj ji & Kalyani ji also attended the Satsang along with Centre students and teachers. Due to Navaratri we conducted special Poojas on the auspicious days of Durgashtami, Mahanavami & Vijayadashami, distributing Prasad to everyone. We had also conducted Ganapathy Homa since it was the 1st day of the Malayalam month. Satsangs were led by Yashpal ji. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

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Om Namah Sivaya. Greetings to all from Vienna. The Mother Divine blessed us with a very inspiring October! Navaratri started with daily Pujas creating a nice energy in the Centre. Swami Gitananda went with Swami Mangalananda to the retreat in the country together with 13 students. Everybody was happy with classes, workshops and Satsangs in Mother Nature. The weather was warm with sunshine every day, perfect for the silent walks. In the office we worked on boosting our search engine performance. Saraswati went back to Reith and we thanked her for the valuable support. We continued daily Navaratri Pujas until mid month, then Vijaya Dasami. Classes and courses went on as usual, with a few four-week-courses starting. We had a nice day seminar about how to combat stress with the yogic techniques. With the help of Kaivalya we worked on our new website. Pushpa came from our Retreat house in Reith to be on staff in Vienna. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vienna

Om Namah Sivaya. In early October we noticed the students returning to the Centre after holidays and summer gardening, especially for a Puja to start Navaratri. The energy of the Centre went up and students and teachers attended the Pujas every day. A Yoga One course started with a good amount of students. It was very helpful for the teacher to have an assistant, so Surya Namaskar and asanas could be demonstrated and explained very expressly. We had good feedback. The best event of October continued in the uplifted mood with the everyday Navaratri Pujas. The highlight of the energy and bhakti bhava was the Vijaya Dashami Puja. The instruments brought by the students were blessed with powders and it gave a good inspiration for their creativity in all fields. The courses and classes continued as usual. We had some special cooking workshop: Cooking with the 6 tastes according the science of Ayurveda. It was prepared according the new book “Practical Ayurveda”. In addition we made a simplified test for the students to find out their predominant doshas, so they could better understand how in simple way to adjust the meals to their body constitution. OM.

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When you love God, you love everything. All are His manifestations. – Sri Swami Sivananda