We are happy to share this article in September´s Yoga Journal issue.
Om Namo Narayanaya
We are happy to share this article in September´s Yoga Journal issue.
Om Namo Narayanaya
This year, the International Day of Yoga at United Nations is based around the topic of Sustainability.
Yoga is right living. We practice yoga not only to become healthier in body and mind, but that we may live in peace and harmony with nature and all of our relationships. The teachings of all the classical Indian scriptures: of the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, are scriptures honoring nature and a life connected and supporting both the unity and the diversity of Life. The teachings of our gurus, Swami Vishnudevananda and Swami Sivananda offer a disciplined path to the “Yoga Life” or the “Divine Life”, a life of Dharma.
United Nations Headquarters June 20th and 21st, 2019
Om Namah Sivaya,
We celebrated the 5th International Day of Yoga with a Yoga class taught by different teachers of different traditions on June 20th and a panel discussion on June 21st at the United Nations Headquarter in NYC.
For the preparation of the events we created online forms for registration, getting 792 registrations for the Yoga class event. Staff, TTC students and guests from the Ashram joined the event, as well as Karma Yogis from the center. In total 74 Karma Yogis were present during the event.
United Nations Headquarters June 20th, 2019
Due to rain on June 20th the Yoga class event was moved inside the building and took place for the first time in the General Assembly Hall of the UN. This marks the first time in history that asanas were practiced inside the General Assembly Hall of the UN. The Sivananda Organizations contribution to the event on the 20th of June was a 20 minutes Asana class taught by Swami Paramananda, out of which the first 10 minutes were a demonstration of the Sivananda practice.
This year, the International Day of Yoga at United Nations is based around the topic of Sustainability.
Yoga is right living. We practice yoga not only to become healthier in body and mind, but that we may live in peace and harmony with nature and all of our relationships. The teachings of all the classical Indian scriptures: of the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, are scriptures honoring nature and a life connected and supporting both the unity and the diversity of Life. The teachings of our gurus, Swami Vishnudevananda and Swami Sivananda offer a disciplined path to the “Yoga Life” or the “Divine Life”, a life of Dharma.
These twenty instructions contain the very essence of all Yoga Sadhana, Karma, Bhakti, Jnana and Yoga will all come to one who follows them whole-heartedly. They are the unfailing keys to quick and effective development and culture of the physical, mental, moral and spiritual self of man.
We are coming into a very special time of year, with the approach of Autumn and of Navaratri, the Festival of the Divine Mother. This festival provides a sacred space for reflection, worship, chanting of devotional songs and hymns, and readings from Devi Mahatmyam, the epic story of the Divine Mother.
It has been an amazing 60 years since Swami Vishnudevananda headed west from the Rishikesh Divine Life Society Ashram under the direct guidance of his guru Swami Sivananda. It is a different world from the one in 1957, both by grace of the balancing effects of the Yoga renaissance and in spite of it.
This Life is an opportunity to work through our karma. Everyone has challenges in life. In fact, character is defined by the way we meet our challenges. The ultimate question is, “To be, or not to be!” in the midst of those challenges. When we need help who do we go to? – A busy person who is skillful in dealing with challenges.
As we look forward to the celebration of Maha Sivaratri on February 24th, we can gain a lot of inspiration from the study of Lord Siva’s stories and symbolism, through which He teaches us the philosophy and practices to find equanimity in turbulent times and to hold the space for peace in our daily lives.
Om Namah Sivaya,
Srinivasan’s article on the yamas and niyamas, published in the most recent edition of YOGAlife serves as an inspiring summary of the ethical foundations of yoga, and why they are so important in helping us fulfill both our daily duties and highest life goals, to the very best of our abilities.
Here at the Ranch, daily interactions serve as a constant reminder that living with integrity and serving with humility are not only ideals to strive towards, they are a necessary and central part of our practice.