adventure, India, travel, yoga

Leap: Visiting the Sivananda Ashram in Delhi

Swami Sivananda

“There is something good in all seeming failures. You are not to see that now. Time will reveal it. Be patient.” ~ Swami Vishnudevananda, Founder of Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and disciple of Swami Sivananda

Of course while I’m in India, I’ll be soaking in some yoga classes and Ayurvedic treatments. My lovely friends, Nithya and Karthik, have made arrangements for me to meet Nithya’s uncle who is an elder at the Sivananda Ashram in Delhi. I am overwhelmed by their generosity and thoughtfulness to make this a part of my first experience in India. This is the exact ashram I wished to visit during my stay because of their devotion to spread yoga to all who wish to know it.

The Sivananda training system aims to retain the vitality of the body and decrease chance of disease by simply and naturally cultivating the body and mind of the practitioner. Sivananda Yoga class is a traditional, slow paced, meditative class that helps encourage proper breathing, flexibility, strength and vitality in the body while calming the mind. Because Yoga is a spiritual system with a physical component, this non-competitive approach helps the practitioner gain much more than just a healthy body. A typical open class includes pranayama (breathing exercises), warm-up including Sun Salutations, 12 basic asanas (yoga postures) with relaxation between postures, and finally, deep relaxation based on the 5 principles of Yoga. Total beginners are welcome, as are more advanced practitioners. The teacher will modify the postures to suit your level.

The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres is a non-profit organization named after Swami Sivananda of the Himalayas, one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the 20th century. It was founded in 1957 by his disciple Swami Vishnudevananda, a renowned authority on Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga. Its purpose is to propagate the ancient teachings of Yoga and Vedanta as a means of achieving physical, mental and spiritual well being and thereby create a more peaceful world. The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Nataraja Society, New Delhi was established in 1992 by Sri Swami Vishnudevananda.

The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre is a non-profit organisation run by voluntary staff and dedicated to the aim of disseminating the knowledge of yoga. The activities of all the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres take place through the practice of karma yoga (voluntary service). All talents are welcomed.

I'd love to know what you think of this post! Please leave a reply and I'll get back to you in a jiffy! ~ CRA

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