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Jyotish Star of the Month |
A Conversation with Acharya Swami SitaramanandaBy Vachaspati Christina CollinsInterview Date: 5/07/11 Christina Collins Hello dear Swami Sita, we know how busy you are, so thank you so much for generously giving your valuable time to grant us an interview at the Jyotish Star! Could you tell us where and when you found yourself interested in Vedic Astrology and Yoga? Swami Sitaramananda Saraswati
Swami Sita I grew up in Vietnam and left to study in the University in Quebec, Canada when I was 18. I believe that I was destined to meet the Guru in Canada as consciously I had not chosen to go to Canada. I was born with a Hindu name Sita, given by my mother, without understanding the meaning of my name till I met Swamiji when I was 28 and recognized my Indian/Hindu origin. I went to India yearly for 18 years to teach yoga in our Ashram. Then, I learned that Vietnam was a Hindu country for a thousand years. From 3rd century to 13th century, it was a Saivaite country. Now I come full circle and am returning a few months a year to Vietnam to teach Yoga Teachers Training and Ayurveda to an International audience in Asia. I want to establish a Sivananda ashram in Vietnam to serve the International and Asian community there. It seems that the vedic knowledge of Yoga, Ayurveda and Jyotish, even though started in India, has come to the USA, and now returns to the East! Christina Yes, that is so true! Ancient predictions often said that the pundits would next either incarnate in, or be found in the West! Tell us, what Teacher(s) inspired you, mentored you, or have been your strongest support along the way? Swami Sita It was undoubtedly my Guru, Swami Vishnudevananda, a great Yogi senior disciple of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, Himalayas, India. Swamiji named his organization after the name of his Guru , Swami Sivananda, and taught us according to the teachings of Master Sivananda. So, we are very much exposed to the teachings of Sivananda, and especially his more than 200 books in Yoga. In Jyotish, I have met many great teachers in the USA, and have learned from many. I have certainly benefitted from many hours with Komilla Sutton, my official mentor in Jyotish. Christina Ah yes, how fortunate you are to have Komilla for a mentor and Jyotish Guru! She truly is a brilliant source of Jyotish knowledge, I view her as a dear friend and colleague and we have shared wonderful adventures together, both in the USA and in India! A great blessing for you to have her for your teacher! Tell us, what advice would you give that could be helpful for students of Yoga, and Vedic Astrology? Swami Sita I think that students of Jyotish should study and practice Yoga, not just the outer limb of asana (editor�s note � physical postures), but the Yoga Philosophy (Vedanta) and meditation. I think the students of Yoga should have the basic knowledge of Jyotish to better understand their own karma and be better equipped to counsel their own students. Christina Yes, I could not agree with you more, the closer you are to source, the more effortless the focus needed for the study! Please tell us a little bit about your own writing, do you have certain books, either that you have written, or that you recommend to help the aspiring student? Do you plan more for the future? Swami Sita I have written many articles, and a few books: The best is Essentials of Yoga Practice and Philosophy , Positive Thinking Manual as well as two collections of spiritual poems: Darshan and Smaranam. I teach almost daily at satsangs at the ashram, and many of these teachings are recorded in audio texts and videos, some are available for free download from our website www.sivanandayogafarm.org . Please check out our blogs and the series of talks on Yoga Life downloadable from our podcasts from the website. Christina Wonderful! We will certainly list this link, and encourage our readers to take advantage of this free download resource! Thank you so much for making it available to the public! Tell us, Do you have any conferences or events coming up, especially relating to Jyotish, where people could come to the ashram, and learn Jyotish at the same time? Swami Sita This year we are offering our auspicious 12th year International conference on Vedic Astrology at the ashram in Grass Valley, CA. The dates are: June 10th to June 13th 2011, and the focus will be on Medical Astrology, featuring astrologers: Dr. K.S.Charak, Komilla Sutton, James Kelleher, Sadasiva (Sam Geppi) , Krishna Darshan, Kenneth Miller, and Andrew Foss. We hope to see the whole Vedic Astrology community here for this gathering at the ashram! Pandit Samavedula will perform Navagraha Homa (editor�s note: ceremony honoring the nine planets) at the Krishna Temple and Navagraha shrine. Please email to receive the details of the program [email protected] and the brochure. (Download a PDF version) Christina Yes, absolutely, we will list the Jyotish conference under Vedic Venue! And, we encourage our readers to attend as well! A perfect reason to visit the USA � for you may know, we have a vast readership of people from all walks of life, all around the world! Personally, even if a student does not intend to be a medical astrologer per se, they will find extreme value in this study, for as the public ages, they will need an astrologer with medical knowledge, and also, it is also a wonderful tool for helping to understand how the planets have acted in someone�s life, and even for rectification when the exact birth time is unknown! (and, further, the venue gives the opportunity to meet some of the greatest Vedic Astrologers in the world!) Please, tell us, how long have you been involved with the Grass Valley, California Yoga Farm? Swami Sita I have been director here for 16 years and have my best times teaching here. It is here that we have organized these 12 annual Vedic Astrology conferences. Christina My 16 years! How quickly time flies, it seems like I met you yesterday! Please, could you also tell our readers some of the great benefits for attending conferences at the Yoga Farm, I understand the facilities are quite beautiful? Swami Sita The benefits are that you can practice daily Yoga and meditation at the same time as studying Jyotish and you will be imbibing in the spiritual atmosphere of the ashram which this year celebrates its 40th year of existence. Christina Yes, and you can see this reflected on the blissful faces of people photographed there, at the last Grass Valley Vedic Astrology conference! Swami Sita It is one of the oldest ashrams in North America. We are on 80 acres of beautiful land and we have 3 temples: Durga, Siva and Krishna temples plus Radha Krishna shrine , and the Dakshinamurti Yoga Vidya Hall. The food is vegetarian and the staff are all dedicated Karma yogis. Christina Would you care to further comment on being a vegetarian, or following an Ayurvedic diet? Swami Sita Vegetarian yogic diet is a sattvic diet . It is important to follow a sattvic (pure) life to keep the mind and body clear and light as well as observing ahimsa,( i.e. respect of all beings and practice of non violence. ) Christina Yes, thank you! Now, would you tell us something more about the Yoga Farm and its related activities? Swami Sita Thank you for asking. You will find a whole range of programs in our website every single day. It is opened year round and Yoga classes are being offered daily as well as meditation, kirtan chanting and lectures. We have many courses and retreats for all levels in Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Vedanta philosophy as well as Ayurvedic courses and weekends, also including Ayurvedic treatments . We also have courses on Jyotish. We have many visiting teachers coming to the ashram to teach and our most popular courses are the monthly immersion Yoga teachers Training courses. These courses give a good exposure to the basic Vedanta Philosophy and Yoga sadhana practices . Christina Thank you so much Swami Sita, I am certain, that many people do not realize the great range of different opportunities you offer! A perfect place, just to get away to for retreat! What additional advice would you give to the beginner, just starting their studies in the allied Vedas, Jyotish and Ayurveda? Swami Sita I think all Vedic students need to practice Yoga sadhana (spiritual practices) to change one�s consciousness and purify one�s outlook so that one gains insights into the nature of the karmas (in the case of students of Jyotish ) or the nature of the physical or mental ailments (in the case of students of Ayurveda). Christina Yes, absolutely! The more peace one has, the better able to convey this peace to others! Especially in the case of the consulting Astrologer. People frequently consult Astrologers, because they need coaching, support, advice and upliftment. An Astrologer needs a personal depth of peace and silence, in order to address and serve these needs of others! Tell us, if you don�t mind, what did you do prior to becoming a Swami? Did you have a different educational path, or, have you always been on your current path, from a very young age? Swami Sita
Swami Sitaramananda Saraswati Biography: Swami Sitaramananda came from DaLat, Vietnam and came to the West to study in Canadian universities at 18, in 1971. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences and a Master degree in Librarianship and a PhD in spiritual Sciences by International College of Spiritual and Psychic Sciences. She served as a social worker in Canada before she became a yogi in 1981 when she found her teacher, a Yogi from Himalayas, India , Swami Vishnu-devananda, at his ashram Sivananda Ashram in Quebec Canada. Swami Sita was ordained officially as a Hindu monk in 1985 and was given the name Swami Sitaramananda Saraswati from the traditional monk lineage of Swami Sivananda and Sankaracharya. After years of practice and teaching she was awarded in 1989 the title �Yoga Acharya� or spiritual teacher holder of lineage by Swami Vishnu-devananda. Swami Sitaramananda is the resident director of the Sivananda Yoga Farm, Grass Valley, California, USA also supervising the San Francisco and Los Angeles Sivananda Yoga Centers. She speaks fluently French and English as well as Vietnamese, her native tongue. Swami Sitaramananda holds the Jyotish Kovid title awarded by the CVA (Council of Vedic Astrology) in January 2011, and received the prestigious Jyotish Navaratna title in December 2010, presented by ACVA (American College for Vedic Astrology). She has read thousands of charts and guided many as a spiritual counselor. Contact Information: Swami Sitaramananda c/o Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm 14651 Ballantree Lane Grass Valley, CA 95949 Phone: 530-272-9322 Email: [email protected] |
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| Jyotish Star Copyright 2010 C. C. Collins - All Rights Reserved |
