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Understanding Prana

So, you have to learn five things about prana. The first thing is how to increase prana. Like money: how to make more money, how to increase it. But then, how to conserve it, how to keep the money in savings. You can have a lot of prana, but you can spend it in a moment. So, you are here for four weeks. Basically, you increase your prana. Then you store your prana. That’s why, on the day off, we tell you to pay attention, because you can increase your prana for one week, and then you go out for a few hours and spend it all. So, not only increasing prana but a

The Power of Kirtan: Why We Chant and How It Changes Us

Why Do We Chant Kirtan? Chanting kirtan is a devotional practice that helps to uplift the mind, open the heart and bring inner peace. It is the fastest, easiest and most joyful way to achieve peace of mind. The mantras are mystical universal sounds that resonate with our chakras and remove negative energies. So, it is important that we chant so that we can benefit from this powerful healing energy. It is not about our ego or our self, but it is about chanting the name and the glories of God. We ne

How Asana and Pranayama Support Physical Health and Mental Well-Being

In today’s fast-moving world, stress, anxiety, poor posture, fatigue, and emotional imbalance have become increasingly common. Many people search for natural methods to improve both physical health and mental well-being. Among the most effective holistic practices are Asana and Pranayama, two essential components of the yogic tradition. According to the Sivananda tradition, yoga is not merely physical exercise. It is a complete lifestyle system designed to harmonize the body, mind, and spirit. Founded on the teachings of Swami Sivananda and expanded globally by Swami Vishnudevanand

Role of Yoga Teacher in Time of COVID-19

Yoga Teachers as Leaders in Times of Need The Role of Yoga Teachers As Sivananda Yoga teachers, it is important that we come together with a shared sense of purpose. In times of crisis, we are called to be leaders, to support others, and to offer guidance through yogic wisdom. Today’s focus is how we can help people during difficult times. If you have not yet read the article “Self-Quarantine or Yogic Turning Inward: How to Live with Yourself and Be Happy and Healthy,” please do so. It contains many teachings that can help you guide others in your

Prana, Thoughts, Emotions and Immunity

Prana: The Key to Health, Happiness, and Inner Vitality Happiness, health, and knowledge all require energy. In Yogic science, this energy is called prana—the vital life force that sustains life. A lack of prana leads to depression, stress, and darkness. Especially in times of crisis such as a pandemic, understanding how to increase, conserve, and purify prana becomes essential for maintaining well-being and preventing disease. What is Prana? Prana is the life force that animates the body and mind. When prana leaves

Yoga of Relationships in the time of COVID 19 crisis

How to Be with Yourself and Be Happy This teaching explores how to remain happy and centered within oneself regardless of external conditions—whether in isolation, relationships, or community life. Through Yoga, we learn to transform negative emotional patterns into selfless love and uplift our relationships into a spiritual path. Why Practice the Yoga of Relationships? In relationships, we seek constant love yet experience unmet needs, conflict, and emotional instability. The core challenge lies in reconciling the relationship betwe

From Karma to Dharma – how to turn karmic situation to your life mission

The Meaning of Life through Karma and Dharma This talk explores how to bring meaning to life regardless of circumstances, especially during times of crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic. In such moments, we are called to step back, realign, and rediscover deeper dimensions of ourselves. Understanding the concepts of Karma (action and its consequences) and Dharma (right living and duty) helps us see the bigger picture of our existence and respond to life with wisdom. What is Karma? Karma is the law of

Renewals and choices in time of transition – how to turn adversity to opportunity

Life as a Journey of Conscious Renewal and Self-TransformationOn the occasion of Easter—a symbol of renewal, awakening, and eternal life—we are reminded of our infinite potential, inner resources, and the enduring power of love. This sacred time invites us to reflect on the true purpose of life.As Swami Sivananda taught, the goal of life is to return to our Source, just as rivers flow restlessly until they merge with the ocean. In the same way, we remain restless until we rediscover the peace of our True Self within.Life is not static—it is a continuous journey of tra

Yoga Guidelines for conscious self healing and healing of the Earth

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Fear, Stress, Anxiety or Faith – How to Maintain Mental Health in Times of Epidemic

Healing Emotionally to Heal Physically We will address the question step by step in 4 points keeping in mind the need for prevention of disease due to poor immune system impacted by negative emotions, and the need for healing emotionally in order to heal physically. First, we need to understand all facets of fear, stress, and anxiety: What are the causes of fear? Some Yogic methods for dealing with fear. Cultivating faith to dispel fear and anxiety. What is Fear? Fear is a very strong primitive emoti

Breathe and relax! Live in the world and out of the world!

Breathe and Relax: A Satsang on Health and Freedom 05/10/2020 - A satsang online with Swami Sitaramananda Preparation The topic of today is highly philosophical, yet practical. It is essential to understand it so we know what to do to be healthy and free. Please be ready during this presentation to be able to do 6 practical breathing and relaxation lessons. Make sure you have space to lie down, and that your room be ventilated. Lie down in Savasana posture and learn to breathe abdominally, without pillow or with pillow. Get a pillo

Yoga guidelines for thinking and feeling

You Are What You Think: Navigating the 3 Levels of Mind When I told this topic to people, people shook their heads, laughed, and wheeled their fingers around by their temples showing signs that they are not understanding why "you are what you think" and "you are not what you think." During this webinar we will: Understand what thought is, and how it works Breathe, relax, and visualize the Self Explore the 3 levels of mind – how to move from lower mind to higher mind Practice the conversion of thoughts Practice cult

Self-quarantine or Yogic turning inwards – How to live with yourself and be happy and healthy

Self Enquiry: a meditation method to make you feel stronger in time of COVID 19

Gaining Self Awareness

Gaining Self Awareness by Swami Sitaramananda Why is Self awareness important? Spiritual insights go beyond the workings of the mind and intellect. The function of self awareness is fundamental for healing. Begin with

How to Meditate for Beginners

How to Meditate for Beginners by Swami Vishnudevananda Now just for a few minutes, dive deep into that silence. Hear the silence, see the silence, taste, smell, and touch the silence. The last moment of your life, you’ll hear that beautiful silence, that melody of your soul, the sound of your own soul, the music of your soul. That Godhead, that peace will come to you. You will leave your body with full awareness and peace and shanti. Now dive deep. Hear the eternal sound of Om in silence, and we’ll keep silence just for a few minutes, just a few

Learn to Focus with Yoga Psychology

Learn to Focus with Yoga Psychology by Swami Sitaramananda 8 SEPTEMBER, 2018 Yoga psychology analyzes different mental states to find ways to overcome the distracted mind and learn to focus. If we can do this it will lead to peace, bliss, and true freedom. Yoga psychology understands that the mind is only our instrument of perception and it is not ultimately our-self. Therefore, improving the quality of the instrument of perception will improve our outlook on ourselves and the world around us. Therefore, this will ultimately lead to a clearer

Benefits of the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course

Benefits of the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course by Swami Sitaramananda 1 SEPTEMBER, 2018 This is why Sivananda Yoga TTC is so popular, because it is serious and demands from us commitment. Sivananda Yoga TTC is a month-long practice of holistic Yoga Life experiencing Yoga as Body-Mind-Spirit Union. Only then does true transformation and Self growth have a chance to appear. Q: Why is the immersion course four weeks long? A: If we are learning Yoga techniques alongside our life like a weekend course for e

The Deeper Path of Yoga Healing

The Deeper Path of Yoga Healing by Swami Sitaramananda 24 AUGUST, 2018 Swami Sivananda tells us that we are author of our own health and well-being. We often fail to realize that physical health depends on mental health. As a matter of fact, we tending to view our physical ailments as something happening to us from the outside, and often suddenly. In fact, disease is frequently a wakeup call, a lesson about ourselves and an opportunity for self-transformation. Traumatic events or difficult karmic situations are often hidden and untold, leading to

The Science of Relaxation

The Science of Relaxation by Swami Sitaramananda 17 AUGUST, 2018 Sivananda yoga teaches us the art and science of relaxation so we can be calm and poised in all of life’s ups and downs. The struggle for existence is all around us. There is competition and stress in every walk of life. This problem has become very difficult. There is unemployment everywhere. Brilliant young people with good education can hardly get a job these days. A great deal of mental and physical strain is imposed on modern people by daily stress and and unhealthy life style.

Suffering Can Be Our Greatest Teacher

Suffering Can Be Our Greatest Teacher by Swami Sitaramananda Yoga is a scientific method to alleviate suffering and help people find the Truth and Essence in the teachings of all religions. Understanding Emotions Emotions are a major cause of human suffering and are the root causes of many kinds of diseases. Emotions come from deep samskaras (imprints in the mind). The mind carries these emotional grooves and habits. Some examples are:

Video – Yoga for Health and Healing

Sivananda Yoga: Health Educator Training – Documentary film by Benoy K Behl A landmark event in the field of Yoga and of Health Management is the founding of the Sivananda Institute of Health and Yoga in Califo

How Hatha Yoga Heals

How Hatha Yoga Heals: Asana practice wakes tamas, calms down rajas and nourishes sattwa by Swami Sitaramananda For healing of the whole being – body, mind and spirit, the energy must be flowing, and the mind calm so that True Spirit that is the intelligence governing the body and mind be revealed. When you practice asanas the classical Yoga way, you hold the postures. Asana is a steady pose. By holding the postures, you calm the rajas down and increase the sattwa; in other words, you become more content and introverted, and c

Your Mind is Your Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy

Observe the Mind You are the observer of the mind. You are the witness of the mind. The mind is not you. It is your instrument. It is your tool. It is like when you drive a car. You don’t say the car is me. The car is a tool. You can stop it, you can start it , you can park it, and you can leave it alone. Observe the mind. How to do it: you realize that the mind functions in a certain way. So you have to learn about the mechanics of the mind, how the mind works. Here is an article on 5 Practices t

How to Progress Towards Peace of Mind

Restless pursuit of happiness Peace of mind is difficult to attain because our minds are always changing. We restlessly pursue happiness outside of ourselves, preoccupied with our own self-interests, egoistic ambitions and opinions. Caught up in this cycle of seeking fulfillment everywhere but within, we fail to perceive or remember our true nature, which is already Blissful and Perfect. Qualities of nature The formula is simple and can be described as a way of working with the three gunas or qualities of nature: 1) break through the tamas or darkness; 2) calm down

The Importance of Practicing Hatha Yoga Every Day

The first thing we teach you when you come to yoga is that you are not the body. That’s the first thing. It is not the last thing. It is the first thing. We teach you that you need to take care of the body but you are not the body. That is the principle underlying in the asanas, because you cannot really do the asanas if you are not mastering the body, if you are not able to tell the body to do what you need it to do. When you do the asanas you have to be able to tell the body “I want you to hold this for three seconds”, “I want you to move to the r

Yoga Life and Self Transformation by filmmaker Benoy K. Behl

Yoga Life and Self Transformation a film by Benoy Behl An Ancient Path to Health and Happiness We live amidst much turmoil and confusion in the modern world. The state of mental and physical health has deteriorated considerably. It is estimated that in Europe 70% of all costs in the health system are because of chronic diseases like diabetes, health ailments, hypertension and osteoarthritis. There are hardly any perm

Understanding Why We need to Meditate and the Benefits

“Meditation is the ‘cessation of mental activities.’ When your thoughs reduce by just 20 percent, you will experience relief and a self of self-control.” – Swami Sivananda Meditation lies at the heart of any yoga practice. Once you feel comfortable practicing the asanas and breathing exercises, you will feel more relaxed in your body. Then, it will seem like a natural step to pay more attention to your mind by practicing meditation. This brings about greater mental and emotional balance and, eventually, inner peace. Physical benefits

What is the best method of meditation?

What is the best method of meditation, e.g. best timing, duration, breathing, concentration, etc.? Swami Vishnu-devananda would say that it is not possible to teach someone how to meditate, any more than it is possible to teach them how to sleep. Sleep overtakes us only when we detach our mind from its concerns. Meditation also cannot be forced, but unlike sleep, it is a conscious state. To attain this state of relaxed awareness we need to prepare ourselves, and there are several steps that will help us. It is important to reiterate that meditation is a process

The Sacred Role of a Yoga Teacher

People come to yoga because of stress People come to Yoga because of stress or stress-related diseases, which come from too much involvement with their life. Yoga teachers are not doctors, but we can help people to go to the root cause of their diseases and heal in a deeper way. Even though you are just helping people to breathe, relax and do gentle movement following the asana sequence, it is very important. Sometimes Yoga teachers feel that they have nothing to offer and that they need to have more medical knowledge. But they simply need to trust that by helping people reg

20 Lessons On Karma

● Karma is action and consequence of action. Action comes from past wrong thoughts or emotions. ● Thoughts repeat themselves, either right or wrong thoughts. ● Karmas repeat themselves; we call them karmic patterns. ● These wrong thoughts or selfish thoughts are like karmic seeds. ● Karmic seeds produce trees. ● The seed of the banana tree creates the banana tree and the apple seed grows into the apple tree. This means that life unfolds exactly according to what we need to experience. ● There are no accidents. Everything happe

Karma Yoga: Why and How to be Selfless

Life is a school. Just as in a school, if you do not pass the exam, you will have to repeat the class; so also, if you do not learn your karmic lessons, you have to repeat the experience again and again until you understand, class after class, until you graduate. The graduated souls are the teachers who guide us, like Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnu-devananda. These people have finished their Karma; they have learned their lessons. You have to experience in order to learn. Karma is our specific lessons, and we take on this body and mind with this particular situation an

Sivananda Yoga is Holistic Yoga

So the topic we mentioned this morning, we start to explore this topic this weekend about Holistic Yoga and what that means, ok? So we mentioned about that the equivalent of Holistic Medicine This word I hear from a Dr. the MD of Doctors who is using Yoga for Yoga Therapy and I like this word, because I thought for a long time of words that represent what we are teaching. In our yoga guidelines you would see that they use the words classical yoga or Sivananda yoga to describe us. The words Sivananda Yoga has been used a lot, and we identify ourself to be Sivananda Yoga and it will refer to,

27 Yoga Tips to Deal With Stress

Modern Life is full of stress and strains and demands on our system. Stress comes from the inability or difficulty to adapt due to habits, ego, attachments and fears. Stress can also be the result of not having enough Prana (energy) to cope with the demands or pressure. When we are stressed, we develop negative feelings and lose even more Prana. It can snowball into a big problem. Here are a few tips to unblock energy and turn around the stress drain: Breathe consciously and rhythmically; inhale to the count of three, exhale to the count of three. This will synchronize y

9 Ways to Practice Bhakti Yoga in Daily Life

Bhakti Yoga is the branch of yoga that focuses on devotion and devotional practices. God is love and love is God. Bhakti yoga uses our fundamental emotional relationships and sublimates them into pure, selfless, divine love. There are 9 traditional ways to sublimate emotions to devotion, overcome egoism, and realize God according to the teachings of Bhakti Yoga. These methods can be applied in our relationships with others: Listen to inspiring divine stories – Develop the capacity to listen to others without judgment. Be honest in what you say about yourself. Sing God’

5 Things to Do with our Prana Energy

Do you know what prana is? The most important practice of Yoga is to observe your level of prana and to recognize pranic energy in your life. Prana is Vital Energy. We all want energy to live. We want to feel alive. If we don’t have energy, we feel dead. Energy is everywhere. It is a universal life force. It is Nature’s gift. It’s everywhere. It is provided to us all the time in abundance. Then why is it that sometimes we don’t have prana? How to understand prana? Increase

10 Ways to Overcome Negative Emotions

Today we will talk about positive thinking. Choose from the words written on the board. Which negative emotions would you like to eradicate? Fear, procrastination, tired, anxiety, jealousy, attachment, brooding. I would say fear and anxiety, anxiety is also fear but you don’t know what you are afraid of. Fear is stronger so you know what it is. Anxiety is fear but you don’t know why. Frustration and resentment are both form of anger. Indecisiveness and procrastination are one. It is a difficulty to take decision and to act upon on what

Understanding Prana Life Force Energy – Satsang with Swami Sita

Swami Sita: Can you tell me which one of your nostrils is working without checking? Satsang students: the right, the left, the right. Swami Sita: Who has both nostrils working? You have to check your nostrils all the time to know how your energy is. When both work then you are able to meditate. The breath, the energy, and the pranic flow corresponds to your thoughts. So if you are always blocked you can already deduce that something is wrong. So you have to endeavor to correct it, it may take some time due to impurities or some kind of blockage in the mind or the emotions. S

Overcoming Distraction And Restlessness

Q. What do I do when my mind is distracted? A. When the mind is distracted, it will bounce randomly from thought to thought and object to object. You will feel restless. Most of the time our minds are like this. The yogic advice in order to bring back focus and peace is to practice Yoga asanas but also to focus on a mantra when you will coach the thoughts to come back to the mantra from wherever they stray. As we repeat the mantra, we create a new groove for the mind, and as we repeat it, gradually the mind becomes strong and more focused. Through this singularity of focus, we build

Yogic Guidelines For Good Conduct

Yogic Guidelines for Good Conduct by Swami Sitaramananda When we drive in the traffic, we expect everyone to follow the rules of traffic, driving on the proper side of the road and observing traffic signals. We would not think, “I am the special one that doesn’t have to follow rules, only others have to, not me.” Separation causes suffering Why then, do people so often disobey basic guidelines of good conduct? Our breaking of ethical laws and failure to follow guidelines of conduct comes from our idea

Self Awareness and Intuition

Most people only talk about their body and mind because that’s all that they can handle. They forget about the spirit. However, it’s actually the spirit that is the most important thing because it comes before everything else. The mind comes from the spirit and the body comes from the mind. Subconscious Mind The subconscious mind,or lower mind, makes up a huge part of our total mind. What that means, is that emotions and desires almost totally govern most people’s lives. Before you develop self-awareness, you’re helpless and at the mercy of your subconsciou

Jaya Ganesha Daily Chants Meaning

Daily Kirtans Jaya Gaṇeśa Jaya Gaṇeśa jaya Gaṇeśa jaya Gaṇeśa pāhimām Śrī Gaṇeśa śrī Gaṇeśa śrī Gaṇeśa rakṣamām Victory (jaya) to Lord Gaṇeśa, save me (pāhi mam) Oh holy (śrī) Gaṇeśa, protect me (rakṣa mam) ‘Jaya’, victory to Lord Gaṇeśa (the elephant headed deity). Dear Ganesha, Lord of Auspiciousness (śrī), please save and protect us from all obstacles. ‘Pāhi mām’