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$5 Canada $3.50 US £2.50 UK 3.70 € Europe Summer 2009 H EAC E R S ’ T T G A R O A I Y N I A N D G N A C O N A U R V I S S E 1 9 9 6 9 - 2 0 0 SPECIAL FEATURE Celebrating Forty Years of Sivananda Yoga Teachers’ Training Courses Page 10 Thought Power Swami Sivananda Prana as Electricity Swami Vishnudevananda Connect to your Inner Divinity Swami Durgananda Benefits of the 12 Basic Postures Swami Sivadasananda SERVE • LOVE • GIVE • PURIFY • MEDIT ATE • REAL I Z E Imagine… a haven of peace in the midst of vast open spaces, ancient forests with century old trees, breathtaking sunrises and sunsets… just one hour from Paris Yoga Vacation all year round Sadhana Intensive for from 38 ? per nightnight TTC graduates Yoga Teachers' TrainingTraining CoursesCourses Aug 7 – 22, 2010 July 3 – August 1st Diploma Course:Course: and August 22 –– 30,30, 2009 Yoga and stress management International guest speakers diploma course Yoga psychology course Further training courses August 14 – 21, 2009 for yoga teachers Château du Yoga Sivananda 26 Impasse du Bignon, 45170 Neuville aux Bois Fax: +33 (0) 2 38 9118 09 email: [email protected] Est 1957 Tel: +33 (0)2 38 91 88 82 www.sivananda.org/orleans Swami Sivananda Swami Vishnudevananda (1887-1963) (1927-1993) 4 YOGALife I Summer 2009 Editor’s letter International Welcome... Sivananda Yoga e are celebrating this year 40 years of Sivananda Teachers’ Training Courses (TTC). Swami Vishnudevananda Wtaught the first TTC at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Vedanta Centres Camp, Val Morin, Quebec in 1969. Since then over 23,000 people have taken the course. Over the years, we have received Swami Sivananda (1887-1963) thousands of testimonies from students eager to express their The spiritual strength behind the gratitude for this life changing experience. A few recent Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, testimonies are included in this issue. The course will be taught Swami Sivananda’s teachings are a for the first time in Italy this year. synthesis of all the formal doctrines of yoga. Author of more than 300 We have been putting quite some energy this year into books on yoga, Swami Sivananda book printing: Swamiji’s commentary on the Hatha Yoga was a medical doctor before Pradipika has been reprinted – see the article “prana as renouncing worldly life for the electricity”; the new book Swami Vishnudevananda Upadesha spiritual path. He founded the has been printed. We included some inspiring excerpts in this Divine Life Society and the Yoga- issue. We are also working on a new book on Hatha Yoga, Vedanta Forest Academy, Rishikesh, which will be printed shortly in England by Dorling Kindersley. Himalayas. His main message was: Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise. In 1957 he sent one of his foremost Thanks to the untiring volunteer work done at the disciples, Swami Vishnudevananda to the West to spread the ideals of yoga. Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp, over 3,000 recordings have Swami Sivananda entered Mahasamadhi on July 14th 1963. been transferred from cassette tapes to mp3-format. We need Swami Vishnudevananda help to organise this precious legacy to make it available (1927-1993) to all – see the article on how you can help on page 25. Born in South India in 1927, Swami Vishnudevananda entered Swami Durgananda’s article provides wonderful inspiration the ashram of Swami Sivananda on how to reconnect with our divinity, while Swami at the age of 18. A world famous Sivadasananda’s article on the 12 basic asanas reminds us authority on Hatha and Raja Yoga, of the logic behind this powerful sequence. Swami Vishnudevananda founded the International Sivananda Yoga We also wanted to put emphasis on the power of the mind Vedanta Centres in 1957 and was in this issue – Dr Shastri is sharing his rich knowledge of the author of The Complete Illustrated vedic tradition in his article on improving memory and Book of Yoga, Meditation and concentration in the gurukula tradition. Mantras, Karma and Disease and a commentary on the Finally, we would like to acknowledge in this issue the great Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Swami Vishnudevananda entered Mahasamadhi spiritual work done by inspired souls in various parts of the on November 9th, 1993. world: the great work of Dr. Marilyn and Dr. John Rossner, both close disciples of Swami Vishnudevananda, in inter-religious The Executive Board and intercultural understanding for world peace; the wonderful The Executive Board of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres is comprised of work of Gopala and a whole team of karma yogis in Spain and senior disciples of Swami Vishnudevananda, personally chosen and trained by him South America with the translation of the books of Swami to direct the organisation after his departure. Each of them has had many years’ Sivananda into Spanish, and last but not least, we would like experience in teaching all aspects of yoga. They are renowned for their devotion to pay a special tribute to Swami Neeladevananda, who left to Swami Vishnu-devananda and Swami Sivananda and for their profound her body last year at age 89. Her total devotion to her teacher, knowledge and inspirational teaching and guidance, wisdom imparted to many Swami Vishnudevananda, will remain a source of great thousands of students throughout the world. inspiration for many generations of spiritual seekers to come. Swami Mahadevananda Swami Durgananda Swami Swaroopananda Swami Sivadasananda We hope you enjoy this issue. Srinivasan Swami Kailasananda Om Shanti, HEADQUARTERS The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta SIVANANDA ASHRAM YOGA CAMP Centre, London Eighth Avenue, Val Morin, Quebec, Canada JOT 2RO Tel: +1 819 322 3226 email: [email protected] With ashrams and centres located around the world see page 58 for addresses Est 1957 The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, founded by Swami Vishnudevananda is a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to propagate the teachings of yoga and vedanta as a Cover Photo: means of achieving physical, mental and spiritual well-being and Swami Vishnudevananda gives Self-realisation. out books and uniforms during a Teachers’ Training Course inauguration YOGALife I Summer 2009 5 International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres Europe Yoga Teachers’ Training Course Ustka, Baltic Sea, Poland August 29 – September 27, 2009 • Fully certificated four-week intensive course • International guest speakers • Taught in English, Polish, Lithuanian, Russian Yoga Vacation Programme A Yoga Vacation programme will be held at the same time as the Teachers’ Training Course. Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre Berlin Tel. 030/ 85 99 97 98 Schmiljanstr. 24 (U9 Friedrich-Wilhelm-Platz) • 12161 Berlin Fax: 030/ 85 99 97 98 · E-Mail: [email protected] www.sivananda.org/berlin 6 YOGALife I Summer 2009 Contents SIVANANDA Thought Power 8 "Thought makes man. Man makes civilisation." Swami Sivananda explains how the power of positive thought can help develop a 'New civilisation'. Celebrating 40 years of Sivananda Teachers’ 10 Training Courses In this issue of Yoga Life we look back at how and why the course was started. With personal experiences of some past graduates of the course. Teachings of Swami Vishnudevananda 16 Excerpts from the newly published book, Vishnudevananda Upadesha Prana as Electricity 18 An excerpt from the newly reprinted commentary on the Hatha Yoga Pradhipika by Swami Vishnudevananda 10 Connect to your Inner Divinity 22 Swami Durganananda talks about the fundamental problems of human life and the necessity of developing a spiritual orientation. Life and Teachings of Swami Vishnudevananda 25 in audio files… Find out how you can help in this Karma Yoga Project to make Swami Vishnudevananda’s precious archive material available to all. 18 A Tribute to Ruby Blue – Swami Neeladevananda 26 We remember one of Swami Vishnudevananda’s dearest and closest disciples. The Living Evolution 27 An Interview with Ruby Blue, Swami Neeladevananda. The logic behind the sequence of the 32 12 Basic Postures Swami Sivadasananda takes an in-depth look at the benefits of the 12 Basic Postures. ’Swamiji’ 38 Dr Marilyn Rossner talks about Swami Vishnudevananda. The Training of Memory and Concentration 42 in the Gurukula Tradition By Dr H V Satyanarayana Sastry. Being Staff 44 Lakshmana, staff member at the Sivananda Yoga Centre in Paris, gives a personal account of what joining staff has meant for him. The Power of a Smile 48 “I still remember the first time I met Swami Vishnudevananda in 1974. I remember above all his first smile.” Gopala remembers Swami Vishnudevananda. 51 Elephant Ride A tribute to the humility, compassion and wisdom of Elephants. 32 Sivananda Ashram and Centre News 52 Updates on new developments in Ashrams and Centres around the world. Kumbha Mela 54 The background behind this most auspicious and sacred festival. New Trivandrum Centre Opens 56 The inauguration of the new Sivananda Yoga Centre in Trivandrum Kerala, 51 South India, by the Maharaja of Travancore. Prison Project News 57 Swami Padmapadananda updates us on the latest Prison Project news. Sivananda Ashram and Centre Addresses 58 A listing of Sivananda Ashrams, Centres and teachers worldwide. Inter-Religious and Inter-Cultural Understanding 60 Father John Rossner, founder of the International Institute of Integral Human Sciences, talks about its aims and objectives. YOGALife I Summer 2009 7 “Flood the brain with healthy thoughts, ideas and ideals.” – Swami Sivananda 8 YOGALife I Summer 2009 Thought Power Thought Power and the conditions for a New Civilisation an extract from Thought Power by Swami Sivananda Thought makes man. Man makes The man who commits murder, civilisation. There is a powerful the man who steals your purse, thought-force behind every great the man who cheats you – the law event in life and in the history punishes him.