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Om Namah Sivaya,
Dear Friends,
It was a busy and fulfilling April in the Bahamas, with our annual celebration of Passover and Easter and an enlightening symposium on yoga and sacred healing. We were delighted to welcome numerous families and to experience the joy of having young children at the ashram.
In this fresh, new month of May, we bring you a fresh, new approach to our monthly E-News, which has been redesigned through MailChimp. We hope you enjoy the updated look and our ongoing efforts to bring you relevant reading and interesting insights for your yoga journey, including a wonderful little piece for keeping up yoga while you travel, written by one of our Karma Yogis.
Speaking of traveling, when are you coming for a visit? We continue to offer a rich variety of programs during the quieter summer months — take advantage of this special time of the year to focus spiritually and experience inner peace. View upcoming program calendar.
Wishing you a happy May.
Om Shanti, Om Peace.
—Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas |
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Karma Yogis Needed Now!
We are looking for at least 20 Karma Yogis to join the team in the Bahamas starting in May. Our most immediate needs are now through mid-June, although if you can stay 3 months, welcome! If you’re curious, find out more and let us know (see the Enrollment Information tab). All you need is a willingness to serve and to lead a yogic lifestyle.
"Serving karma yoga at Sivananda Bahamas was wonderfully transformative. The worries and cares of my daily life melted away as I immersed myself in service, to be replaced by a lasting, permeating sense of peace." — Durga, US
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Using Right Discrimination
Question: How does one use right discrimination without passing judgment?
Answer: Right discrimination, or viveka, is not about other people. Right discrimination is about oneself. Viveka means discrimination between the permanent and the ephemeral, and it has to do with me, not with other people. It’s not about sitting and judging others. That is not right discrimination; that is poor discrimination. The real problem is that I identify with false things, with things that are ephemeral, and I make wrong choices based on that mistaken identification.
The reason viveka is related to oneself is because what you see outside is your own prarabdha karma. If you see something outside that is wrong, it is nothing but the result of your actions in the past which are ripening in the present. It is your own doing, according to the yogis. When you look outside, whatever you see, you are seeing your own mind. You are seeing yourself. Therefore, if you see darkness outside, you had better start doing some serious yogic practice to purify the mind. Why do you see darkness outside? It is because of your own mind. You may not believe it, but this is how it is.
Viveka always has to do with me because I mistake things that are ephemeral as real, and I ignore the permanent. It is said, “Identify what is permanent, identify what is ephemeral, and discriminate between the two,” because the ephemeral is false, and the permanent is true. This is viveka, this is right discrimination: Find what is true, and stick to it, and do not attach yourself to what is ephemeral. That’s all. You should also be compassionate, and good to others. Don’t be judgmental, because when you judge others, you are actually judging yourself, because the others are yourself. That is who they are.
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 Q&A is from one of the spontaneous question and answer sessions that he frequently offers at Sivananda centers and ashrams around the world.
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Study Thai Yoga Massage With Kam Thye Chow
Level 1 starts May 18!
Gain a strong foundation in the key elements of Thai Yoga Massage and learn how to perform a full 90-minute customized session — continue with Level 2 and save on tuition and housing. Find out more: course description and schedule, video, and testimonials.
"Kam provides a comprehensive heart-centered approach that is accessible and applicable to many methods of health and healing." — Leesalyn Koehler (Ramapriya)
This is the last chance to study with Kam Thye Chow in the Bahamas this year!
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Sharing our thoughts and experiences of yoga study, practice, and living.
APRIL TOPIC: Yoga and Religion
Has yoga changed your relationship with your religion? In what ways?
"Thanks to the Sivananda karma yoga program I attended three years ago in the darkest moment of my life, I was able to recognize that a spiritual path is open to all ... as a Christian I noticed that Sivananda is a beacon of light and an aid to finding out how to be a better Christian.
The spiritual path is available to any and all and Sivananda has a powerful history encouraging yogis to find their open road to the Divine."
—community member
READ MORE RESPONSES ...
MAY TOPIC: First Yoga Experiences
Do you remember the details of your first yoga experience? Where was it? In a class, with a book or video, on retreat? Were you hooked from the start or did you have your doubts? Do tell ...
Please share your story! Send 50-100 words or so to communityvoices@sivananda.org. With your permission, we'll share them next month (can be done anonymously).
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New to Sivananda Yoga?
There’s no better way to discover the basic practices and philosophy of the Sivananda lineage than through an immersion at the Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas ... get a jumpstart on your summer and you’ll take home a health-promoting approach to the rest of your life.
 June 3—7, 2014
Introduction to Sivananda Yoga
Sylvie Boisclair (Saraswati)
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8 Tips for the Traveling Yogi: Keeping Up Your Yoga Practice
By Katie Papo (Ambika)
Just because you're breaking free from your regular routine doesn't mean you need to leave your yoga at home. Try these tips the next time you travel.
1. Create an intention. Remember why you practice yoga. To cultivate good health? A balanced mind? Compassion toward others? You're a yogi, so you already know the power of thought—remind yourself of your intention and align it with your goal.
2. Bring a yoga mat. A tangible reminder to keep up your practice. If you put forth the effort to carry it, you may as well use it!
3. Set your alarm clock. Swami Sivananda taught that Brahmamurti, the early hours of the morning, is the best time for your spiritual practice. Explore this secret part of the day that your friends don't know about, when all (including your monkey mind) is calm and quiet.
See all 8 Tips ...
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Featured Theme: Meditation and Philosophy
Explore the practice of meditation and the deeper teachings of the yoga path. Dive into the stillness within and experience your true Self.
 May 11—15, 2014
The Ultimate Goal: Enlightenment, Salvation, Self-Realization, or Something Else Rodney Devenish (Karma Kunzang Palden Rinpoche), Daniel Matt, Swami Medhananda Puri, Joseph Mitchell, Imam Jamal Rahman
 May 16—21, 2014
Bhakti Yoga Retreat
Radhanath Swami and Gaura Vani
 May 19—21, 2014
The Yoga of Wisdom: Teaching from the Vivekachudamani
Brahmachari Shankar
 May 20—24, 2014
Meditation Immersion Course
Swami Brahmananda
 May 22— 24, 2014
Vedanta in Daily Life
Swami Medhananda Puri
 May 25—29, 2014
Work and Self: Talks from the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads
Paul Sherbow
 June 9—13, 2014 and July 13—17, 2014
Introduction to Meditation
Senior Staff of the Yoga Retreat
 July 18—20, 2014
Free Your Heart, Relieve Your Mind: The Art of Forgiveness
Senior Staff of the Yoga Retreat
 July 25—27, 2014
Touching Divinity: Study the Lives of Saints
Senior Staff of the Yoga Retreat
 July 27—31, 2014
The Science of Meditation: Introduction to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Senior Staff of the Yoga
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“Feeling Rejuvenated and Filled with Peace”
"I have been coming here for 6 years now. Each time I come I see vast improvements all around — from guest education, to the meals, to how friendly the staff is, to the programs being offered.
Going to sleep each night while listening to the waves and swimming in the most beautiful shades of blues and green are the memories I bring back with me to my busy city life. This has been by far my best visit ever!"
—Guest from New York City, stayed April 2014, traveled with family (shared on our page on Trip Advisor)
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YouTube Contest: no winner yet!
 You can still enter and win. Post a comment on our new Daily Chant Video page and we’ll choose a winner from those who do! Drawing will be May 9 for your choice among three books from our Boutique (we’ll ship it to you).
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Ayurveda Conference: The Healing Side of Yoga
Please enjoy this short video of inspiring insights from our Ayurveda conference speakers on Ayurveda, it’s healing potential, and its role in a model of perfect health. Held March 23-27 this year, the conference was so well received that we’re planning a second Ayurveda conference for next year. Stay tuned!
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