Celebrating The First International Day of Yoga
Yoga_Life_Winter_2015_WEB
Yoga_Life_Winter_2015_WEB
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
ASHRAM AND CENTRE NEWS<br />
Ashram and Centre News<br />
NEW DELHI INDIA<br />
Sivananda <strong>Yoga</strong> Vedanta Nataraja Centre<br />
We celebrated the 1st<br />
<strong>International</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>Day</strong> on<br />
June 21st with different<br />
activities such as: Open class,<br />
Introductory and Gentle yoga<br />
classes at the park and<br />
Introductory class for Research<br />
institute employees in Delhi<br />
at their work place.<br />
A sponsored T-Shirt and<br />
special booklet were distributed during the Celebration. Reporters from<br />
different electronic media and newspapers visited us for interviews and<br />
we explained the five points <strong>of</strong> yoga as taught by Swami Vishnudevananda.<br />
We also participated in a Panel discussion on NDTV regarding Inter -<br />
national <strong>Yoga</strong> <strong>Day</strong>.<br />
Starting from May 2015, we are conducting monthly workshops in<br />
Jammu for Power Grid employees at their employer development centre.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Centre was busy for 15 days with Kids Camp in June. We performed<br />
Guru Pada Pooja on Guru Poornima day. We are making the necessary<br />
preparations to open the new branch in Noida, Sector 50. It will be<br />
open from September 8th 2015 (Swami Sivananda’s birthday). We com -<br />
pleted the flooring <strong>of</strong> the entrance starting from the main gate to the<br />
back rooms.<br />
www.sivananda.org/delhi/home.php<br />
NEW YORK, USA<br />
Sivananda <strong>Yoga</strong> Vedanta Centre<br />
inspiration. After this, many more guest speakers have been infusing our<br />
evening public satsangs with a lot <strong>of</strong> inspiration on different topics<br />
related to our yogic practices.<br />
www.sivananda.org/ny<br />
REITH, TYROL, AUSTRIA<br />
Sivananda <strong>Yoga</strong> Retreat House<br />
<strong>The</strong> summer <strong>of</strong> 2015 was<br />
exceptionally long and warm<br />
and we spent all our time<br />
outside, be it for yoga classes<br />
and lectures on the cedar<br />
platform, relaxing on the<br />
Ganesha platform, tending to<br />
our ever flourishing garden or<br />
taking silent walks in nature.<br />
<strong>The</strong> weather also provided the<br />
perfect conditions for our most popular programme, <strong>Yoga</strong> and Mountain<br />
Magic. Amidst the clear skies, the vast views <strong>of</strong> the mountains are breathtaking<br />
and the mountain meadows were in bloom with an array <strong>of</strong> colourful<br />
mountain flowers until the end <strong>of</strong> August.<br />
We were very blessed to learn from several very dedicated and knowledge -<br />
able teachers. Most fascinating was the way the ancient and the new<br />
were woven together like a fine tapestry. This included ancient knowledge,<br />
like the vast science <strong>of</strong> Ayurveda or contemplations from the Raja <strong>Yoga</strong><br />
Sutras on what true freedom means. <strong>The</strong> Bhagavata Saptaha presenting<br />
the teachings <strong>of</strong> wisdom <strong>of</strong> the Srimad Bhagavatam encased in elevating<br />
sound structures. <strong>The</strong> study <strong>of</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong>, Mind and Brain then showed that<br />
one can directly change the structure <strong>of</strong> our brain through yoga practices<br />
<strong>of</strong> asanas, pranayama and meditation.<br />
If we learned one valuable lesson this summer it is this, that yoga<br />
is a living entity never losing its roots but always willing to grow.<br />
www.sivananda.org/tyrol<br />
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA<br />
Sivananda <strong>Yoga</strong> Vedanta Centre<br />
<strong>The</strong> reception area received a new face-lift<br />
With the grace <strong>of</strong> Master and Swamiji the attendance <strong>of</strong> classes has been<br />
building up well this year. Special classes like deaf yoga, gentle yoga,<br />
pregnancy and advanced asanas keep building up a solid attendance.<br />
This summer season has been very busy at the Centre. Karma yogis have<br />
been working hard on backyard renovations. We continue in our efforts<br />
to freshen up the appearance <strong>of</strong> the Centre and this year our main focus<br />
has been on our boutique, which has now been re-stocked with many<br />
new items. Our reception area also received a face-lift with the addition<br />
<strong>of</strong> some comfortable seating which has already proved very popular with<br />
students and visitors.<br />
In the month <strong>of</strong> July we started to receive a wave <strong>of</strong> special visitors<br />
coming to stay at the Centre. We first welcomed a big group <strong>of</strong> senior<br />
staff from the Bahamas led by Swami Swaroopananda. Swamiji gave a<br />
satsang which was as usual full <strong>of</strong> energy, great humour and a lot <strong>of</strong><br />
After 27 years on Arguello<br />
Boulevard in a rented building,<br />
by the grace <strong>of</strong> guru, the San<br />
Francisco SYVC was blessed to<br />
find a new permanent home<br />
in the Outer Sunset area <strong>of</strong> San<br />
Francisco, one block from Stern<br />
Grove park, 1.5 miles to the<br />
beach (visible from the front door) and 3 miles from the former location.<br />
<strong>The</strong> large, 800 square foot main <strong>Yoga</strong> room and temple with its red oak<br />
floor accommodates all sizes <strong>of</strong> yoga classes and workshops and <strong>of</strong>fers<br />
a warm ambiance for ceremonies, Satsangs and concerts. During the May<br />
2015 Grand Re-Opening with Swami Vasishtananda’s vastu and guru<br />
pujas, Swami Sitaramananda and current director Sankari Chaitanya<br />
reminded us all how this is one <strong>of</strong> the oldest yoga Centres in this yoga<br />
city and that it is a historical Centre as Swami Vishnudevanandaji set foot<br />
in San Francisco in 1957 to start his mission in the west! All are welcome<br />
to visit. Residential facilities are limited.<br />
www.sivanandasf.org<br />
YOGALife |Autumn/Winter 2015 73