Celebrating The First International Day of Yoga

ASHRAM AND CENTRE NEWS
Ashram and Centre News
CHENG DU, CHINA
Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre
Above: Staff and Karma Yogis. Below: The building where the Centre is situated
After much ground work and
many yoga retreats in China,
we are happy to announce
that China has joined the
Sivananda Yoga community
with the opening of the SYVC
centre in Cheng du, south
west of China, near the
Tibetan border. Chengdu city,
in Sichuan province (famous for its delicious hot food) is the fifth largest
city in China with a metro population of 7.4 million, and is considered
to be the most livable megacity in China. It is a tourist destination with
many ancient temples and monasteries. It is also the home of the
famous giant panda bears! Chengdu was chosen for the Yoga Festival
India-China in June 2015, where Nataraj and Kalyani from the Neyyar
Dam in Ashram India, taught Sivananda Yoga to the large number of
Chinese in attendance, translated by Sivani.
The opening of the first Chinese SYVC Centre in October 2015 follows
the first Teachers’ Training Course in Chengdu, China, in September-
October 2015. It was taught by Swami Sitaramananda, Swami
Pranavananda, Ananta Chaitanya and Ganga, hosted and translated
by our two Chinese staff, Sivani and Sundari who are the staff running
the Centre. The Teachers’ Training Course was offered in a traditional
Buddhist temple in the mountains surrounded by trees that were
thousands of years old!
The new Centre is located on the first floor in a large building of 8 floors
near the central part of the city.
www.sivananda.org/china
NASSAU, BAHAMAS
Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat
The Yoga Retreat again
experienced high numbers
of guests during the 2015
season. We opened several
new buildings, including the
Saraswati building, adding
eight ocean view rooms to
make a total of 16 beds, and
the Annapurna Devi House,
dedicated to juice fasting,
cleansing and nutrition
programmes.
The new Saraswati Building
The new Saraswati Building
In response to demand, the Yoga Retreat also held its first-ever TTC
in June 2015 and will offer its first-ever TTC in November 2015.
In order to meet the needs of increasing numbers of guests, a design
planning meeting was held in May 2015 to revisit the Ashram Master
Plan. The focus was on new construction projects and upgrades to our
existing facility’s structures and infrastructure over the next five years
to permit increased capacity and enable year-round programming.
Within this context, three new construction projects were identified /
reconfirmed as priorities: the new main temple, kitchen relocation and
upgrade, and a new dormitory. A Vaastu architect completed the design
for the new temple and plans have begun for fundraising. On April 21,
2015 we conducted the Bhoomi Puja (the ground breaking puja) for
the new temple.
On June 21, 2015, the Yoga Retreat collaborated with the High Commission
of India to celebrate the world’s first International Day of Yoga, success -
fully hosting members of the local community for a yoga class, lecture,
and a vegetarian lunch.
For the fourth year running, Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas
was awarded the distinction by TripAdvisor of a Top Ranked Property
on Paradise Island, Bahamas and received the Certificate of Excellence
for 2015. It has been a busy year at the Ashram in the Bahamas!
www.sivanandabahamas.org
LONDON, UK
Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre
Ground breaking puja for the new temple
Extensive renovations of the
middle house started at the
beginning of July. The building
was completely stripped
down, floor by floor from the
basement to the loft and the
demolition process even
included the removal of the
entire roof. A blank sheet has
thus been provided for the full
transformation of the
premises. This refurbishment project also comprises the enlargement of
the reception and shop area where a lobby will be created for all to sit
and meet. The renovations are progressing very well and the new
reception area will be officially inaugurated during 5 days of festive
celebrations from 2 – 7 April, 2016.
www.sivananda.co.uk
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YOGALife |Autumn/Winter 2015