Celebrating The First International Day of Yoga

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SPECIAL REPORT: STAFF REFRESHER, 2015 pioneering times of the Sivananda Yoga Centres in Europe in the seventies made it clear that it was not easier at that time than nowadays. Most importantly, never lose the connection to the energy of the masters by doing your own Sadhana, to counteract negative emotions, keep connected with each other, give help to staff in distress, and remember how to recharge. It seemed all so simple and evident. However, back to everyday life in the Centres, far from the Ashram, the challenge is to not get lost in emotions and everyday tasks, to keep up the connection and practice, and remember everything from the Refresher week. Three full days were spent with Anne Debreilly, an anatomy specialist and student of Blandine Calais Germain, a wellknown Anatomy teacher in France. Anne shared with us her immense knowledge about the spine. She brought with her several skeletons of the spinal column, a bag full of vertebras, herniated discs in plastic and many handouts to get us deep inside the design and operation of the spinal column. Theoretical lectures, group work, and hands on workshops gave us a deeper insight into the function of the human body. We could connect this newly gained knowledge to our morning Asana correction workshops and it was beautiful to see how it all came together. I got a slight glimpse of how deep the quote from Swami Vishnudevananda – “Nobody knows the power of Asanas” – really goes. The Vedanta lectures were mostly held in the evening Satsangs. They started with Viveka Chudamani with Swami Kashimuktananda for about ten days. We studied the five Koshas in much detail to renounce them all in the end by the practice of Neti Neti. Many cross connections were made to other scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads and it was obvious to see that the same truth is explained in different ways in the various scriptures. The translation and explanation of the Sanskrit terms was helpful to understand the full meaning of several philosophical concepts. People with analytical minds love Vedanta, everything is logical and it sharpens the mind to reflect upon the different concepts. But nevertheless the only way out of ignorance is knowledge from within. The challenge is to focus on Sadhana and Karma Yoga to clean the mind and prepare it for the knowledge of the Absolute to dawn. How deep Swami Sivananda’s simple approach of integral yoga is! In the second part of the Vedanta course, the philosophy lectures in the evening Satsangs were held by Deera Chaitanya, a student of one of Swami Sivananda’s disciples, from India and now living in the United States. He started his lectures on the Bhagavad Gita but covered much more than that. It was an overall teaching about the key aspects of yoga philosophy and the four Yoga paths. It was very beautiful to have Vedanta lectures taught by a person of Indian origin and to see the different approach to yogic concepts. The word “God”, often problematic with western minds, is so natural in the Asian context. Even when talking about Vedanta the Bhakti aspect is always there in a very natural way. Common collective asana practice was also part of the programme. Our Asana class was in the afternoon at 4pm and we took turns in teaching. It was nice to take classes together, it was inspiring to see how much we enjoy to take classes, some - thing which Swamis very often don’t do due to lack of time. Especially not at 4pm. Sometimes I felt like I was back in TTC! More highlights Sudha, a staff member from the Paris Centre, became Sudha Chaitanya. In a beautiful Homa led by the two priests, she committed to the path of renunciation. It is beautiful to see that the Sannyas tradition is kept alive and is something beyond time and space. Every evening, the priest, Yagneshwara, tried his best to teach a small but inspired group how to chant the Narayana Suktam and the Devi Suktam, the classical mantras which are chanted during the pujas. It was done in the classical way, repeating word by word and line by line for many days. It was not easy and it became again very obvious to me that studying yogic knowledge needs time, endurance and patience. It never goes fast, but it goes deep. Charles Poncet, a long time disciple from Geneva, gave a joyful and informative take on the topic “How to deal with Lawyers”; and Ram, Director from the affiliated Centre in Hamburg, talked about Art and the power of images and pictures, encouraging us to be more creative in the design of posters and flyers. Ragunath Manet, a veena player, and Bharata Natyam, a dancer, came from Paris for two days to introduce us to Indian classical music and dance. The veena concert was beautiful and relaxing. Despite two weeks of rain we also had some sports activities. We played some basketball, and the Volleyball net was put up but rain washed away our hope to be able to play. We will try again next year! Teaching happens when you do not expect It was a blessing to be with the European Acharyas for three weeks. The true meaning of Gurukula became very obvious. To live together, to share experiences, and to spend time together opens up the possibility of teaching beyond classrooms, spontaneously and unexpectedly. This is the beauty of the Sivananda Organisation – learning, getting inspired, and under - standing happens anytime and anywhere. “For Yogis there is no one to thank” is a quote from one of Swami Vishnudevananda’s lectures. But it is human to be thankful, and we are. To the Acharyas for making this happen, to the Ashram Staff for hosting us, and to the Ashram kitchen team for feeding us. By the grace of the masters all went well at home in the different centres, we had another warm welcome on our return home, and now it is up to us all individually to put into practice the knowledge and inspiration we gained. I hope and pray we do. The date for the next staff refresher is already fixed! n Swami Gokulananda is the director of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre in Berlin. email: swgk@sivananda.net 44 YOGALife |Autumn/Winter 2015
Ashram de Yoga Sivananda Swami Sivananda (1887–1963) Swami Vishnudevananda (1927–1993) Loire Valley, France Yoga Vacations and Teachers’ Training in France 2016 Teachers’ Training Course: May 18 – June 15, (in French) July 1 – July 29, (in English, French, Spanish and Dutch) July 31 – August 28, (in French) November 22 – December 20, (in French) Advanced Teachers’ Training Course: July 1 – July 29 (in French, English, Spanish) Sadhana Intensive: August 13 – 27 (French, English, Spanish, German) Certificate Courses 2015 Yoga Vacations Yoga and meditation all for Year anxiety and trauma with Molly Round Birkholm Accessible Yoga with Jivana Heyman The Yoga of Sleep with Dr. Rubin Naiman The Meditation Experience with Swami Kailasananda Healthy cooking and healthy living with Ayurveda with Swami Bhagavatananda How Yoga works with Dr. Cordula Interthal Special Christmas and New Year Programme December 23, 2015 – January 1, 2016 Further Training Courses for Sivananda Yoga Teachers TTC Refresher Course: June 22 – 28 How to teach meditation and mantra chanting How to teach yoga to children How to teach yoga to seniors Yoga and pregnancy Precision in the Asanas Ashram de Yoga Sivananda 26 impasse du Bignon, 45170 Neuville aux bois, France Tel: +33 (0)2 38 91 88 82 Email: orleans@sivananda.net • www.sivananda.org/orleans • www.sivananda.eu
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Celebrating The First International Day of Yoga

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