Celebrating The First International Day of Yoga

SIVANANDA YOGA VEDANTA CENTRES CHARITABLE WORKS
Free Monthly Ayurvedic Medical Camp
at Neyyar Dam Ashram, Kerala, India
Our in-house Ayurvedic Doctor P. R. Vishnu, along with another
6 – 10 well known Ayurvedic doctors, treat 1,100 – 1,500 patients
a month at our medical camp. Diagnostic consultations and
treatment methods are prescribed to the patients along with
free medication for up to one month. Patients are also served
free food, courtesy of the Ashram, on the day of their visit.
People come from Kerala and other states to take advantage
of this charitable venture run at the Sivananda Institute of Health,
which was founded by Swami Vishnudevananda at the Neyyar
Dam Ashram. This initiative costs approximately 10K US dollars
a month and is completely funded by the income generated
through our Yoga Vacation and Teachers’ Training Courses.
Free Medical Camps at our Ashram
in Uttarkashi, Himalayas
Since1998 we have been conducting a free weekly medical
camp at our Sivananda Kutir, Netala, Uttarkashi. A local doctor,
Dr. Chandok, provides consultations and free medicines every
Sunday for the nearby villagers.
Support and Yoga Teachings
in Chiang Rai, Thailand
Employment for Ashram Area Residents
Children’s Yoga Camp in Chiang Rai area, Northern Thailand
A few of the many houses donated to the locally employed
Ashram Staff over the last few years
The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and Ashrams employ as
many as 100 residents of the impoverished area at their Ashrams
and Centres in India. Over the years, we have built houses for these
employees and help fund repairs and maintenance of the existing
homes. We also help them by providing monthly medical allowances
and financial help for their children to receive an education.
Rural Medical/Mobile Hospitals initiative
in Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Our Madurai ashram has
teamed up with a local
medical doctor and our Trustee
Dr. V. Narayanasamy, who is
the owner of three very large,
established hospitals in Madurai.
He was instrumental in finding
the land and helping us to
open the Madurai Ashram. For
the past two years, we have
been providing free medical assistance for the needy with the
help of two nurses as well as an ambulance for emergency
calls. We are presently working to establish rural hospitals and
mobile hospitals with qualified doctors and nurses to provide
medical help for the Madurai area villagers.
For the past few years Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres
International have teamed up with Khun Da, owner of Phu Chai
Sai Mountain Resort (in Chiang Rai area, Northern Thailand) to
support the local hill tribes community. This is an impoverished
area of Thailand where there are many challenges, including
lack of health care, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, difficult
school access and almost no employment opportunities. Khun
Da provides health care, education, and exclusively trains and
employs members of the tribes. Support and employment at the
resort is the only chance of survival for most of the families.
Saraswati has been guiding local hill tribe children and
teenagers in learning Swamiji’s teachings, and has conducted
several successful Children’s Yoga Camps in Thailand. She is
slowly introducing the most unfortunate children of the tribes
who come from very difficult family backgrounds, to understand
and embrace the values yoga and meditation offer. Several
teenagers are currently expressing a strong interest in taking
the Teachers’ Training Course.
Can You Help?
We are looking for private individual and/or
corporate donors to help each month so that the
ashram funds can be used to make even more
initiatives of this type a reality around the world.
For further information email: SwamiDurgananda@sivananda.net
YOGALife |Autumn/Winter 2015
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