From 18th to 22nd and 26th to 30th December 2017, two yoga training shivirs were organized for Physical Education teachers of Government high schools in Patna. About 30 teachers participated in each of the shivirs. The classes were conducted by Sannyasis Dharmavijaya, Chaitanyamurti and Shakti.
On 25th December, on the occasion of Sri Swami Satyananda’s birthday, Satyananda Yoga Kendra, Patna, organized a yoga class for 100 children in the Children’s Park, S. K. Nagar. In the evening, havan and kirtan was conducted.
2nd January was the foundation day of Satyananda Yoga Sadhana Kendra, Bariarpur. Swamis Gyanbhikshu and Tyagraj conveyed the gratitude of Vishwa Yogapeeth Munger for the dedicated services rendered by the devotees of Bariarpur. Their support has been continuous for many decades and many programs, and BSY is looking forward to working together in future. Over 500 devotees attended the function.
On 14th and 15th February, a yoga shivir was organized at the Ministerial Staff Training Centre, Income Tax Department, Patna, for 30 officers and ministerial staff. On 15th February, a yoga session was organized at the Senior Officers Income Tax Department, Patna. The topic was stress management. Swami Tyagraj conducted all the sessions; he was assisted by Sannyasis Dharmarakshit and Yogesh.
From 23rd to 25th February, a yoga shivir was organized at the Energy Park, Patel Nagar, Patna. The morning class was attended by 300 children, women and men. In the afternoon, a program of bhajan, kirtan, havan and satsang was conducted for a group of 25 local devotees at the Navshok Buddha Colony.
On 23rd February, a talk on ‘Health and Yoga’ was delivered at the Rajkiya Ayurvedic College. It was attended by 100 professors, doctors and students. Swami Tyagraj conducted all the sessions and he was assisted by Kunal of Yuva Yoga Mitra Mandal.
From 18th to 24th March, a yoga camp was organized at the District Jail Munger. A daily morning class was attended by fifty under-trial prisoners and some jail personnel. The program continued for one month with classes twice a week. Swami Tyagraj conducted all the sessions; he was assisted by Bal Yogesh of Yuva Yoga Mitra Mandal (YYMM).
From 16th to 22nd March, a yoga camp was organized at the Remand Home, Sojhi Ghat, Munger. It was attended by sixty-three teenage boys aged 14 to 19. The yoga program consisted of daily classes for one week, conducted by Pradeep Kumar and assisted by Karan Kumar, both of Yuva Yoga Mitra Mandal. The program continued for one month with classes twice a week.
From 17th to 23rd March, a yoga camp was organized at the Children’s Home, Sojhi Ghat, Munger. Thirty boys aged 10 to 17 participated in the daily classes which were conducted by Ishaan (YYMM); he was assisted by Shubham (YYMM). The program continued for one month with classes held twice a week.
From 28th to 29th April, a yoga shivir was organized at the Indo Hakke Hotel in Rajgir for a large group of regional managers (Bihar and Jharkhand) of the State Bank of India. Swami Kaivalyananda conducted the sessions of the two-day program.
From 23rd to 26th May, a yoga shivir was organized at Commercial Sales Tax Office, Bhagalpur. More than 60 tax officials attended the hatha yoga classes in the morning, yoga nidra classes in the afternoon and satsang sessions in the evening. Swami Tyagraj conducted the classes and Kunal Singh of Yuva Yoga Mitra Mandal (YYMM) assisted.
From 1st to 5th June, a yoga shivir was organized by Bihar Finance Service Association, Patna. Over 100 people, including children, participated in the morning and evening sessions. Swami Kaivalyananda conducted the sessions and Arvind Madhav of YYMM assisted.
On 11th August, a program was organized by Dainik Jagran for senior citizens at the Maurya Hotel, Patna. At the function, Swami Kaivalyananda spoke on how yoga can help create happiness in senior citizens.
On 9th September, the Raja Karn-Mir Kasim Committee of Munger organized a felicitation function at the Dekchi Banquet Hall in Munger. Swami Gyanbhikshu spoke on the universal, scientific nature of yoga and the need to integrate yoga into today’s society.
On 9th November, Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati delivered a lecture on the utility of yoga in developing the faculties of head, heart and hands at S.K. Memorial Hall, Patna. The program was organized by the Bihar Industries Association as part of their platinum jubilee year celebrations. More than 5000 people, both inside and outside the auditorium, listened in rapt attention to Swamiji’s two-hour long lecture.
On 18th November, Swami Niranjan was the chief guest at the Acharya Laxmikant Mishra National Awards ceremony organized at the Sri Krishna Seva Sadan in Munger. Speaking on the occasion, he recounted how Acharya Laxmikant Mishra had come in contact with Sri Swamiji in the 1960s and lived a yogic life as a dedicated journalist. Swamiji described journalism as a bridge between education and samskaras on one side and the practical concerns of life on the other. He exhorted journalists to live up to the great responsibility placed on their shoulders by society.
From 5th to 7th July, the ‘Know Yourself Yogotsav Bharat Yoga Yatra 2018’ was organized jointly by Satyananda Yogashram Rajnandgoan, Bihar Yoga Bharati and Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, at Satyananda Yogashram.
Every day Sikh Ragis devotees came and sang bhajans which touched the hearts of everyone. The participants felt connected to God and Guru.
The participants were very receptive and participated wholeheartedly. Many requests came for more such shivirs. Swami Gorakhnath, Swami Kaivalyananda and Swami Shivrajananda conducted all the sessions.
From 2nd to 4th April, a shivir was organized by the Army Wives Welfare Association in the Delhi Cantonment area. More than 300 ladies benefitted from this shivir, conducted by Swami Nirmalananda and Sannyasi Soumyashakti.
On 10th April, a yoga session was organized at the premises of the Hughes Systique Private Ltd., Gurgaon. Swami Nirmalananda conducted the session.
From 13th to 15th April, the ‘Know Yourself Yogotsav Bharat Yoga Yatra 2018’, was jointly organized by the citizens of Delhi, Bihar School of Yoga and Bihar Yoga Bharati, Munger, Bihar, at the Football Ground, Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium.
The focus of the shivir was on the antaranga aspect of yoga. The hundreds of participants fully embraced the teachings of the second chapter and wholeheartedly did their ‘homework’ of bhakti and karma yoga: developing awareness of their positive associations and performing their actions to the best of their ability.
The morning and evening sessions were conducted by Swami Nirmalananda, Swami Shivadhyanam, Swami Shivrajananda and Swami Tyagraj.
From 27th November to 2nd December 2017, a yoga camp was conducted at the residential primary and secondary schools for tribal children at Ambardi village, Rajkot. About 80 children attended the daily sessions. Swami Nirmalananda conducted this third camp in collaboration with the Sister Nivedita Foundation.
On 26th November and 3rd December 2017, sessions 5 and 6 were conducted for the training of local school teachers. The focus was on deepening their awareness and the experience. On two successive Sundays, a small number of dedicated teachers attended the classes conducted by Swami Nirmalananda.
From 24th to 30th December 2017, yoga was part of the First International School Convention organized by SPICMACAY at the Delhi Public School, Bengaluru. The students’ age ranged from 8 to 18 years; over 150 attended the hatha yoga class, 250 the yoga nidra session and 25 took part in the intensive training. All sessions were conducted by Swami Tyagraj who was assisted by Ravi, member of the Yuva Yoga Mitra Mandal.
From 7th to 9th January, the ‘Know Yourself Yogotsav Bharat Yoga Yatra 2018’ was jointly organized by the citizens of Bengaluru and Atma Darshan Yogashram. On 7th the inauguration took place at the ashram itself with chanting, dance, kirtan by students and the children of Satyam Bal Yoga Sangha.
Over 700 participants, national and international attended the two daily sessions at the Dayananda Sagar College Auditorium. The 2nd Chapter of BSY was introduced with the bahiranga and antaranga aspects of the yoga chakra.
Swamis Gorakhnath, Maitreyi, Prembhava and Shivrajananda conducted all the sessions with Sannyasi Ajnananda assisting.
From 9th to 11th March, the ‘Know Yourself Yogotsav Bharat Yoga Yatra 2018’ was organized jointly by the citizens of Bhopal and the Bihar School of Yoga at the Manas Bhavan, Polytechnic Chauraha, Shyamla Hills, Bhopal. The morning and evening sessions were attended by over 700 participants. Devotees of longstanding, associated with Sri Swami Satyananda since the 1960s as well as first-time yoga aspirants participated with great fervour and interest. Swami Kaivalyananda, Swami Sivaraj and Swami Tyagraj conducted all the sessions. On 10th March, a session was also conducted in the Central Jail for over 400 jail inmates.
From 13th to 15th July, the ‘Know Yourself Yogotsav Bharat Yoga Yatra 2018’ was organized jointly by the citizens of Indore, Satyananda Yoga Kendra, Indore and Bihar School of Yoga at the Basketball Indoor Stadium in Indore. Swami Gorakhnath and Swami Shivrajananda conducted the morning and evening sessions which over 600 participants attended.
From 22nd to 27th February two programs were organized jointly by citizens of Mumbai, RCF Chembur, AMI Dnyana Sadhana Trust Chembur, Bihar School of Yoga and Satyananda Yogadarshan Peeth, Nasik, as part of the ‘Know Yourself Yogotsav Bharat Yoga Yatra 2018’. The first program was conducted from 22nd to 24th February at the Yogi Sabha Grah, Swaminarayan Mandir, Dadar. The morning hatha yoga sessions and the evening sessions were attended by over 200 participants. Swami Kaivalyananda,Swami Shivrajananda, Swami Shivadhyanam, Sannyasis Vijayashakti and Atmanivedan conducted all the classes.
On 24th February, Swami Kaivalyananda and Swami Nirmalananda met with 150 policemen and police officers at Goregaon and a class of asana, pranayama and yoga nidra was conducted for them. Talks were also given on mind and emotion management.
From 25th to 27th February, the second program was organized at the RCF Ground, Chembur. Classes were held twice daily, morning and evening. Around 300 participants attended the morning and evening sessions. Swami Kaivalyananda, Swami Shivadhyanam, Sannyasis Vijayashakti and Atmanivedan conducted all the classes.
The theme of these programs was the 2nd Chapter of Yoga. The direction is to take yoga from practice to sadhana and to a yogic lifestyle, and the focus is to attain the defined aims of each branch of yoga and not practise to meet personal needs and ambitions. In order to live the yoga of the 2nd Chapter, aspirants have to develop seriousness, sincerity, commitment in their sadhana, and develop a positive yogic lifestyle with sadachar, good conduct as its hallmark.
From 13th to 14th April, two shivirs were organized in Kolkata at the Chowdhury Bhavan and Udita Community Hall. Sannyasis Karmanidhi, Manas Shakti, Nadamani and Vidyadhara conducted the morning and evening sessions.
From 16th to 29th April, various shivirs were organized in and around Kolkata at the NSHM Institute, Tractor India Ltd., Upohar Club, Kolkata Shooting Academy, Open Air at the The Lakes, Space Circle Community Hall, Bhowanipore Educational Society Hall, Millenium Mams and Anand Dham. All sessions were conducted by Sannyasis Gyanmudra and Madhuri with the enthusiastic support of the local organizers.
From 4th to 8th June, yoga classes were conducted at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, as part of the SPICMACAY Convention dedicated to the musical and cultural heritage and traditional art forms of India. Over 150 students participated in the morning hatha yoga sessions, 25 students attended the intensive sessions and over 400 attended the yoga nidra sessions. The participants were from various states of India, and also from the neighbouring countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Classes were conducted by Swami Tyagraj and Sannyasi Mahesh.
From 15th to 20th June, two programs were organized jointly by the citizens of Kolkata, Bihar School of Yoga & Bihar Yoga Bharati, Munger as part of the ‘Know Yourself Yogotsav Bharat Yoga Yatra 2018’. The first program was conducted from 15th to 17th June at FD Block Association, Bidhannagar, Salt Lake. The morning hatha yoga sessions and the evening raja yoga and satsang sessions were attended by over 250 participants. The second program was organized at the Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra from 18th to 20th June, which had over 150 participants. Swamis Gorakhnath, Kaivalyananda, Shivrajananda and Tyagraj conducted all the sessions.
From 3rd to 5th May, the ‘Know Yourself Yogotsav Nepal Yoga Yatra 2018’, was jointly organized by the citizens of Biratnagar, Biratnagar Business and Professional Women, Mahendra Morang Adarsha Multiple Campus and Bihar School of Yoga. The venue was the campus of Mahendra Morang Adarsha College in Biratnagar, Nepal. Swami Shivrajananda, Swami Tyagraj, Sannyasis Aparokshananda and Satchidananda conducted all sessions.
In May and June 2018, Swami Prembhava travelled to Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy and Serbia for weekend seminars on yoga ecology and lifestyle. In Bulgaria, Italy and Serbia the subject and practices from the book Janani: Understanding Prakriti were experienced. The weekend seminars were held in natural venues outside of the city, to truly imbibe yoga ecology and live a yogic lifestyle. Practices of Ashwattha and Jyoti Aradhana and havan were done, along with mantras, kirtan, karma yoga and hatha yoga. Yogic lifestyle was experienced as a means to reconnect to nature and live life in harmony with the world around us.
In Hungary, Janani: Annadwai Pranah – Food is Prana was taught for the first time. The pranic and yogic diet was discussed as a means to live simply and ecologically according to the yogic principles of diet and lifestyle. Khichari was cooked together as an example meal of the true yogic diet. Karma yoga in the ashram vegetable garden, hatha yoga, raja yoga, kirtan, havan and aradhana encouraged yogic lifestyle as a means to live in harmony with nature.
From 27th April to 1st May, the 3rd South-American Gathering was held in Caxias do Sul in the south of Brazil. The organizers of the program were Ganapati Yogacenter in Caxias do Sul and Satyananda Yoga Center in Belo Horizonte. Swami Maitreyi was invited from Colombia.
It was a five-day program where the first three days were open to all Satyananda Yoga practitioners and the last two days were for teachers and committed aspirants.
The theme of the first days was yoga in today’s society: yogic lifestyle, APMB practices, karma yoga, yoga nidra and meditation. Talks were given by:
Diego Arenaza Vecino (the president of RYE in Brazil) on his experiences of yoga in the classroom.
Sannyasi Atmatirtha (yoga teacher and psychologist) on his work of integrating yoga in schools in Caxias do Sul.
Sannyasi Gangadhara (yoga teacher and psychologist) on her work of integrating yoga in the health system in Brazil.
The purpose of the second half of the program was to give an introduction to the history of Satyananda Yoga, to introduce the second chapter, to deepen the understanding of the teaching and of the practice of pranayama. The talks were given by Swami Maitreyi and Swami Aghorananda.
The program was attended by 95 people from Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Colombia. The evening was dedicated to kirtan and havan. The Ganesh havan was conducted by four children attending the program.