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Om Namah Sivaya, Blessed Selves,
I wish to give you a message which I received on the telephone today from Potti Swami, many of you will know, he is a highly regarded priest from Trivandrum, Kerala who has been connected to the organisation since Swamiji's time.

He asks that all the Ashrams and Centres dedicate some extra time to chanting Om Namo Narayanaya for World Peace. He feels the West is going to be facing a very tough time and that we should use our collective spirituality to help soften some of this negativity at this time.

May the Master and Swamiji's blessings be with you, always.
Prem & Om
Swami Mahadevananda

Sankara, from the Montreal Centre, took Bhahmacharya initiation in September and now is Sankara Chaitanya.

Our thoughts and prayers are with former Neyyar Dam staff members - Sarojini and Brahmachari Raju. Sarojini, long time worker at the Ashram, passed away due to natural causes. Despite her physical condition she maintained her cheerful serenity. Brahmachari Raju served our temples in Neyyar Dam. He lost his life in a tragic train accident. He will be remembered by those who knew him for his sense of humour and beautiful smile.
Please pray for their departed souls to abide in peace and serenity. Om shanti shanti shanti

Sivananda Yoga Centre in London celebrated the 30 years of service.

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup cocoa
• 3 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
• ²/₃ cup soya milk powder
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp salt
• ²/₃ cup light tasting oil
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup walnuts, roasted and chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325F
2. Grease the pan with oil, then flour the pan.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, soya milk powder, soda & salt.
4. Stir in the sugar so there are no lumps.
5. Stir in the nuts (optional).
6. Emulsify the oil and most of the water in a blender or food processor until well combined.
7. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add the liquid to the dry and mix with a large spoon.
8. Add in the balance of the water. Add more water, if necessary. Batter should be quite fluid.
9. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
10. Bake at 325F for 25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. Note: if using smaller or larger portions adjust the cooking time.
11. Let cool in pan before frosting, or dusting lightly with icing sugar, if desired.
12. Option: Top icing sugar with lightly toasted slivered almonds, if walnuts are not included in cake batter.

Om Namah Sivaya. In early Sept, the TTC went smoothly, with a very sattvic and serious group of students. It seems more students are now coming for their personal practice rather than to teach yoga as a career. Even the younger ones appear dedicated to spiritual practice. We had a very nice Cultural Week, with concerts and dance. We were reminded that Swami Vishnu-devananda saw the cultural events as an extension of spirituality. Our talent show brought out the acting abilities of the students with more humorous skits than anything else. We are slowly closing down the summer facilities, including the swimming pool and the older bathhouses, as campers become less. We actually had our first frost this week with temperatures going down below zero at night. We have used the time to build up a very good supply of wood to see us through the winter.

Mid-September - the TTCs came through the third week well, with the help of the amazing energy of Rabbi Gelberman who acted as an inspiration to us all. At the age of 94 or so he is still full of vitality and love and puts many of us to shame. We also celebrated Swami Mahadevananda's birthday with a beautiful midday Puja at the Subramanya/Ayyappa temple and a feast in the evening. He also gave a very moving talk to all the staff about the value of Swami Vishnu-devananda's teachings and how we must keep coming back to the fundamentals as God presents us with obstacles in order for us to grow. Many devotees came to celebrate with him. Swami Jnaneshwariananda arrived from Italy and will be staying with us for a few weeks. It is very nice to see her again. The staff are well.

Om Namo Narayanaya, Greetings from the Yoga Ranch. In early Sept, TTC started with a group of 31 international students ranging from Korea to California. Swami Srinivasanandaji and Swami Sadasivanandaji did the inauguration of the students and Swami Vasistanandaji conducted a guru pooja. Swami Srinivasananda gave the students an introduction to Swamiji's inspiration behind creating the TTC. Swamiji Srinivasanada is giving the main lecture and morning satsangs. Swami Sadasivananda is teaching the Bhagavad Gita and afternoon yoga class and leading the evening satsangs. Sita Caitanya is teaching the morning asana class and leading the kirtan classes. Our renovations to the grounds continue, laying new grass around the dining area.

Mid-September - the TTC entered their third week with the practice of Kriyas and lengthened pranayama. The students continue with their practice teaching. The highlight of the week was Prof. Prema Panduranga and musicians giving the teachings of the Srimad Bhagavata. She led three Hari Kathas that journeyed the staff, guests and TTC into the sweet lilas of Sri Krishna. Her program culminated in the telling of the Rasa Lila, where all the ashram devotees participated in the Rasa dance guided by Premaji singing the verses from the Bhagavata.

Om Namah Sivaya!
Greetings from the Yoga Farm! In early Sept, we had a very high energy, auspicious and inspiring week. Lord Ganesha's birthday was celebrated with a Ganapati Homa with Krishnan Namboodiri performing a 6 hours ceremony generating lots of positive energy strongly felt. As part of the auspicious event, Krishnan Namboodiri performed a ceremony for baby Krishna who celebrated his 6th month by eating his first food as well as a hair cut in front of the Krishna Temple, witnessed by all the uncles and aunts from Sivananda family. The next evening the energy of the ashram was even more increased with our celebration of Swami Sivananda's birthday- with feast, video of Master, puja and personal message from Master to all. We welcomed Swami Swaroopananda, Swami Premaswaroopananda, Brahmaswaroop Chaitanya and Rukmini from Canada. Swami Padmapadanada and Swami Pranavananda also joined us for our 6th annual West Coast Teacher's meeting. About 35 Sivananda teachers showed up for the meeting retreat coming from Los Angeles, San Francisco and other places such as Seattle, Stockton and Arizona. Swami Swaroopananda gave an inspiring satsang on questions and answers regarding Sadhana. Swami Sitaramananda led Satsangs and workshops on how to keep in tune with the Guru's teachings, how teach the complete Sivananda system, reinventing yourself now for a better world. Teachers enjoyed the 3 hour asana class taught by Mahadev, a devotional teaching and kirtan class by Swami Sivarupananda, a session of peace mantra chanting and writing led by Swami Padmapadananda and a powerful Sudarshan Homa for world peace on September 11! Exceptionally the participation of the teachers this year was high, with many volunteering to come back and help with the Yoga Farm programs for 2006. West Coast Teacher's Directory online is agreed upon as well as a West coast Teachers newsletter and debates on how the teachers can keep in touch and support the Ashram . We had the first West coast directors meeting. A free mini Yoga Open house and retreat was offered to a group of local guests. Swami Swaroopananda toured the grounds and the facilities of the Ashram. He was pleased to see many improvements. After such high week we are now quieting back down and preparing the Farm for the upcoming TTC in October. We heartily welcomed GovindaDas who joined staff from London and Ramachandra who will be our most needed temporary staff head cook for 3 months.

Mid-September focused on the Ayurvedic Cleansing and Rejuvenation week with 6 participants. Durga, Ambika, Robin and Charlotte came in to run the course. Durga directed and gave insightful workshops on Ayurveda. Ambika gave workshops on nutrition and Robin and Charlotte came in to do the body therapies. We offered workshops, Ayurvedic consultations, massage therapies, nutritional counseling, sauna and a cleansing diet of kitcharee and greens for the week. Participants also attended the regular daily schedule of satsangs, asana classes and karma yoga. All were very happy with a couple of them making a donation for membership. Swami Sitaramanada was away to meet with San Francisco Center and the Los Angeles Center. We had a Women's Health weekend with staff Vishnupriya and Daya Devi giving workshops on the connection of thoughts to your health and on Ayurveda. We had a very large turnout for the lectures one Saturday as Sarada, a long time teacher from a near city, brought up a group of about 20 students for the day. The students participated in a tour of the Ashram, workshops, an asana class and dinner. A couple stayed on for the evening satsang. Pranams to all.

Om Namah Sivaya. In early Sept, Swami Sivaswaroopananda and some staff members went to our new Meenakshi Ashram in Madurai for the inauguration. After returning from Madurai, Swami Sivaswaroopananda left the same day for Netala/Uttarkashi for the upcoming TTC. Parameshwari went to Haripad, 130 km north of Trivandrum to help out distributing Onam gifts for the tsunami victims generously donated by our ashram. We celebrated Ganesha's birthday with a Ganapathi homa and very special sweet Prasad. On the 8th September we started from 6 am onwards to repeat Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanadaya. A puja was performed in the Krishna temple, repeating Swami Sivananda's 108 names. We welcome back Mahadevi who was away for some months for personal reasons. Our thoughts and prayers are with our former staff members Sarojini and Brahmachari Raju. Sarojini, long time worker at the ashram, passed away due to natural causes. Despite her physical condition she maintained her cheerful serenity. Brahmachari Raju stayed with us for a couple of years taking care of our temples. He lost his life in a tragic train accident. He will be remembered by those who knew him for his sense of humour and beautiful smile.

Mid-September - Our yoga vacationers are enjoying the sunny weather we have had for a couple of weeks now. On their "Friday Off" 15 guests accompanied by 6 staff ventured down the Neyyar Dam reservoir on a glorious sunrise boat tour past the lion safari, crocodile farm, and many monkey filled trees. All were stilled into silence in awe of the sights and sounds of Mother Nature's gifts as they traveled along the yet to be disturbed glass-like waterway. Following an invigorating 3km hike into the creature filled jungle, the treasure of a natural pool surrounded by cascading waterfalls brought about 21 blissful smiles. The day was spent swimming, balancing on rock formations, picture taking, picnicking, reading and relaxing in this seemingly untouched paradise. Surely this 'Jungle Trip' will be fondly remembered by all. On Sunday we had in the morning a Ganapathi Homa and finished the day with a beautiful Sudarshana homa with Punyajala, a purification ritual for the soul of Brahmachari Raju. Construction works for the kitchen and staff rooms are going on smoothly. We started with the preparation of the Canteen for the upcoming High Season. Sri Kumari left for Delhi and we welcome back Nalini and Parasu. Pranams to all.

Om Namah Sivaya. In early Sept, we celebrated Sri Swami Sivananda Maharaji's Birthday with a very devotional Puja and much lively Kirtan. Some of our local Indian community was in attendance; particularly the doctors.Some guests brought beautiful flowers and Prasad. Our kitchen renovation project continues with the tiling of the walls which, although only half complete at this point already makes a huge difference and looks very fresh and sattvic. The maintenance team is doing a lovely job. We said goodbye to Vasista, a temporary staff member who spends a few months with us on a yearly basis. He is now off to India and we bid him well on his continuing journey.

During the last week of August the topic for the yoga vacations in the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House was called Yoga Body Check. The different body systems were explained and also how to improve breathing, posture and vitality.

End of August the International Teachers' Training Course started with 63 students from Europe, UK, Morocco, USA and South Africa. Some students from Switzerland had to make a detour, due to floods in other regions of Tyrol and Switzerland.

During the inauguration Swami Durgananda pointed out, how deeply Swami Sivananda has influenced Yoga in the West and made it possible for many people to study it. Asana classes were held outdoors with wonderful weather and beautiful view. The guests were uplifted by the strong energy of the course and enjoyed workshops on the five points of yoga with individual attention. We heard an exquisite Sitar concert.

Everbody appreciated the silent walks in the beautiful hills, along rivers and lakes with meditations in nature.

Later on during the course we heard highly interesting and detailed presentations on vegetarism by nutrition scientist Dr. Annika Waldmann from the University of Giessen, Germany. The presentation included recent scientific studies on vegetarian diet, how to balance the different nutriens and how to avoid risks.

On 8th of September Swami Sivanandas' birthday was celebrated with a beautiful puja.

The Ayurveda Nutrition Adviser Course came to a successful completion. All students passed the practical cooking exam as well as the written exam and left with lots of inspiration and gratitude. Dr.Kamlesh gave an introduction to Ayurveda to the TTC students and a very lively cooking workshop.

Beautiful music programmes completed the intensive days of study and Sadhana.

Next we listened to Prof. Dr. Amit Goswamis breathtaking proof that consciousness ist the ground of all being. Dr. Uma Krishnamurthi from Bangalore gave fascinating lectures on yoga and psychology. The teachers' training course finally ended with a Bharata Natyam dance by Dr.Krishnamurthi with lovely explanations on the significance of Indian Gods and mudras. The students left in utmost joy and inspiration.

The Advanced Teachers Training Course came to its conclusion at the end of August. All the students passed the exam and the graduation ceremony was auspiciously followed by the celebration of Krishna Jayanti with a lovely Puja conducted by Krishnan Namboodiri junior. Many bhajans were chanted and Lord Krishna, beautifully dressed in silken clothing and garlanded, was radiating joy to all.

Now September has arrived, we are housing a more intimate group of staff and guests and the Ashram feels wonderfully peaceful and full of energy after a long summer of intensive courses and special events. The energy of the temple and the Hanuman shrine is very uplifting. The Gods are shining in their colorful dresses and the bronze sunset is reflecting beautifully on Lord Hanuman. A steady stream of guests joined us for yoga vacations and for special weekend retreats. The retreat "Asana Intensive and Cultural excursions in the Loire Valley" attracted an enthusiastic group of 10 guests. It was a lovely retreat combining two visits to prestigious castles with invigorating yoga classes, nature walks and rest and rejuvenation. The retreat "Spiritual Growth; from Ego to Self" was well attended and guests enjoyed beautiful lectures on positive and creative thinking as means of spiritual growth. Both guests and staff received precious practical advice for daily living.

Construction work started this month in front of the main kitchen where a tiled terrace will be created to serve as an outdoor dining area. The project will be followed by the creation of a pathway through the woods on the Ashram grounds.

Two spiritual festivals uplifted the energy at the Ashram further. Ganesha Jayanti was celebrated with a Puja and staff and guests participated in joyful chanting of kirtans, archana with flowers and rice and listened to divine stories of the Lord. The 118th birthday of Swami Sivananda was joyfully celebrated with a beautiful Puja. Abishekam was performed on a Siva lingam, the picture of Master Sivananda was garlanded, Guru bhajans were chanted followed by a meditation on the life and works of the Master.

Om Namo Narayanaya. Greetings from UttarKashi. In mid-September, TTC commenced with an enthusiastic group of twenty-seven students from various corners of the earth with a predominance of Spanish speakers. The mood has been positive despite the usual array of minor illnesses. Chanting has nearly blown the satsang roof off. Asana classes are going well under the instruction of Kalyani Chaitanya and PC Kapoor with Vijay and Hari assisting. We look forward to this continued mood in the coming weeks. The Staff is well and sends pranams.

On Sept 7 we held a Ganesa Homa in the morning as it was Vinayaka Caturthi - the birthday of Lord Ganesa. This function became very auspicious to remove the obstacles just before the ashram opening ceremonies. The highlight of last week was the inauguration of the Madurai Ashram on Sept 8, the birthday of Master Sivanandaji Maharaj. On that day the priests from Kerala did Ganesa Homa at 6.30 am. Guru puja (Vishnu Puja ) and Puja for the Divine Mother followed at 9 am after the breakfast. The ashram entrance - new in the front side - was opened by Swami Ayyappananda (from Chennai) and Swami Sundarananda ( Gourisankar from Palakkad, Kerala) at 9.45 am. Once they arrived we started the inaugural function which was very informal. Swami Ayyappananda, Swami Sundarananda, Swami Tatwarupananda (from Dayananda Ashram, Trivandrum ), Swami Purushottamananda Saraswati ( from Kerala ), Swami Sivaswarupananda ( Neyyar Dam ) were there from the beginning of the ceremony. Swami Sivananda Sundarananda (Sivananda Tapovanam, Madurai ), Swami Tadevananda ( Dayananda Ashram, Kovilpatti ) and the surprise arrival one of the great devotional singer of Tamil Nadu, Sri Pittukkuli Murugadas with his wife and disciples happened a little later after the function began. Sri Murugadas was living with Swami Sivananda as disciple with Gurudev Swami Vishnudevanandaji and Swami Satchidanandaji in DLS Rishikesh , which he remembered during his talk. After the usual prayer Jaya Ganesa and Om Namo Narayanaya chanting, first gifts were distributed to all the workers by the Swamis. Informal speeches and bhajans by the Swamis followed spontaneously. All Swamis stressed the fact that Sivananda family is still expanding far and wide. Sri Murugadas spoke about his contacts and visits to Nemmara with Swamiji. We felt his presence as a great Blessing as one who met Master attended the function to shower his Blessings, without even informing of his coming to the function. At around 11.15 am the opening ceremony was performed by lighting an oil lamp in front of the temple deity - Devine Mother. Apart from the Swamis mentioned above Sri Pittukkuli Murugadas and Sri Harihara Chaitanya from Trivandrum also lit the lamp which had 9 wicks. Once the lamp is lit while Om Namo Narayanaya Chanting by all the guests about 200, the speeches and bhajans continued by Swamis. Dr Narayanasamy, Smt Padma ( both from Madurai ), Sri Harihara Chaitanya etc also spoke to the guests and expressed their happiness to be with the function. The kitchen was also opened by boiling milk by Smt Padmavati (mother of Swami Govindananda ). The fire for this first cooking was brought from the Ganesa Homa pit. This milk was given to all as prasad. A yoga asana demonstration for the local public was conducted by Swami Sivaswarupanandaji of Neyyar Dam ashram. Kumari ( former staff from USA ) , and Biju ( former staff of Neyyar Dam ) performed the asanas. The function concluded with usual prayers and arati. Prasad and lunch was served to all the participants. All the Swamis left after lunch. Swami Ayyappananda took rest in the Ashram and went around the ashram compound appreciating the whole effort. The people were very happy that all went well. All the speakers spoke very high of Swamiji and his contribution to the humanity and were very happy that the effort is still beingcontinued by starting one more ashram. One more puja to the Divine mother was held in the evening by the priests and they left in the same evening back home.To make all the inaugural day function a successful, we had many staff arriving a few days before. Sundar (ex-director of Netala ) arrived on time on Sept 6th and lead all the other staff in the preparations with his valuable experience in running an ashram. He also helped a lot in taking care of the Swamis and VIPs. (Thanks to his great presence). Swami Sivaswarupananda , Rajesh, Kunjumon ( all staff from Neyyar Dam ), Veena, Vasanth ( from SYVC, Trivandrum ), and a few yoga vacation guests arrived on 7th afternoon. Other personalities who were with us helping everywhere included Darsana Venugopal (representing Bangalore affiliated SYVC). Radhakrihna Chaitanya ( a former staff from Kochi, Kerala ) , Ajitha ( from affiliated SYVC, Ernakulam, Kerala), Easwara Varier, Padmavati ( parents of Swami Govindananda ) , Harilal ( SYVC, affiliated, Idukki, Kerala ) with his mother , Mamallan and family from Madurai Panchavarnam ( SYVC, Madurai and Biju ( former staff of Neyyar Dam spent a week here ). Sri VijayaKumar ( astrologer ), Sunil Prasad ( Vastu architect ), Sivananda Srinivasan ( from Madurai ), Sri Bharati, ( District Forest Officer, Madurai ) , Muthayya ( Village president ) , Balu ( Local councillor ) ,, Rajasekharan ( President Madurai District Yoga association ) ,Kannan ( Secretary, United Yoga Association , Madurai ) and family and many students of SYVC, Madurai and local public attended the inaugural day functions. All the staff worked very hard all these days for this successful day. All the visitors left except parents of Swami Govindananda. A few enquiries and bookings are there for the first yoga sadhana camp starting on Sept 15th. The bookings for the first TTC starting on Dec 11, 05 are going on. We have so far 17 bookings for the TTC. Two people have booked so far for the TTC on Feb 5, 06. Except one building meant for reception, boutique, and staff dorm all other buildings were ready for the function. Remaining works are being continued. The photographs of the inaugural day programs will be available in the Madurai ashram web site soon.

Mid-September - Construction work of the reception building is going on. We get a lot of enquiries about the ashram activities these days. All staff are well. Pranams to all.

We celebrated the 30 years of Sivananda Yoga Centre in London. It was a very successful 3 days program. Many new and old students of the centre came, and it was wonderful to be together with them and celebrate Swamiji's teachings and peace mission. The program also included the installation of two new Murthis, Ganesha and Mookambika in black stone. Two priests came especially from India to conduct the ceremonies, which included a Ganapati Homa, Gayatri Homa, Sudarshana Homa, and finally the Kalasha Puja with the offering of 216 waterpots.

The Homas and Pujas created a very powerful energy, which was a great upliftment for the centre. Joyful Kirtans and Bhajans were chanted during the pujas.

The final installation was on Sunday morning. After an elaborate Puja the two Murthis were taken from their resting place and installed on two new marble pittams, especially made for them. This was followed by the abhishekam during which the 216 pots of water were poured over the deities. Finally the priest dressed them and decorated them. When they open the curtains, everyone was in awe; it felt like we now had a real full temple at the centre. The ceremonies concluded with a stunning Bharata Natyam performance by Sita Nandakumar, enacting many stories of the life of Lord Krishna. Swami Durgananda and Swami Kailasananda inspired the students with talks about Swami Vishnu-devananda's mission in the world and the future of Yoga. There was also a great Asana demonstration with 6 of the Centre's teachers and a child. The evening concluded beautifully with Bhakti Yoga programmes. All had their hearts open with the divine music and the ever inspiring stories of the Srimad Bhagavatam. The Asana workshops during the day were packed and appreciated by all. The centre was beautifully decorated. Our graphic designer had made big panels with Swamiji's pictures and some wonderful quotes of his. Also part of the celebration was the release of golden balloons in front of the centre while chanting "Om Namo Narayanana" for world peace. Many teachers and students had come from all over England. We had as usual a great team of Karmayogis who helped things to run smoothly over the weekend. The celebrations were a great success and we are thankful to Master and Swamiji for giving us the opportunity to serve humanity and live in their home.

Om Namah Sivaya! Many new courses started; Swami Atmaramananda ist teaching a very well appreciated new philosophy course interpreting the sayings of the sermon on the mount according to Vedanta as well as a Raja Yoga Course and special classes on Vedanta. Both Ganesha Chathurti and Master`s birthday were celebrated with devotion during well-attended Pujas. In a teachers' meeting corrections of basic asanas were discussed, followed by a special asana class for teachers and an inspiring Satsang on the topic: Love, respect and trust, basic prerequisites for learning.

On the weekends we were busy promoting Yoga at two different fairs: At the health fair we distributed many flyers and demonstrated the asanas. People showed good interest for the Teachings of the Masters and we hope many will show up at the open day next week. At the same time on Saturday there was a street fair in our neighbourhood which gave us the opportunity to introduce the Center to our neighbours. Last weekend Swami Atmaramananda went to the affiliated Center in Hamburg and gave a well-attended program of Asana class and Satsang.

The autumn season has had a good start with many people coming to the centre. The last weeks we were also celebrating a number of spiritual festivals. We celebrated Sri Krishna´s birthday with a puja, Krishna kirtans and stories of the Lord´s lilas. Many students came bringing with them lots of beautiful flowers. The evening ended in a very happy mood and everybody enjoyed a delicious khir prasad. About one week later it was Ganesha Chathurti followed by Swami Sivananda´s birthday. In the puja for Ganesha´s birthday the strong energy to overcome obstacles could be clearly felt. Swami Sivananda´s birthday was a wonderful occasion for us to express our thankfulness and devotion to Master Sivananda. One of the next special events we are already looking forward to is a sanskrit weekend workshop with a teacher from the university of Heidelberg in October.

We celebrated the inauguration of our new large yoga hall: we had a festive programme with special yoga classes, lectures and music. Swami Durgananda was present and gave two very inspiring lectures. She reminded us that by following the teachings of Master, so beautifully conveyed to us by Swami Vishnu, we are able to lead a balanced yogic life in today´s hectic world. The special asana classes were well appreciated. Participants - longer term students but also many relatively new ones - learned a lot of useful details for their asana practice. The evenings ended with music and a joyful being together in the reception area where some snacks were served. On Saturday we had a workshop "Yoga in the Office" with many practical hints how to better tackle stressful working conditions with the help of the different yoga techniques. Another special course which started this week is a pranayama course where participants have the opportunity to deepen their practice of kapalabhati and anuloma viloma. The course begins with 15 minutes of theory and ends after the longer pranayama session with a short meditation which is always very nice with the prana being much more settled.

More students are now beginning to come to the centre again after the summer vacation period came to an end. We celebrated two beautiful Pujas: many came for the first one in honour of Sri Ganesha. The Puja in honour of Master was attended by a group of closer students, but many more joined to enjoy the following pictures about Masters life, which we showed afterwards with the new projector and big screen.

We had a special program on Ayurveda, given by Dr. Kamlesh. He gave an introductory lecture and his famous Ayurvedic cooking course, which turned out very delicious and was a full success.

Pranams to all the Sivananda family. In early Sept, the climate began to cool, with lots of rain. We started the week with Yoga 1, in the morning, with the number of 23 students. We celebrate the Vinayaga Chathurthi on 7th of September - Lord Ganesha's Birthday. We decorate lord Ganesha with new shining dhothi and some beautiful ornaments. The whole city was busy because of the special day. September 8th, Swami Sivananda Birthday had the real energy of his presence with Satsang and Guru Puja in the morning and the melodies Flute concert in the evening Satsang, with 56 people. Everyone enjoyed the dinner, sponsored by Dr Sadasivan. Swami Rajeswariananda came back from the Yatra on 6th, with good health. Parvati arrived from Madurai, as a Staff, for the next couple of week. Kalyaniji left to Uttarkashi for TTC and will be come back after a month. Gopanji left to his home to see his family and celebrate Oman festival. Staffs convey their pranams.

Mid-September was beautiful with the Onam - Kerala festival. We decorated the entrance with flower arrangement. We also had a ganapathy homam on 17th since it was the beginning of the Tamil New Year. The climate is quieting windy here. We begin Weekend course with 4 students. We held Headstand workshop on Tuesday. We are little busy because of less staff here. All things are happening well and good.

Om, Shanti. In early Sept, we started off with three well-attended Yoga 1 courses, which brought in fresh energy and prana to the Center. Our students are also slowly coming back from their summer vacation. We had lovely Puja, celebrating Swamiji's birthday. We also had a workshop on "Yoga for Eyes" one Saturday, sharing with our students' ways to maintain and strengthen their eyes.

Mid-September - We saw the completion of our facade! We had a successful cooking workshop with 8 students who learned the simplicity of vegetarian meals, it was delicious and creative! One week we had some internet difficulties, but they were revived with the help of our teacher Keshava. We had two teachers stay with us for several nights who helped with the Center. We had a few morning meditations on Lake Michigan and enjoyed the beauty of the Fall. Pranams to you all.

Om Namah Sivaya! In early Sept, There were many highlights - two Yoga 1's start with 9 students each. For Ganesha Chaturti we had a lovely 5.00 am Homa in the garden, with some students attending and a freshly painted (by devotee Dr. Bhakaya) Ganesha Murthi presiding. The next day, students and staff celebrated Master Sivananda's birthday with Pada Puja with butter, ghee, milk and honey, and chanting. The Centre was decorated with flowers throughout and the atmosphere was truly celebratory. Dr. Verma led a workshop on Diet and Nutrition. One weekend we had a large kid's class. The Prenatal Class is also growing in size! We held a Teacher's meeting, with 27 teachers. Arun gave a good, thorough presentation on Bhujangasana. We had snacks, an asana class, and karma yoga afterwards, washing yoga mats. Kalyani Chaitanya spent a day at the Centre on her way to Netala for TTC. Some students stayed here en route to TTC, and Kapoorji and students left Sunday morning for Netala. Durga arrived from Netala to assist in the Centre in Mani's absence. Sunday evening Nagaraji gave a discourse on Bhagavad Gita. We enjoyed a large amount of Prasad, brought by students.

Mid-September - We was smooth and relatively quiet week. A Yoga 1 began with 12 students. Nine students attended a headstand workshop and were very enthusiastic about the class. A meditation course started, also with nine enthusiastic students. Dr. Vasanth led a workshop on Ayurveda, bringing in first-timers to the Centre. We also had a larger than usual trial class with 12 newcomers. We welcomed Sri Kumari from Neyyar Dam on Tuesday; she and Rajesh are taking steady massage bookings. Hari arrived from Netala to stay at the Centre a few days before returning to Trivandrum Centre. Evening satsangs were strong, and Sri Nagaraj's Bhagavad Gita discourse is ever popular. Staff and students also enjoyed readings from Srimad Bhagavatum. Staff are well and send pranams to all.

We had nice Pujas for our two festivals of Ganesha Chaturthi and Masters Birthday respectively. Students brought lots of flowers, and the altar was really radiating prana. The Kids came back to Yoga class after their holidays. Swami Shyamananda arrived at the centre. We are happy to teach now in the spacious and bright new Yoga Hall with a nice orange carpet.

Om Namah Sivaya. In early Sept, We had a busy week preparing for a visit of Swami Swaroopananda. Swami Pranava went to the Yoga Farm for the Annual West Coast Teachers' Meeting.

Mid-September - Swami Sitaramananda came from the Yoga Farm for an intensive meeting with the LA staff. Durgadas came along to discuss technical issues. Swami Sita led a very inspiring lecture on the four paths of Yoga and also a wonderful Satsang. Both programs were well-attended by about 20 students and teachers. In the staff meeting Swami Sita presented beautifully the power of communicating, accepting each other and working together. From this meeting the staff has a new sense of what the Center can be.

We prepared the Center and the new brochure after the teacher training course at Cuenca to receive the students for the autumn season. Already few of the graduates started to assist in classes and will start to teach soon. In the beginning of the month we celebrated Vinayaka Chaturti to remove obstacles in all undertakings and also Swami Sivananda's birthday with a Krishna Puja - both very much appreciated by all. Many people called and came to the Center to begin Yoga after their vacation as a new resolution.

Pranams to all. In early Sept, we started new morning beginner's class, with 6 Students. We are also offering private classes. More students are attending Sunday classes, keeping the two staff members really busy. On the 7th & 8th of September, the students attended the opening ceremony of our Madurai ashram.

Mid-September - We started new morning & noon 10 A.M. beginner's class with 8 Students, also private classes going on. On Sundays the student numbers are increasing. On the 25th evening the student enjoyed vilakku puja at our center. Center classes are going well. Staffs are conveying their Pranams to all.

Om Namah Sivaya! In early Sept, we had a lecture about "The Conquest of Anger" - directed by Kanti Devi. We also celebrated Ganesha Chathurti and the birthday of Swami Sivananda. Both were really nice, with many people who came to share together and participate in the Pujas, with sincere devotion. We had also a teachers' meeting to organize the activities of the month and the next retreat in Florida.

Mid-September - Kanti returned from Brazil. In the afternoon she participated in the Meditation and shared, with teachers and students, her great experience there. In Rio de Janeiro she had a retreat in a beautiful island where people from all over Brazil who took TTC last January went to see Kanti and thank her once again for such experience that was their TTC. In Porto Alegre she had a nice program, she gave some hatha yoga classes and satsangs in the morning and evening. She came back full of prana from the strong nature that you can find in Brazil and the generous people that always receives her so nicely.

Chandra went to Buenos Aires to help out Shambu Ch. At the Montevideo Center we are preparing everything for the next retreat in Florida, Uruguay. We keep on translating the books of Sivananda into Spanish, we are working on the "Hindu fasts and festivals" that we are about to finish!! We are also planning to make a book about Swami Vishnuji´s life with the information that we have from the magazine Yoga life. God bless you all!

Om Namah Sivaya. In early Sept, we had a very good week with the celebration on Vinayaka Chathurti. We celebrated Master's Birthday with a beautiful Puja. Our Fall program started with classes on Saturdays and Sundays, seniors classes, kid's class and two days a week Pregnancy Classes. Sankara took Bhahmacharya initiation this week and now is Sankara Chaitanya.

Mid-September started the new 5 week cooking course given with Sankara Ch. New courses started at full capacity. The morning satsangs are well attended, and lots of energy in the evening satsangs. We started Om Namo Narayanaya chanting every day at 3 PM. Lots of karma yogis are helping nicely at the center. Om and Prem.

Om Namo Narayanaya. In early Sept, the Center was closed for the Labor Day holiday. We were pleased to welcome Brother Rolph on his way back to Montreal. We also had a visit from Swami Mahadevananda and Sita visiting New York. Swami Srinivasananda also spent some time at the Center. Swami Sadasivananda left for TTC at the Ranch. We held a busy Open House, gaining new members and students for the Center.

Mid-September - All is well here at the Center. The students are keeping us quite busy. Radhika led a cooking workshop and Narayana Chaitanya taught the Asana and Pranayama Intensive. Gayatri went to the Yoga Ranch for the weekend. The staff are doing well and sending Pranams to all.

September has arrived and traditionally it is a time when students start a new with their new resolutions after the holiday season. We are very busy with many new enquiries, many people booking for courses and coming to the trial classes. We had our open day recently and we had about 90 new students participating. This September seems even busier than other years. It is really a Yoga Boom in Paris at the moment! The Parisians seem to be opening up more to the need of yoga to help them deal with the stresses of modern life. We are happy that everyone is inspired to lead a more positive lifestyle and we are trying our best to accommodate everyone in the space that we have. Swami Kailasananda was with us for a few days giving a programme on "How to develop mental strength" which was a great source of inspiration with much practical guidance given to all. We had wonderful Satsangs, inspiring us to find the time for prayer for inner and global peace at this delicate time in the world. Our cooking workshops are also very popular. The last one was had the topic "Simple recipes for busy people". We had 23 students eager to change their diet to a healthier one. So, overall the Centre is very active. The staff is happy to be able to share these magical teachings with all.

Om Namo Narayanaya, Blessed Selves. In early Sept, Swami Padmapadananda and Gita Devi traveled to the Yoga Farm for the West Coast Teachers' Meeting. About 5 other teachers from the San Francisco area also were present. They arrived back on Sunday evening, charged and inspired from the weekend's events. Shambhu stayed behind to mind the Center. We had the unexpected and welcome arrival of Radha from Boulder, CO, who has moved out to the Bay Area to attend graduate school. She helped out with reception and taught a Saturday morning class before leaving us. One Sunday afternoon, a local yoga teacher who has recently moved to the area brought 11 students from Pittsburgh, PA to try a Sivananda class and attend a evening satsang. They generally seemed to enjoy the experience although some of them were exhausted from their travels and a little overwhelmed by the chanting and the cross-legged sitting.

Mid-September - We now have a solid core of 13 Yoga instructors, counting staff and outside teachers. A teacher's meeting was held Saturday evening to discuss pointers for teaching in the city and to prepare for covering the duties of Swami Padmapadananda and Shambhu while they are helping with the TTC at the Farm. One Saturday afternoon, a special class was taught for 21 students of SF State University and their teacher. It was reassuring to see that we can actually fit that many mats in the room. The class was well received by the students and we expect to see some of them here again. Zdenek, our resident from the Czech Republic left today to return home. We wish him a safe journey and a speedy return. Swami Padma is cooking, teaching, and writing, etc. with one arm tied behind his back - well actually in a sling, after falling last week and breaking his wrist. He endured the pain with a smile for two days before friends convinced him to go to a hospital. We all wish him a quick and complete recovery. Summer finally seems to have arrived in San Francisco, with a weekend of sunny beautiful days. Om.

In early Sept, we welcomed back Jnaneshwari who just completed her ATTC at the Yoga Camp. The preparations for Swami Swaroopananda's visit are becoming more and more intense as we have only less then 20 days now. A new beginners' course opened, with 18 participants. A Meditation workshop for our teachers opened with 9 participants. The registration for the upcoming yoga retreat is proceeding nicely.

Mid- September - We spent a lot of time in major renovations of our first floor in preparation of Swami Swaroopananda's and Swami Prema Swaroopananda's visit. The main task was a complete renovation of Swami Swaroopananda's room and the office. Around 50 Sivananda Yoga teachers joined us on Saturday for an inspiring day which included Satsang, a special yoga class which focused on how to teach people with different physiological problems, lectures on yoga-orientated anatomy and physiology and a meal. The day was very inspiring. Registration to the yoga retreat is proceeding nicely with 45 people registered already.

In early Sept, Saraswati, Anoosha, Harsha and Leticia returned to the Centre this week. Everyone was happy to have them back in Toronto. This week we had an evening Yoga 2M course begin. One Thursday evening Saraswati led us in an inspiring Puja, for 20 guests, to celebrate Swami Sivananda's Birthday. One weekend we held a two-hour advanced workshop for students. They had the opportunity to deepen their asana practice as they listened to the bansuri flute, played by master flautist, Ron Allen.

Mid-September - September has brought an increase of energy to the Centre. We started a new Yoga 1, with 15 students registered. Prahlada returned to the Centre from summer at the Yoga Camp.We are all glad to have his energy back at the Toronto Centre. He arrived from Camp in time to take 22 students away for a lovely fall weekend retreat at a Centre just north of the city. Pranams to all.

In early Sept, our students were much involved in preparation for the Onam festival. The classes were small. The Centre gave Onam gifts to regular external teachers, staff and karma yogis. Veena and Vasanth joined Neyyar Dam Ashram staff and guests on the night train to the Meenakshi Ashram opening Puja and celebrations, spending some time in the beautiful Meenakshi temple in Madurai. They later enjoyed the quiet and restful Ashram and facilities, with all the VIP and other guests. They returned on the sleeper train. We pray for the soul of Brahmachari Raju, Ashram pujari and staff member, who died unexpectedly in an accident in September.

Mid-September - We celebrated Onam for ten days, most students were at home with their families, so we had no classes from Wednesday afternoon till Saturday as attendance really dropped. During three day public holidays, staff enjoyed an OnaSadya, traditional Kerala Onam feast served on a banana leaf, prepared a floral picture on the floor outside reception using petals of different coloured flowers, two staff went to Neyyar Dam Ashram to help with their Onam preparations. One Friday all staff, long term teacher PK Das, and our Karma Yogi Shankara Iyyer, went sightseeing to the nearby coastal town of Varkala, visiting the Sri Narayana Guru Sivagiri ashram, and taking prasad or morning food there; then to the Narayana GuruKulu school started by his disciple Nataraja Guru, and in the evening (after a swim in the ocean), attended arati at the Janardanam (Krishna) temple near the beach. A wonderful happy day out was enjoyed by all. We had a Lalita Sahasranama puja, a Ganapate Homa for 1st Malayalam day of the month, and the daily puja is going on for Devi, so the entire centre is full of Divine energy. Manimala spent 3 days at the Ashram helping out before Onam. Centre staff and teachers look forward to sharing our renewed energy with lots more students after this Festival break. Staff and teachers are well.