Be Loyal To God
Be always cheerful and smile away your worries and difficulties. Follow the correct principle of living. Live an ideal life. Be moderate. Silence the surging emotions. Do not be carried away by the temptations of the world. Be on the alert. Be wise. Get away from the company of the materialistic persons. Soar high in the service of the Lord manifest in the poor, sick and the distressed. Unrest and agitation will cease and the bliss of peace will fill thy heart.

You must be unflinchingly loyal to God.  Always act with faith and determination. Be firm in your resolves and fiery in your determination. Put your heart, mind, intellect and soul for the service others. Living in the world dispassionately and doing selfless service is the noblest Sadhana (spiritual practice). When you do your all actions for God’s sake for the fulfillment of His purpose without the desire for fruit, you will get illumination and perennial peace, bliss and joy of God-realization.

Mould Your Destiny by Purushartha (exertion)      
Peace is the very life-breath of man. Even if you are the emperor of the whole world, of what use is your royal post if you do not have peace? You can have permanent peace, if only you turn your mind from the objective universe and live in the Divine within.

Fate is a non-entity. Fate is nothing but inevitable consequences of your own actions done in your previous births. Your actions determine your destiny. Therefore, you can easily conquer your so-called fate by right exertion, Purushartha.

Mould your destiny by noble actions. Be kind. Have compassions for the distressed. Live in peace and harmony with your fellow-men. You will attain the bliss of Immortality.

Lead A Simple Life
Lead a simple life. Live to serve others. Cast off all cares and anxieties, for God is there to look after you. He is the very embodiment of mercy. Be grateful to Him. Establish yourself in the kingdom of peace within your heart.

Develop Vairagya (dispassion). Without Vairagya and restraint of the senses, no spiritual Sadhana is possible. The energy will leak out if Vairagya wanes. Are you so very blunt and ignorant that inspite of repeated blows, tribulations and afflictions, you are still so tenaciously attached to this mundane earthly life?  Be wise. Wake up now. Realize the perishable nature of the world. Turn your gaze within, and be ever happy.

Keep the reason pure. Free yourself from egoistic notions. Destroy the feeling of I-ness and mineness. Attain liberation. Be free. Enjoy the bliss. Be established in the deep, abiding peace.

Stand As A Witness
Think rightly. Think correctly. Understand the laws of nature. Detach yourself from the lower mind. Separate yourself from unspiritual thoughts. Stand as a silent witness. Do not identify yourself with them Do not be carried away by their surging force. Divert your mind towards its ultimate source.

Just as fire gets extinguished when the fuel is withdrawn, so also the mind is absorbed into its source when the thoughts are annihilated. Perfect peace and bliss is now attained.

Renounce Egoism And Desires
Eternal spiritual life cannot be attained without the renunciation of the petty sensual life. The secret of renunciation is the renunciation of egoism and desires. Some think renouncing the family and the material world alone is the real renunciation. But it is actually not so. Once should not neglect his won Swadharma and responsibility in the name of renunciation. What is wanted is the renunciation of the tiny ego, lust, anger, greed, petty-mindedness, name, fame and such other negative qualities that stand in the way of one’s perfection, self evolution.

To want nothing is indeed the most efficacious way to attain the highest Good. But if you crave for a thing, you will not get it. Renounce the craving for the object, the object will follow you by itself.

Renounce the evil Vrittis (thought) of the mind through regular introspection and by cultivating their opposite Sattvic (pure) qualities. You will attain godhead. Renunciation alone can make you fearless and happy. It is the bestower of eternal peace and immortality.

Do Good To Others
All the phenomena of nature are governed by one infallible law, the law of causation, the law of Karma. It is this law that keeps up the inner harmony and logical order of the universe. No phenomenon can escape from the operation of this mighty law.

Any action is bound to react upon the doer with equal force and effect. If you do some good to another man, you are really doing good to yourself; because there is naught else but the all-pervading Self. Your virtuous actions will react upon you with good effects. They will bring you joy and happiness. Your wrong, unjust actions will react upon you with bad, miserable effect. They will bring you sorrow, grief and affliction.

Therefore, always do good to others. Lead a righteous life. Never hurt others. Be kind to all. Live to do good to others. Your life will be blessed and blissful.

Persevere In Sadhana (spirititual practice)
Reject everything that stands in the way of your spiritual progress. Make yourself worthy of receiving the Givine Grace through regular Sadhana. Be optimistic. Be waiting patiently. Persevere in Sadhana.
One day or other, thy life will be illumined by the Grace of the Lord.

Righteousness is your best companion of life. Truth and non-injury are its brothers. Desirelessness and dispassion are the kernel of a pure heart. Make friendship with these and reach the illimitable domain of eternal bliss and perennial peace.

by Swami Sivananda
World Peace

Why do we light a lamp?
In almost every Indian home a lamp is lit daily before the altar of the Lord. In some houses it is lit at dawn, in some, twice a day - at dawn and dusk - and in a few it is maintained continuously (akhanda deepa). All auspicious functions and moments like daily worship, rituals and festivals and even many social occasions like inaugurations commence with the lighting of the lamp, which is often maintained right through the occasion.

Why do we light a lamp?
Light symbolizes knowledge, and darkness ignorance. The Lord is the “Knowledge Principle” (chaitanya) who is the source, the enlivener and the illuminator of all knowledge. Hence light is worshipped as the Lord Himself.

Knowledge removes ignorance just as light removes darkness. Also knowledge is a lasting inner wealth by which all outer achievement can be accomplished. Hence we light the lamp to bow down to knowledge as the greatest of all forms of wealth. Knowledge backs all our actions whether good or bad. We therefore keep a lamp lit during all auspicious occasions as a witness to our thoughts and actions.

Why not light a bulb or tube light? That too would remove darkness. But the traditional oil lamp has a further spiritual significance. The oil or ghee in the lamp symbolizes our vaasanas or negative tendencies and the wick, the ego. When lit by spiritual knowledge, the vassanas get slowly exhausted and the ego too finally perishes. The flame of a lamp always burns upwards. Similarly we should acquire such knowledge as to take us towards a higher ideals.

A single lamp can light hundreds more just as a man of knowledge can give it to many more. The brilliance of the light does not diminish despite its repeated use to light many more lamps. So too knowledge does not lessen when shared with or imparted to others. On the contrary it increases in clarity and conviction on giving. It benefits both the receiver and the giver.

Which else shall beautify a home
But the flame of a lovely lamp?
Which else shall adorn the mind
But the light of wisdom deep?
..........................- Swami Chinmayananda

Thus this custom a wealth of intellectual and spiritual meaning.

In Indian Culture Why Do We
by Swamini Vimalananda & Radhika Krishnakumar

What is a moment? A moment is the interval when the future changes into the past. When the future changes into the past - that is the present moment.
This present moment we can never measure. Before you can measure it, it has gone into the past. The past has gone forever. And the future is always in the future. But change is constant; it takes place moment by moment. We cannot say how much this is changing. These processes are going on even now. While I am talking to you my grey hair is still growing, it does not stop. So also my nose is changing. Can you see?
My liver, spleen, kidneys are all changing at this very moment. So also with you, too, changing at this very moment. But you have forgotten. That is the philosophy. In this universe everything will change, everything  is changing. Everything is moving in time, space and causation; nothing is permanent as you thought.

by Swami Vishnudevananda
UPADESA

This class is for those with a desire to practice at a slower, more gentle pace, with more emphasis on proper stretching and releasing of tension.
While the class sticks strictly to the basic principles of a typical Sivananda-system yoga class, more time will be spent on the releasing of tension in both body and mind. The class will include the basic breathing exercises, and the warm-up sun salutations.

But unlike the open and beginners classes, this class will -include more stress-relieving sequences, such as neck-rolls and eye exercises. Each class will also have more emphasis on certain asanas, so that by the end of the course, students would have a chance to learn different asanas, resulting in a more well-rounded practice. The class will also end with a longer relaxation session, to deepen the sense of calmness.
The aim of this class, is not to learn as many postures as possible, but to go deep into selected ones, and cultivate the awareness of the utilization of our muscles.
It is not necessary to have any previous experience to take this class, but a desire to learn to how to slow down and stay calm, would help enhance your experience. 

This is on-going practice class, students can join in anytime by using the same pass card!

Intermediate course is an ideal course for those wanting to go deeper into their yoga practice.
The course includes a thorough introduction and preparation for practice
of headstand, and focus on classical variations. Intermediate course will prepare you to be easily following Open Class level.
This twice a week course for a short 2 weeks time.

Who should attend:
- Students progressing from Beginner Course
- Students practising at on-going Beginner Class level who are in transition to practice at Open Class level (please check with your teacher if you are ready to join).
- Open Class students who need to work on the details of the postures.

Course meeting dates:
December 3, 6, 10 and 13

Class duration: 90 minutes.
Fee: $80 for 4 classes

Pre-registration and payment is required.
Email: info@sivananda.com.sg
Phone: 90679100
           .98386704

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre Singapore
21B Bukit Pasoh Road
Singapore 089835
Website: www.sivananda.com.sg
Email: info@sivananda.com.sg
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Phone: 90679100 
            98386704

Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate & Realize