Celebrating The First International Day of Yoga

ASHRAM DE YOGA SIVANANDA, FRANCE
The Joy
of Watching
an Ashram
Grow
By Swami Bhagavatananda
Anyone who ever had the blessing of taking care of a child knows the pure joy and soul-deep
satisfaction felt when the beautiful but helpless little baby grows gradually into a strong, healthy
and happy being through the love and care poured into it.
As it turns out, it is similarly rewarding watching an
Ashram – one of Swami Vishnudevananda’s beloved
‘mind babies’– being born and grow from baby steps
into a solid shelter and support for many spiritual seekers through
the love and blessings of Swamiji, supported by the inspired service
of many helpers who serve as instruments to make it happen.
We have the blessing to see it unfolding in the Ashram de
Yoga Sivananda in Orleans, France. Inaugurated in 2003, the
Ashram started as a charming park with lovely old trees and some,
well, not so lovely old buildings. Mind you, we insist on calling it a
quaint château and resent any statement referring to its early days
as a “heap of crumbling walls”!
Since then, under the able guidance of Swami Durgananda
and Swami Kailasananda, so many things have improved. Buildings
have been renovated and enlarged, new additions and facilities
have been added. The grounds have been cleared and part of it
transformed into a colourful flower and vegetable garden, enthus -
iastically guarded (with doubtful success) against the multitudes
of rabbits who vastly outnumber the human Ashram inmates.
Through the Masters’ blessings, more and more souls get
inspired each year to spend time at the Ashram, with a peak last
summer that stretched the Ashram beyond its capacity for three
whole months. Because, even if the Ashram has left its baby
steps behind, it is still far from being fully fledged, and neither
accommodation nor indoor teaching spaces are sufficient.
Now, what do you do when there are more people wanting to
live the yogic life than can be accommodated? Following good old
yogic tradition we coped as best as we could, according to Swami
Sivananda’s teaching to adapt, adjust and accommodate. In the
rooms, beds were added wherever beds could be squeezed in; in
the campsite, tents were added wherever tents could be squeezed
in; and beds were added to tents wherever they could be squeezed in!
Chief strategy of our logistics during the main season is praying
for decent weather to use outdoor teaching spaces. Whenever the
universe fails to cooperate, Asana classes follow Swamiji’s principle
of “bumper to bumper”.
Since the kitchen was feeding a number of people double the
amount of its originally planned capacity, we upgraded our appliances,
growing them both in size and technology, and transformed the
kitchen storage into an improvised cold room with the help
of a portable Aircon.
46 YOGALife |Autumn/Winter 2015