YOGALife I Summer 2010 - Sivananda Yoga

In March 2010, seventy students from all over the
world came together in Vietnam to participate in the
first Teachers’ Training Course in Southeast Asia.
Over the month, the group was united as one and
all preconceptions and boundaries were broken
down – a profound example of the True World Order
of Swami Vishnudevananda.
cultural past of Vietnam. The foreign students who experienced traffic in the
bustling city of 8 million people and 4 million motorbikes saw how Vietnamese
people are able to keep their calm, even amongst the worst chaos. A visit to the
Cao Dai (a mixed religion of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism) temple
indicated the mixed influences in the history of the country and how the
Vietnamese are able to harmonize and respect each other even with so many
different religious beliefs.
There were two especially heartwarming events. The first was special yoga
lessons for the elderly yogi-volunteers, among them one old Vietnamese lady,
aged 84. She took yoga for the first time in her life, which was taught with love
and patience by the Vietnamese yoga teachers every morning at 8 o'clock. She
learned it so quickly that she must have been a yogi in a previous life. “I am so
happy”, she said. “Although yoga came so late in my life, I am so grateful”.
Second was hearing the young and earnest voices in Vietnamese, English,
Chinese and Japanese, as the students recited in their own language,
“O Adorable Lord of Mercy and Love, Salutations and Prostrations unto Thee.
Thou art Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient. Thou art Satchidananda”.
This brought tears to many eyes.
On the evening of the graduation a bright navy blue sky hung over the
ashram just before it turned dark, giving way to a spectacular thunderstorm
which, during the ceremony, was literally shaking the grounds. The winds blew
through the yoga hall, even opening up the wall behind the altar as the wind
came rushing in. Rain was pouring down after months of no rain at all. Everyone
saw this as an auspicious sign, a blessing and a goodbye from the elements.
This first TTC in Southeast Asia was a historical moment in more than one
way. It could not have been successful without the love and help of the Gurus
and the ancestors, Swami Sitaramananda, Swami Pranavananda, the Thanh Son
family in Vietnam and the love of all who came to Vietnam to participate with
teaching, translating and volunteering. The outpouring of gratitude from the
students at graduation showed that this initiative was more than a success
– it was a blessing.
It united the Vietnamese and Americans, the Japanese and Chinese, the
Dutch and Germans through Guru’s grace and vision. This was a true example
of Swami Vishnudevananda's teachings as we read in his Upadesa book: “Let us
not fight. Let us bring this message of TWO: world brotherhood”. He further said,
“If we can live peacefully, respecting other's wishes, other's religions and other’s
philosophies, and yet sticking to our own philosophy, our own religion, our faith,
our way of life, this is beauty. This is called Unity in Diversity”.
Dates for the next TTC in Cu Chi, Vietnam are February 6 – March 6, 2011
For enquiries: www.sivanandayogavietnam.org
YOGALife I Summer 2010 51