On 14th February, Bal Yoga Diwas was celebrated at Gyan Darshan Yogashram, Bhilai. Children from the primary school of Ruabandha Sector and children from the hostel run by the Rukhmini Ashram Jagdalpur were invited. They staged a play depicting scenes from the life of Swami Niranjanananda. All guests and participants thoroughly enjoyed the performance.
A yoga sadhana shivir was organized from 25th March to 2nd April by Yoga Vidya Sadhana Kendra, Kanker. 130 participants attended the shivir which was conducted by Swami Gorakhnath. He also conducted classes for over 600 students of Central School and 80 students of Seedling School and informed them about the benefits of yoga for their all-round development. On the last day of the shivir, Swami Gorakhnath visited a neighbouring village, Mudpar, and gave an inspiring satsang on karma and bhakti yoga to over 150 villagers.
From 19th to 24th May, Swami Gorakhnath conducted various yoga programs in Bhilai. On 19th May evening, at Sivananda Niketan, a branch of the Divine Life Society, Nehru Nagar, a talk was given to senior citizens on how to bring peace and happiness into one’s life.
On 20th May, a havan was conducted in the morning at the newly constructed yajnashala of Gyanadarshan Yogashram; it was attended by 70 participants.
From 20th to 21st May, a workshop was conducted for 70 employees of the Hindustan Steelworks Construction Limited (HSCL).
From 22nd to 23rd May, morning and evening yoga sessions were held at Gyanadarshan Yogashram for 125 participants.
On 24th May, a talk was given at the Yoga Sadhana and Culture Centre at Maitri Nagar, which was attended by 60 participants.
From 28th August to 2nd September, the Sister Nivedita Foundation, Rajkot, organized the second yoga camp of the series, at the residential primary and secondary school for rural children at the village Ambardi near Rajkot. Daily two separate classes were conducted for primary and secondary school students. 80 students of class VIII in the primary section and 200 students of class XI and XII attended the daily sessions. Swami Nirmalananda conducted the classes.
From 22nd to 28th June, Satyananda Yoga Kendra, Jamshedpur, organized a yoga sadhana shivir at the Golmuri Club. Two morning sessions were conducted: one for regular yoga practitioners which had 91 participants, and one for beginners which had 84 participants.
From 22nd to 24th June, daily yoga classes were organized for employees of Tata Motors at the Telco Club. 50 employees participated.
On 25th, 27th and 28th June, bhajan, kirtan and satsang sessions were held at Baridih, Bistupur and Vijaya Garden respectively. More than 300 participants attended these programs.
Swami Gorakhnath conducted all the sessions; he emphasized the importance of incorporating yoga in one’s day-to-day life.
On 14th February, the children of Satyam Bala Yoga Sangha conducted an entire program at Atma Darshan Yogashram, Bengaluru. It comprised of havan, yoga demonstration, dance and kirtan and was attended by 200 children and 100 adults. On this day Atma Darshan Yogashram also celebrated the joyous occasion of the Padma Bhushan award being conferred to Swami Niranjanananda.
From 28th February to 2nd March, a yoga sadhana shivir was organized by Satyananda Yoga Kendra, Indore, at Ma Anandamayi Peeth, Indore. More than180peopleparticipatedinthis shivir intended to introduce aspirants to the spiritual path. On the last day, the Peethadheesh of Ma Anandamayi Peeth, Swami Kedarnath, expressed his wish that such sadhana courses be organized on a regular basis at the Peeth. The classes were conducted by Swami Sivaraj.
From 23rd to 25th March, a yoga sadhana shivir was organized in Rampur Baghelan, Satna district, for 45 participants. Swami Harishraddhananda conducted all sessions.
From 11th to14th May, a yoga shivir was organized at Satpura Law College, Chhindwara, which was attended by 50 participants. Mahamrityunjaya mantra chanting was conducted as part of the shivir on Saturday, 13th May. Swami Harishraddhananda conducted all the sessions.
From 25th to 27th August, a yoga shivir was conducted at the Pandit Motilal Nehru Law College, Chhatarpur. More than 80 participants attended the morning and evening sessions.
On 26th August, a special program of asana, pranayama and havan was organized at the Laxman Raja Hostel, Chhatarpur, for 200 students. All classes were conducted by Swami Harishraddhananda.
On 7th January, Swami Nirmalananda conducted a yoga session at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, for over 100 cancer patients and caregivers. This class was part of a conference jointly organized by the N.K. Dhabhar Cancer Foundation (NKDCF), the Tata Memorial Centre and the Association of Gynaecological Oncologists of India.
On 14th January, a program was organized at Ekalavya Centre, Amagaon, run by Friends of Tribal Society (FTS), Western Chapter. Swami Nirmalananda and Sannyasi Yogapriya conducted four sessions: one for 200 children, aged 8 to 12; one for about 60 women; one for a mixed group of participants; and one session for about 15 school teachers.
From 13th to 18th February, a yoga shivir was organized at the Cricket Club of India, Mumbai, for the fourth consecutive year. It was attended by 250 participants, club members and guests. One special evening session was for young players (badminton and squash) to improve their playing skills. Swami Vigyan Chaitanya conducted the classes; he was assisted by Sri Eknath.
From 4th to 6th March, a yoga shivir called ‘Yoga Sadhana: Entry into Spiritual Life’ was conducted at the Shankaracharya Nyas in Nasik. Over 250 participants attended the morning and evening sessions which were conducted by Swami Sivaraj. He was assisted by Sannyasi Srimurti.
On 26th March, as part of the Maharashtra Yoga Utsav organized in MumbaibyKaivalyadhama,Lonavla, Swami Nirmalananda conducted a workshop on yoga nidra. 70 people attended the session.
On 7th May, a program was organized by Mrs Usha Karnik and her daughter Meshaw Dhargalkar at the AMI centre (‘Awaken and Maximize Inner Potential), Chembur. Swami Nirmalananda spoke to over 100 yoga students on the sound energy of mantra.
On 23rd and 24th February, a yoga program was organized on the request of Senior Officers of Northern Railway Headquarter, Baroda House and Railway Board, New Delhi. The first session was held at the Railway Officers Club, Panchkuian Road, for 40 male and female officers, and the second session was conducted at the Railway Officers Club, Chanakyapuri, for 20 male and female senior officers. Swami Sivaraj conducted both sessions.
From 23rd to 26th March, as part of the ‘Know Yourself Yogotsav Bharat Yoga Yatra 2017’, a yoga shivir was conducted at the Field Club, Fatahapur Chauraha, Udaipur. About 400 participants attended the morning and evening sessions.
From 28th to 30th March, the North Western Railway Training Institute, Udaipur, organized a yoga camp for 12 railway divisions of the state. A group of over 900 engineers, station masters, railway drivers, guards and railway officers participated.
From 6th to 9th April, the ‘Know Yourself Yogotsav 2017’ took place at the Hotel Surya Mahal, Shastrinagar, Bhilwara. About 300 people attended the morning and evening sessions.
All sessions were conducted by Swami Kaivalyananda and Swami Sivaraj.
From 1st to 8th April, Swami Kaivalyananda also spoke on the importance of yoga in various schools in Bhilwara: at the Seth Murlidhar Uchha Kanya Vidyalaya, Shastrinagar, to 108 girls of class XI; at the Laxmi Narayan Junior College, to a group of 50 students; at the Mahesh Public School to 250 high school students; 25 teachers also attended the talk; at the Government Higher Secondary School, Rajendra Marg, to 300 boys and 36 teachers; at the Adarsha Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, to 200 boys and 50 girls of classes VI to XII; 20 teachers attended the talks; at the Green Valley Public School, to over 500 students and 30 teachers.
From 2nd to 5th November, the ‘Know Yourself Yogotsav Bharat Yoga Yatra 2017’ was held at the North-West Railway Stadium, Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The program was jointly organized by the citizens of Jodhpur, Bihar School of Yoga and Satyananda Yoga Darshan Peeth, Trayambakeshwar. More than 250 participants attended the morning and evening sessions.
Swami Kaivalyananda, Swami Sivaraj and Swami Tyagraj conducted the morning and evening sessions of mantra chanting, asana, pranayama and pratyahara. They also gave talks on the Satyananda Yoga tradition and the guru parampara of the tradition. Participants were also introduced to the practice of yamas and niyamas as part of understanding the yogic lifestyle.
On 14th February, Satyananda Yoga Centre, Chennai, celebrated the year-long Children Yoga Festival. 30 schools participated and 600 children demonstrated their skills.
From 30th July to 4th August, the village of Karumanthurai, about 300 km from Chennai, organized a yoga shivir. Daily classes were conducted for 160 students, grades 6 to 9, of two Vanavasi Kendra Schools. On two days, 25 teachers of the schools practised yoga nidra. Guru paduka aradhana was held and over 500 children attended. Sannyasi Shivarishi conducted the sessions.
From 24th to 26th May, a program of ‘Know Yourself Yogotsav Bharat Yoga Yatra 2017’ was organized at the Kanha Galaxy Hall, Kanpur, with the help and support of the citizens of Kanpur. More than 700 people – children, ladies, professors and students, engineers and businessmen – attended the morning and evening sessions. On 26th May, a workshop was organized by Amar Ujala newspaper on the subject of ‘Mind Management’.
Swami Kaivalyananda and Swami Sivaraj conducted all the classes.
Sannyasi Satyamitra conducted yoga classes at the Ming Yoga centre in Guangzhou City, South China, where she introduced shatkarmas and other practices of Satyananda Yoga.
From 5th to 16th February, the Army Physical Training and Sports Centre (Nepal Government, Ministry of Defence, Nepalese Army) organized a two-week yoga camp, in Lagankhel, Lalitpur, Nepal. 15 Physical Instructor Trainers and 40 Physical Instructor Trainees attended the shivir. Sannyasis Premananda and Sivagiri conducted the classes.
From 9th to 11th April, a yoga shivir was organized by Bouddha Children Heaven Boarding School, Bouddha, Kathmandu. 85 Teachers and parents attended the program.
From 10th to 12th May, a yoga shivir was organized by Radiant School, Kalanki, Kathmandu. 25 Teachers participated.
On 29th May, a yoga shivir was organized by Arunima School, Bouddha, Kathmandu, for 45 teachers
All programs were conducted by Sannyasi Premananda who was assisted by Jignasu Karunananda, Jignasu Jnanadharma and Damodar Bashyal. Shambhavi demonstrated in the shivirs.
In the month of March, Swami Maitreyi conducted programs, talks, gatherings and seminars in Uruguay. The tour was organized by Sannyasi Janardana and Satyananda Yoga centres and schools. A total of 300 people attended the various yoga events.
13th March, at the Satyananda School of Montevideo, on ‘What is pratyahara?’ 14th March, at the Satyananda School in Piriapolis, regular yoga class; 14th March, in Punta del Este, on ‘Yoga in Daily Life’; 15th March, in La Paloma, kirtan and meditation; 16th March, at the Satyananda School in Rocha, on relaxation and yoga nidra; 17th to 19th March, on yoga psychology; 21st March, in the city, on yoga and stress management.
23rd to 26th March, South-American Gathering: The annual South American gathering for yoga teachers and long-term practitioners has been initiated with the purpose to come together, update the understanding of the yoga practices and teaching, to share experiences and continue the learning process.
In 2016, the first gathering was held in Argentina, and was attended by 50 people from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. The four-day program focused on the pratyahara practices, yoga nidra, antar mouna and ajapa japa.
In 2017, the gathering was conducted in Uruguay with over 80 participants from, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay. The focus was on the beginners group of asanas.
From 16th to 26th September, Swami Omgyanam conducted various programs in Uruguay.
On 16th September, a program was held for 18 participants at La Paloma, a small summer holiday resort on the coast about 3 hours from Montevideo. The topic was ‘Adopt Yogic Lifestyle to be Healthy and Content’ and the practices were yamas, niyamas, the 18 ITIES, santosha and manahprasad.
On 17th September, a program was organized at the Tarika Yoga Centre by Sannyasis Antardhyana and Bindugyanam. More than 40 aspirants came to learn about ‘Yoga and Well being for Body, Mind and Spirit’.
On 19th September, Sannyasi Yogasarita organized a program in Montevideo on pratipaksha bhavana and positivity which 16 people attended.
On 21st September, Sannyasi Chandramani also hosted a program for 26 people on the topic of pratipaksha bhavana and positivity.
On 23rd September, Anasakti and Satyananda Yoga School organized a program at the Hacienda Los Lagos outside of Montevideo. The topic was ‘Yogic Lifestyle’ and 36 people attended.
On 24th September, Satyananda Yoga School hosted a program at the Centro Esclavas del Corazón de Jesús in Montevideo. The topic was ‘Sadhana’ and 27 people attended
On 26th September, Sannyasi Arjuna hosted a program for 46 people on the Bhagavad Gita. A brief introduction to the 18 chapters and the branches of karma, jnana, bhakti and dhyana yoga were presented.
From 21st to 23rd July, the Hungarian ashram in Szolad organized a seminar on Yoga Ecology and Lifestyle. Mantra chanting, kirtan, havan, Ashwattha Aradhana, Jyoti Aradhana and Agnihotra were introduced to the 54 people who attended the seminar. Morning asana class and yoga nidra was taught with an emphasis on the connection to nature and the tattwas. These techniques bring about environmental and internal balance and peace.
From 28th to 30th July 2017, a Yoga Ecology seminar was held in Raquira, a beautiful small village three hours from Bogotá. 40 people attended the seminar.
On 4th August, havan and kirtan was held at the Satyananda Yoga Academy in Bogotá which 40 people attended.
On 6th August, a one-day seminar was held at the Satyananda Yoga Academy. The 24 participants received small trees as prasad to perform the practice of Ashwattha Aradhana in their homes.
On 7th August, morning havan, mantra chanting and kirtan took place to celebrate the occasion of the full moon. 70 people attended the program.
On 14th August, Swami Prembhava gave an open lecture at the Universidad Catolica to students, lecturers and yoga aspirants. 80 people attended the two-hour lecture.
On 24th August, a program of kirtan concluded the tour. 80 people joined in a joyful gathering.
On 10th August, Swami Prembhava travelled to Uruguay and conducted a one-day seminar on 12th August at Villa Garcia, in the countryside of Montevideo. The topic was yogic lifestyle, principles of yoga ecology including asana, pranayama, yoga nidra, mantra, kirtan, havan and Agnihotra. 40 people attended the program.
On 13th August, an evening program of kirtan, the principles of yoga ecology and Ashwattha Aradhana was organized by Satyananda Darshan, Uruguay. Held at Catan, it was attended by 40 people.