Sivananda World News: The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

Om Namah Sivaya. The Berlin Centre was well visited in August. It became already a bit colder but students were still eager to practise outside in the garden. Satsangs were well received, teachers and students were happy to be back onsite. Everybody enjoyed the common chanting. A Yoga 2 course started with a good group of students. Satya went to Vienna to support the construction work in the Centre there.

As August progressed classes and Satsangs continued to be well visited, especially the weekends. Most of the classes were taking place outside on our garden platform. We had good support from Karma yogis for cleaning, polishing altar brass and reception. Staff are all well. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/berlin

Om Namah Sivaya. Yoga can help you deal with these tough times by keeping your body fit, mind balanced, and positive energy. 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]
or by calling 11 4804 7813.

Continue your practice from your home. 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 to all Blessed Selves from the Chennai Centre. In August the back house revamping progressed well. The in-person student numbers gradually increased despite the current pandemic situation. We followed the strict sanitary protocols. We welcomed a new staff, Chitra. We began a 3 day online workshop on Pranayama. We were saddened by the news of the sudden demise of Umaji’s husband. We at the Centre prayed for his soul to rest in peace and Umaji & Family to have enough strength and courage to bear the great loss. We continued our regular chanting of Om Namo Narayanaya every evening, Vishnu Sahasranama on Thursdays & Lalitha Sahasranama on Fridays. We ended each week with a Satsang.

Mid month we began a new Beginners Yoga 1 Course on Mondays. We had a Homa to mark the first day of the Tamil month. We started an online course “Micro Steps to Advanced Asanas”, led by Nirmala Chaitanya. We continued with daily online & in-person classes.

Our India 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.

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. Join us online for courses, studies, Satsangs and yoga classes. Take good care! We wish you awareness of Guru’s Grace. Om and Prem.

http://www.sivananda.org/chicago

Om Namah Sivaya from the beautiful DaLat Centre. In August even though temporarily closed to the public due to Covid safety in Vietnam, thanks to Guru’s blessing, our Centre can keep the strong energy to serve the community. All classes went well. Swami Sita leads a popular remote online Satsang each Thursdays. Online Satsang led by the Dalat Ashram is on Wednesdays and Sundays. The Proper Breathing course finished successfully. We continued to run all online classes in cooperation with Ho Chi Minh Centre and Ha Noi Centre. Directors of the three Centres have online meetings weekly to ensure smooth operations of the current programs and discuss new programs. The Dalat staff participated in various courses including Vedanta and Yoga for cancer patients. Sankari and Nirmala continue their SYHET counselling program under the mentoring of Sivashakti. Nirmala finished her first 3-day practicum course on Stress Management. 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 in August. We started the Beginners’ Yoga course onsite as well online, with good numbers of students. Our regular open classes and Online classes also went well. The Satsangs were attended by few students. The staff was busy with karma yoga. One weekend we conducted the kriya workshop. In August the Delhi weather was quite pleasant. 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 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. With the Grace of Gurus everything is fine at the Centre in August. We started Beginners’ Yogas courses onsite and online. The number of students increased in open classes both in onsite as well online. A Rudrahishek Puja was performed by a very learned priest from Kashi. Because of this Puja the Centre was charged with positive energy. This was attended by a few students and teachers. We started two Beginners’ Yogas courses, one on onsite and other on online. By mid month it rained heavily in Delhi and because of this the number of students was less. Rest is all well with the Grace of Gurus.

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. The teachers take care of the Centre during the summer. We have 4 online classes per week from Monday to Thursday. With best wishes for health and peace. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/geneva

Om Namah Sivaya. In July the Hochiminh Centre went through a lot of changes because of the Covid-19 ‘s reoccurrence in Vietnam.

The Hochiminh Centre remained closed in August, and kept teaching online classes although the Covid – 19  is still spreading strongly in the city. We offered the special workshop of Self healing through Abhyanga Self massage for cancer survival patients taught by Shambhu and Daya Chaitanya. Besides a weekly asana practice, the students in this class also learned the 5 points of Yoga to apply to daily life. We started the new online yoga Beginners’ Yoga courses taught by Devika with good number of attendants. Last but not least, Daya Chaitanya started the new Restorative Yoga online course with 10 students in attendance. Other online classes such as Satsang, open classes, yoga for pregnancy ran well, as usual.

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. In August the London Centre was closed. Instead the London Centre is 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.
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 has reopened. All continued forward with Gurus’ Grace.

In August the LA Centre weekend programs included a Yantra Painting Workshop and a well-received afternoon talk on Karma to Dharma. We started a Yoga 6 course and finished a Mysteries of the Mind course. Mahadevika and Kumara visited briefly on their way back to the Yoga Farm. Swami Sivasankariananda did a Stress Relief Counselling session. Guest (and eager karma yogi) Louisa stayed for a week.

As August continued we mentored TTC students and started to observe TTC group teaching classes. We are grateful to participate with the Yoga Farm from afar. We hosted the incoming 30-student Yoga Studies cohort from Loyola Marymount University for a yoga class on the deck. Their weekend was dedicated to visiting traditional yoga institutions in the LA area. We connected with a few who live nearby and expect them for Satsang and Karma Yoga! For our students, we offered a well-attended Pranayama Workshop as well as a Hip Opening Workshop.

We are very blessed and in awe of Gurus’ Grace. 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. The Sivananda Yoga Centre in Madrid is the place where you can recharge and reconnect with yourself. https://www.sivananda.es/protocolo-sanitario/

In August students slowly returned from the Summer holidays. Our main focus was promotion of the new webinars. All were well received. The Madrid website went through some changes and has now a fresher look. A new location near the Madrid Centre was confirmed for an international TTC in August 2022. 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. Due to the unpredictability of the on-going Covid-19 pandemic situation we recommend you contact your local Centres and Ashrams directly for their latest update. Free online Yoga classes, courses and programs are always available during the Covid-19 pandemic. We look forward to having you at the Centre and practicing together. Please familiarize yourself with these safety precautions at https://www.mohfw.gov.in 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. During the month of August the Montevideo Centre’s activities continued to be very positive, both in person and online. Nice and warm weather motivated students to come to classes. Our capacity during pandemic is only for 30% of the full capacity. The government announced to increase to 65%. We continued with all our programs. Special attention was given to the altar. It was refreshed with new clothing for deities and colourful flowers. Satsangs continued as following: Friday, Durga Devi (from Colombia) led in Portuguese and Vani Devi did the translation into Spanish. Saturday, Swami Dayanandaji was back with a very nice and inspiring talk. Sunday, Kanti Devi in Spanish, and Janaki translated into Portuguese. Kanti Devi was inspired by Gurudev and his book Sivananda daily reading. The message was the importance of our first thought in the morning connecting with the divine and to keep it during the day. New teachers and students participated during the weekends.

As August progressed we continued to improve face-to-face classes and student attendance. Dra. Padma continues with the Face-to-face Adapted Gentle Yoga workshop and online Ayurveda Counselling. Chandrashekar conducted a Meditation workshop, very nice and inspiring, the students left very happy and enthusiastic. Kanti Devi prepared the altar every week to be ready for Satsang online. Vani Devi led the Satsang and Janaki did the translation into Spanish. Swami Dayananda led in Spanish. Kanti Devi led the Satsang in Spanish with translation into Portuguese, thanks to Prajna. We worked on the publicity for our next TTC Online with de European Sivananda Centres. It will start in October 2021.

We prayed 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 online classes. 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. In August a recently started Beginners’ Yogas courses successfully continued into a second round as Yoga 2. One of our long-time teachers taught her first online classes in the Centre and continued to support us by teaching the well-attended Sunday 10 am online class. Since after some weeks we were again able to serve the herbal-tea at the reception. Students were very happy. The tea service also brought more live to the reception and created possibilities to talk with the students. Our free trial class attracted new people to the Centre, as always. We had a group of particularly motivated students – all of them relatively new in yoga. One of them came already on the following day to join a Gentle Drop-In class. Swami Vidyananda came back from the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Reith/Tyrol/Austria while Swami Vasudevananda went to Reith. We wish everyone health and inner strength. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/munich

Om Namah Sivaya from Manhattan. In August we saw the classes slowly picking up. The attendance is increased as we added more classes. Having more teachers would certainly help! The weekly Gita classes continued, taught by Neeti. The weather was unpredictable, swinging from very hot to quite pleasant. The hurricane Henri passed through New York City in August. Our basement was badly flooded. This was from the city drainage backlog. So we just had to wait for the rain to stop and the water level go down. A lot of damage happened and the boutique stock had to be rescued. By the grace of God a couple of Karma Yogis came in to help out emptying the basement. Old timer students returning to the Centre miss Rama. 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. In August Uma a close teacher of the Centre supported the Centre for the week. She and Ganga took care of the Centre. Swami Nityananda went to Orleans and Saraswati arrived to take care of the running of the Centre with the help of the staff, teachers and karma yogis. Kailas assured the Om Namo Narayanaya took place from Monday to Thursday. Saraswati chanted on Friday. Saraswati enjoyed leading the public Satsang, reading some words from pearls of wisdom. Kaivalya gave an inspiring Satsang on the topic of freedom from Bliss Divine. Swami Nityananda came from the Orleans Ashram. She led the Satsang on the topic of Bhakti from Bliss Divine and with a couple of stories from Swami Sivananda. A group of professionals came to work on the roof. The plumber repaired one shower on the first floor. August went smoothly, in a harmonious mood. A couple of teachers did the fire of yoga in the Centre. The Masters keep sending precious help and good attendance for the Satsangs.

By mid August, many of the teachers were on holidays, however the Masters keep sending precious help. We had a big family with the presence of Pranava and Radha who came as staff for a week. Both of them were in tune with the rhythm of the Centre. A two week yoga 1 course ended with those students continuing to come for courses and open classes. It was always inspiring to see how the Beginners’ Yoga 1 can transform people, as everyone had a radiant  face. A student who comes regularly to the Om Namo Narayanaya chanting online, showed us that she was participating from a big hall with more than 30 people present on a big screen. It seemed that they had asana class and meditation session after the chanting. Usually we see her only. It was beautiful to see everyone else on the screen. We had an uplifting time with the special Kanyakumari’s Puja at the Ashram, led by the priest from Bangalore. For the public Satsangs we had many Kirtans, inspiring and joyful words of Swamiji from Vishnudevananda Upadesha and delicious prasads. On Sundays we chanted the Sunday Prayers. The weekly silent walk was earlier in the morning, the sunrise was beautiful.

We 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.

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. In August we put a lot of energy on promoting our events of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Sivananda Centre in Israel. We also decorated the walls of the Centre with beautiful pictures of the Masters and colourful mandalas and quotes. Bhargavi Chaitanya opened a new Yoga 3 course. In every class we do some variations on the asanas and at the end of the class we chant a mantra and open a message from Swami Vishnudevananda.

Mid August Bhargavi Chaitanya finished two meditation courses, some students already signed up for the advanced course. We went for a weekend retreat in the Mata Ashram where Swami Shambhu gave beautiful teachings from the Bhagavad Gita, chapter 6. The staff of the Ashram cooked wonderful meals. Govinda led us to a silent walk and gave a teaching on positive thinking. Shakti gave an All Level Yoga class. Students and karma yogis enjoyed the beautiful nature, wholesome food and deep study of the yogic philosophy. Many questions were asked by sincere seekers and many received inspiration for deepening their Sadhana. May the Master’s grace be with all. Om.

http://www.sivananda.org/telaviv

Om Namah Sivaya. In August an online Vedanta Level 2 course, led by Swami Sitaramananda held at the Yoga Farm in California was completed. We were thankful for this opportunity to learn the basics of Vedanta throughout the 10 weeks. On the same day, we offered a briefing session on SYHET, taking the time for students thinking about taking the course to ask questions to clarify their doubts and concern. We were in the middle of the holiday season called OBON in Japan where people go back to their hometown to spend the time together with the family or visit a place with beautiful nature surrounding, hence a good number of guests visited us at the Shojiko Retreat, now entering the busiest time of the year. We were thankful for support and cooperation of the Karma yogis who helped us with online asana classes. Beginners’ Yoga 1 continued well in progress. New cases of Covid-19 in Japan were rapidly growing in number since the Olympic games in Tokyo finished, however, lockdown has not been declared yet. Instead, people were self imposed to live their lives with caution and vigilance. Many of our students were in midst of summer vacation, and thus the Shojiko Retreat Centre accepted a limited number of guests. Online asana classes went well in August with good number of students attending. May Master and Swamiji’s grace be with all. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi. Om.

http://www.sivananda.jp

Om Namah Sivaya. In August students attended the few on site, in person classes scheduled in person each week and were very happy to be at the Centre again. With distancing we could only accommodate six students at one time in one asana room but it was nice to be able to teach and see our students. We started another online Gentle Yoga course and early morning meditation practices as well. We also scheduled several upcoming in person Beginners’ Yoga courses. Our open online classes continued, as scheduled. Toronto’s weather was very hot so we used cooler evening nights to spend time walking and enjoying the summer. As we continued to teach online, we maintained a virtual contact with our students and teachers. 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. In early August although most of the Coronavirus Covid cases are still in Kerala we still manage to run our main morning and evening class. Many people here are afraid to go to social places but some of our students can not wait any more and started their practice. Recently we opened the Centre and people slowly started to arrive. Cooking and cleaning staff resumed their duties from 1st of August. All are keeping up their duties and Sadhana.

Later in August even with the case count high in Kerala, in the public market was crowded as people were busy with shopping and preparation for their biggest festival Onam. The number of student at the Trivandrum Centre reduced due to the Onam Festival as Centre was closed for 3 days. We hoped to get our students back to the Centre after this festival. Meanwhile online classes continued to be popular. Staff continued their Sadhana and duties. 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 – OM NAMO NARAYANAYA. Please stay connected.

http://www.sivananda.org/trivandrum

Om Namah Sivaya. Participation in our on-site yoga classes and evening meditations is possible if you have been tested, vaccinated or recovered, please bring proof with you. We continue to offer an extensive online and live schedule. https://wien.sivananda.yoga/kalender-yoga-online/
The Vienna Centre in person student numbers went up in August. Drop Ins and Satsangs had clearly a higher attendance, mainly with newcomers to the Centre. Also a Beginners’ Yoga 1 course started with an inspired group of participants. The redesign of the Vienna Centre continued. Swami Narayanananda from Reith and Satya from Berlin arrived to support the Centre and many Karma Yogis helped devotedly. The energy was good. We were looking forward to the changes.
Mid August is the second half now of the summer vacation and students were keeping up their practice. A good number of inspired students visited the trial class stating they all want to continue with the Beginners’ Yoga courses. Also the Satsangs are well attended. Construction and renovation work with Swami Narayanananda, Satya and many Karma Yogis continued in the Centre. Swami Narayanananda and Swami Mangalananda left for Reith to support the Retreat House. Staff are well. We wish everyone health and inner strength. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vienna

Om Namah Sivaya. During August our Centre continued classes and courses Beginners’ Yoga 1 and Yoga 2 successfully. The attending of open classes for some reason was very uneven: one day 16 students, the other 3. On the days when we cannot use the platform because of the rain, we had to be very positive and inventive to find a way to fit the students in our halls in order to follow the distancing rules. We were happy that see students who visited us in the old days are returning to the Vilnius Centre. It shows that both yoga and a yoga centre are needed for all. It is also good, that students from a closed yoga centre, where classical yoga was taught, found us and were happy to continue with us.

The number of students stays stable, but we see the good tendency: more and more students are coming back to the practice at yoga Centre. A new Beginners’ Yoga 1 course started with 10 interested and eager to learn students – all of them are willing to continue with Yoga 2 after their six Beginners’ Yogas’ classes conclude. We continued having wonderful Saturday schedules – morning Satsang, asana class and fresh vegetarian lunch for all, on the garden platform enjoying very special meals, cooked with lots of Love by Mother Parvati with some helpers. On the big screen in the reception, we placed a nice set of photos from the summer retreat. Everyone enjoyed remembering the special moments of silence, the beauty of the nature, the feeling of oneness and forgetting all the troubles from the outside world. OM.

http://www.sivananda.org/vilnius