Yoga Training & Lifestyle Blog
Yogic Tips for Staying Healthy During Uncertain Times
May 7, 2020 The past few months of 2020 have been a trying time for the entire world. There isn’t one person who hasn’t been affected by this global pandemic, whether it’s physically, economically, mentally, or emotionally. The most important thing we can do during these stressful times is to take care of ourselves, and whether you are a long-time yogi, or just getting started, there are numerous yogic practices that can help you to navigate through the uncertainty that might feel like it’s lingering well past its time. When we take care of our physical bodies and minds, we create …
Chia Raspberry Pudding Recipe
“Chia is probably my favourite ingredient,” says Padmavati, dessert-maker in the ashram Boutique in February 2019. “It’s densely packed with nutrition, and it feels like comfort food. It fills you up so much it can even be substituted for a meal.” In h …
“Older” Karma Yogis Find a Yoga Home
Service have been the mainstay of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat since it was founded in the 1960s by Swami Vishnu Devananda. Staying from one to three months — or longer — in a residential study program, Karma Yogis are assigned to service in the k …
Who Takes the Yoga Teacher Training? Stories from Recent Graduates
“Unity in Diversity” is a hallmark of the Sivananda tradition, the phrase used by Swami Vishudevananda as he set out on his missions for world peace. But even before his historic flights to trouble spots around the world, Swami Vishnu launched his effo …
Ganesha’s Famous Pizzas
On graduation day for students of the Sivananda Teacher Training Course, the entire ashram is hopping with excitement as dinnertime approaches. This is the night that Ganesha, a longtime staff member, makes pizza for dinner. These are no ordinary pizza …
Chanting for Life: Q&A with Krishna Das
In February each year, Sivananda Bahamas welcomes legendary kirtan singer Krishna Das for a Yoga of Chant Retreat. A disciple of Indian sage Neem Karoli Baba, Krishna Das has become a worldwide icon and the best-selling Western chant artist of all time …
Why Do Yoga Teacher Training Students Wear a Yellow and White Uniform?
In 1969, a master yogi named Swami Vishnudevananda created the first yoga teacher training in the West. Spurred by a vision of training generations of yogic peace ambassadors, he mapped out a curriculum from all he had learned from his guru, Swami Siva …
Yoga Around the World: Guest Stories
Finally! One of the biggest trends in the world today is good for you. Yoga is a growing practice in North America, Latin and South America, Japan, China, Europe and Asia. Recent statistics indicate there are 300 million people now practicing yoga worl …
Personal Stories: Connecting with the Sivananda Yoga Postures
We created a series of blog posts that follow the sequence of the Sivananda Yoga practice. All are true stories from brave souls who were willing to share their inner workings and private relationship with a certain posture or practice. Read the storie …
Finding and Feeling Gratitude in a Material World
Many of us have a foot in two different worlds. In the world of yoga, we learn about gratitude, selfless giving, and being grateful for what we have. We give to practice generosity, and to remind ourselves that we already have more than enough. Aspirin …
Yoga & Recovery
Many of us first turned to yoga whilst looking for change. It takes great courage and openness to heal our negative habits and create new healthy ones. No matter our habits, addictions, or cravings, yogic practices can transform them from the inside ou …
Yogic Holidays and Their Meanings
Have you ever wondered about the history and culture behind yoga? Beyond asana classes, yoga has a rich cultural history, including many holidays that signify many important elements of yoga and its Vedic roots. At the ashram, in addition to honoring i …
4 (More) Hard Lessons I Learned From Karma Yoga
In 2014, Katie Papo (Ambika) wrote Three Hard Lessons I Learned from Karma Yoga, describing the culminating lessons of her experiences in the Karma Yoga/Residential Study Program at the ashram. After several more years in the karma yoga program, here s …
