YOGALife I Summer 2010 - Sivananda Yoga
YOGALife I Summer 2010 - Sivananda Yoga
YOGALife I Summer 2010 - Sivananda Yoga
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International<br />
<strong>Sivananda</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong><br />
Vedanta Centres<br />
Swami <strong>Sivananda</strong> (1887-1963)<br />
The spiritual strength behind the<br />
<strong>Sivananda</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Vedanta Centres,<br />
Swami <strong>Sivananda</strong>’s teachings are a<br />
synthesis of all the formal doctrines<br />
of yoga. Author of more than 300<br />
books on yoga, Swami <strong>Sivananda</strong><br />
was a medical doctor before<br />
renouncing worldly life for the<br />
spiritual path. He founded the<br />
Divine Life Society and the <strong>Yoga</strong>-<br />
Vedanta Forest Academy, Rishikesh,<br />
Himalayas. His main message was:<br />
Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise. In 1957 he sent one of his foremost<br />
disciples, Swami Vishnudevananda to the West to spread the ideals of yoga.<br />
Swami <strong>Sivananda</strong> entered Mahasamadhi on July 14th 1963.<br />
Swami Vishnudevananda (1927-1993)<br />
Born in South India in 1927,<br />
Swami Vishnudevananda entered<br />
the ashram of Swami <strong>Sivananda</strong><br />
at the age of 18. A world famous<br />
authority on Hatha and Raja <strong>Yoga</strong>,<br />
Swami Vishnudevananda founded<br />
the International <strong>Sivananda</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong><br />
Vedanta Centres in 1957 and was<br />
author of The Complete Illustrated<br />
Book of <strong>Yoga</strong>, Meditation and<br />
Mantras, Karma and Disease<br />
and a commentary on the<br />
Hatha <strong>Yoga</strong> Pradipika. Swami Vishnudevananda entered Mahasamadhi<br />
on November 9th, 1993.<br />
The Executive Board<br />
The Executive Board of the <strong>Sivananda</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Vedanta Centres is comprised of<br />
senior disciples of Swami Vishnudevananda, personally chosen and trained by him<br />
to direct the organisation after his departure. Each of them has had many years’<br />
experience in teaching all aspects of yoga. They are renowned for their devotion<br />
to Swami Vishnu-devananda and Swami <strong>Sivananda</strong> and for their profound<br />
knowledge and inspirational teaching and guidance, wisdom imparted to many<br />
thousands of students throughout the world.<br />
Swami Mahadevananda<br />
Swami Swaroopananda<br />
Srinivasan<br />
Est 1957<br />
Swami Durgananda<br />
Swami Sivadasananda<br />
Swami Kailasananda<br />
HEADQUARTERS<br />
SIVANANDA ASHRAM YOGA CAMP<br />
Eighth Avenue, Val Morin, Quebec, Canada JOT 2RO<br />
Tel: +1 819 322 3226<br />
email: hq@sivananda.org<br />
With ashrams and centres located around the world<br />
see page 62 for addresses<br />
The International <strong>Sivananda</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Vedanta Centres, founded<br />
by Swami Vishnudevananda is a non-profit organisation whose<br />
purpose is to propagate the teachings of yoga and vedanta as a<br />
means of achieving physical, mental and spiritual well-being and<br />
Self-realisation.<br />
Welcome<br />
Editor’s Letter<br />
<strong>2010</strong> marked the year of the Kumbha Mela in Haridwar,<br />
North India. A group of close to 100 students from the<br />
European <strong>Sivananda</strong> Centres attended this very<br />
auspicious event, which brings together yogis, sadhus,<br />
spiritual teachers and aspirants from all traditions in a<br />
spirit of unity and diversity. The highlight of the day is<br />
the Ganga Arati at dawn, when devotees gather by the<br />
thousands to pay homage to Ganga, the symbol of the<br />
ever flowing consciousness. The energy of bhakti is so<br />
tangible at this time that one feels lifted out of body<br />
consciousness and connected with the divine presence.<br />
Here the words of Master <strong>Sivananda</strong>: “Ganga has<br />
consoled me, Ganga has nourished me, Ganga has<br />
taught me the truth of the Upanishads” resound in the<br />
mind with new meaning.<br />
Many of the students who joined the pilgrimage<br />
expressed how life transforming it has been for them.<br />
Swamiji Vishnudevananda’s main tools to establish<br />
unity in diversity on a large scale in the world, the TTC<br />
(Teachers’ Training Course) was carried to new horizons<br />
this year: for the first time ever, Swamiji’s teachings were<br />
successfully brought to Vietnam.<br />
For the first time also, the TTC was taught this spring<br />
in a city centre – in the heart of London. Much work had<br />
been done this year to turn the London Centre into a city<br />
Ashram, and the beaming faces of the students at the<br />
end of the 4 weeks was proof enough that the<br />
experience was very positive.<br />
The practice of asanas is becoming more mainstream<br />
by the day, with doctors and people in the medical<br />
field realizing its therapeutic value. The article on<br />
“<strong>Yoga</strong> for the heart” deals with some aspects of this fast<br />
developing field.<br />
The article of Dr Waldmann brings a wealth of scientific<br />
facts about the value of vegetarianism, which are a<br />
precious reference for students and yoga teachers alike.<br />
We wish you a fruitful summer and hope you will have<br />
to chance to visit one of the <strong>Sivananda</strong> Ashrams for rest<br />
and renewal!<br />
We hope you enjoy this issue.<br />
Om Shanti,<br />
The <strong>Sivananda</strong> <strong>Yoga</strong> Vedanta Centre, London<br />
<strong>YOGALife</strong> I <strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2010</strong> 5
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