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2013 YOGA TEACHER TRAINING COURSES (TTC)

UPCOMING COURSES
May 17 - 22, 2013
Swami Brahmananda

May 23 - 26, 2013
Grace Van Berkum

May 23 - 27, 2013

May 24 - 26, 2013
Julie Lusk

May 24 - 26, 2013
Sita Chaitanya

May 27 - 31, 2013
Krishna Das

June 2 - 6, 2013
Manu Dawson

MAY 17 - 21
Bhakti Yoga Retreat
Radhanath Swami, Gaura Vani
MAY 17 - 21 &
JUNE 8 - 12 
Intermediate Yoga Course
FOUNDATION PROGRAM
Senior Staff of the Ashram
MAY 22 - 23
Vedanta in Daily Life
Swami Medhananda Puri
 
MAY 25 - JUNE 1
Global Young Leaders Forum
Elaine Valdov, Andrew Cunningham
MAY 26 - 29
MAY 28 - JUNE 1
Devotional Chant: An Interfaith Festival
Atmarama dasa, Siamak Nasr, Robert Micha'el Esformes, Bishop Trevor Williamson
JUNE 2 - 4
JUNE 3 - 7
Introduction to Sivananda Yoga: Level 1
Sylvie Boisclair (Saraswati)
JUNE 3 - 8
JUNE 7 - 9

JUNE 10 - 14

JUNE 14 - 18
Advanced Yoga Course
FOUNDATION PROGRAM
Senior Staff of the Ashram

JUNE 17 - 21
Aira Guevara (Rukmini) 

Greetings!

The changing seasons present the perfect opportunity to change your eating habits to discover a healthier, lighter and more pure body and spirit. Combine the practice of yoga with a nutrition training for optimal, long lasting results with a Yoga and Food Cleansing Retreat; discover the connection between digestion and emotions from leading Ayurveda Healer, Dr. John Douillard; or explore effective methods for facing common medical and nutrition challenges with Nutrition Therapist, Manu Dawson.

You are also welcome to break your mental boundaries by learning the art of Guided Imagery or immerse yourself in the creation of Sacred Art.

We are looking forward to greeting you at the Ashram.

Om Shanti. Om Peace.
Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas
Is There a Path of Yoga at Which No One Can Fail?
Swami Swaroopananda Q&A - Is there a path of Yoga at which no one can fail?
Swami Swaroopananda discusses Sri Krishna's explication of Karma Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita as the only path of Yoga at which no one can fail.

Let the Law of Karma Be Your Guide
Q & A with Swami Swaroopananda

If a person has suffered evil at the hands of another, and they hate that person, what is the best way to get rid of that anger?

Answer: The best way to approach it is to have a practical understanding of the law of karma. If you understand karma, you will never hate another person. The only reason someone would hate you is because you hated someone in the past. There is no other reason. I hated someone in the past, and this became a cause for someone to hate me in the present. If I want to remedy this situation, it's very simple, and it doesn't matter what the other person is doing to me. I just have to love this person. I don't have to love what the person is doing or even refrain from stopping it, which is not the idea, but I have to love the person.

Be aware that if you hate, you're going to be hated in the future. If you hurt another person, you can be one hundred percent certain that someone will hurt you. The only reason people hurt us is because we hurt other people in the past. This is the cause. The remedy -- the smartest way to go about it -- is to do only good and nothing but good.

When you say in the past, do you mean in the past of this life, or in past lives?

Karmic results usually do not ripen immediately, although it is possible to experience karmic results from the past of this life in the case of very strong, very intense karmas -- either positive or negative -- but this is rare. Most karmic consequences come from previous lives.

So one is not aware of the karmic connection?

If you do not understand how karma works, you are not aware of it. If you do understand how it works, however, you are very much aware of it. If someone speaks ill about me, I know immediately what I need to do. I should stop speaking ill about other people. The only reason people speak ill about me is because in the past, I spoke ill about other people, and this tendency is still within me. If it was not there anymore, this would be over, finished. So if you want to cure it, find good things in other people, speak well about them. Even bad people have some good points. Another example would be if I am experiencing a lot of violence. In fact, it would be impossible to experience violence, or even to see violence, if I had not been involved in violence in my past. So I have to remove the cause. If I don't remove the cause, this will just continue; it will get worse and worse and worse. It is counter-intuitive, but you can see it. If you slap me, the most logical thing for most people is to slap you twice. Then you slap me twice, and this is how it goes. Real wisdom is seeing that you have been slapping people for so long that now they never stop slapping you. You had better stop slapping other people and get into the business of healing.

The law of karma is very easy to understand, and once you understand it, it is very helpful. It can help a lot of people, it can help the planet. Please do not hate.

Om Shanti, Om Peace
Swami Swaroopananda, Director

 

Swami Swaroopananda is the Acharya (spiritual director) of Sivananda Yoga Centers and Ashrams on the West Coast of the United States, in the Middle East, and in the Bahamas, and is one of the foremost disciples of Swami Vishnudevananda. This article is from one of his spontaneous question and answer sessions, which he frequently offers at Sivananda centers and ashrams all over the world.

Immerse Yourself in a Yogic Lifestyle

The Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat is currently accepting applications for our Karma Yoga Residential Study Program. As part of a community of like-minded people, Karma Yogis practice 'selfless service', a priceless skill for a fulfilling life. Deepen your knowledge and practice of Yoga, open your heart, learn some useful skills and enjoy the beautiful white sand beaches of the Bahamas and a variety of ashram programs in your free time. You don't have to be a Yoga teacher to join the Karma Yoga program -- all that's needed is a willingness to serve and lead a yogic lifestyle. By joining our karma yoga program you help us to better serve the world.

 

Karma Yogis serve in various areas and department at the ashram, including:

  • Dining and Food Services
  • Gardening
  • Marketing and Communications
  • Housekeeping
  • Boutique Operations
  • Administrative Duties

For more information on our Karma Yoga Program, please visit the Residential Study page on our website. To apply, please email [email protected] and mention "Karma Yoga Application" in the subject line, or call us toll free at 1-866-446-5934 or at 1-242-363-2902. If you have a special skill in one of the areas mentioned above (or others), please let us know.

 
Gracious Living Raw Food Retreat
Gracious Living - Raw Food Retreat 
NEW! Yoga & Ayurveda Wellness Counselor Certification Course

Would you like to integrate Ayurveda into your life and practice? We are delighted to let you know of our new "Yoga and Ayurveda Wellness Counselors Certification Course", taught by Durga Leela and Sita Chaitanya, which trains and certifies Ayurveda Wellness Consultants. The course will take place at the ashram May 10 - 19, 2013. This is an ideal program for you to learn how to assist yourself and others in implementing Ayurvedic dietary, behavioral, and lifestyle recommendations. 


Most of us recognize that our health cannot be separated from what we eat, what we do, and what we think. Ayurveda provides us with a system for understanding the energies and qualities that are set in motion by our daily living practices, so that we can use them to counteract or prevent the imbalances that cause disease. Ayurveda is becoming better known in the West and its influence is growing rapidly. Those who learn Ayurveda today will be pioneers of this movement that will continue to grow significantly in the future. 


This program is a thorough, foundational course for students based on the books and distance learning programs of Dr. David Frawley (Vamadeva). The course is designed for students of all kinds. There is no required medical background for those wishing to take the course although knowledge of Ayurveda can enhance the practice of medical doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, nurses, psychologists, yoga therapists/teachers, nutritional counselors, physical therapists, massage therapists, and other health practitioners.


This course offers yoga teachers an opportunity to integrate the sister sciences of yoga and Ayurveda into a holistic approach to healing: 100-hour certification awarded jointly from the Sivananda Organization and The American Institute of Vedic Studies upon successful completion.


For more information, please visit our website. 


Youtube Channel Update
Last month we asked our readers to subscribe to our YouTube channel to be in the running to win a copy of the book, "Yoga: Your Home Practice Companion". We're a little over halfway to our goal of 1,008 Youtube subscribers, so we're extending the competition for one more month. Three lucky winners will be drawn at random and announced in our next newsletter, June 1st.

Spread the word and help us reach our 1,008 mark -- if you haven't done so already, be sure to visit our YouTube channel HERE and subscribe now to stay up-to-date on all of the ashram's latest video content, including Q&As with Swami Swaroopananda, musical performances, presentations from renown experts and much more.



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Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat  *  P.O. Box N7550  *  Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas
Tel 1-866-446-5934   Tel 1-242-363-2902   Fax 1-242-363-3783   E-mail [email protected]