wellness
Sivananda Yoga Ashram
A haven of peace for recharging your batteries and achieving your inner balance through the practice of meditation and traditional yoga. A wellness break for learning or fine-tuning practices from India.
the history of the ashram
The Sivananda Yoga Ashram, Europe’s first Sivananda Ashram, was founded in 2003. It is one of the international Sivananda Yoga Centers created in 1957 by Swami Vishnudevananda, who was a pupil of Swami Sivananda, one of India’s greatest gurus and yogis of the 20th century.
Located in Neuville aux Bois in the Loiret region of France just an hour south of Paris, this haven of peace welcomes those in search of a healthy, balanced lifestyle who wish to cultivate a positive, spiritual vision of life.
the philosophy
Yoga originated thousands of years ago in India. Back then, it was said that those who felt “the call” would go and live in the peace of the Himalayas to practice yoga and meditation. Swami Vishnudevananda was one of the pioneers who introduced traditional Indian yoga to the Western world. He transmitted the practice in an authentic and extremely practical way, consolidating the millennia-old teachings into five clear and simple principles:
1. POSTURES (asanas)
2. BREATHING TECHNIQUES (pranayama)
3. RELAXATION
4. DIET vegetarian
5. POSITIVE THINKING AND MEDITATION
Yoga can be practiced by everyone, regardless of their culture, religion, or age.
programs and activities
People from all over the world come to discover a holistic way of life in harmony with nature at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram. Practicing a combination of the different paths of yoga can optimize energy, reduce stress, and improve physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
Today, no one can deny the health benefits of yoga. Yoga harmonizes the body and mind, and provides a gateway to a deeper meaning of life.
INDIAN TRADITIONS
The Ashram’s teachings are based entirely on the millennia-old tradition of yoga, as it has always been practiced in India.
The workshops are not limited to yoga postures, but also incorporate all the paths of yoga, which Swami Sivananda called the “yoga of synthesis.”
Yoga begins with relaxation, but its ultimate goal is to lead the individual toward peace — a vision of oneness with the diversity of life that culminates in unconditional love. It goes without saying that this is a lifelong endeavor.
Three everyday exercises
EXERCISE 1
Sit with your legs crossed on a cushion. Take a slow, deep breath through your nose, expanding your abdomen. At the same time, see prana (the vital energy of your breath) as a white light descending from your nose to the solar plexus at your navel. As you exhale, see the prana moving up your spine to the point between your eyebrows. Repeat 20 times. This exercise will recharge your solar plexus and calm your mind.
EXERCISE 2
Do regular poses at work. Stand up, stretch your arms above your head, then slowly bend forward, lowering your arms to the floor. Grab the backs of your legs with your hands. Let your head drop. Take a deep breath. Remain in this posture for one minute. Pull yourself up very slowly, keeping your arms lowered toward the floor. This will relax your back, neck, and shoulders, and improve the circulation in your head and torso.
EXERCISE 3
Sitting in a chair or on the floor, vigorously rub your hands together for ten seconds. Breathing deeply, place your warm palms on your (closed) eyes. This will relax your eyes and calm your mind.
