Teachers & Teaching

Swami Sivananda

Yoga is an ancient spiritual system. Over millennia it was passed down from teacher to student. In the 1960s, Swami Sivananda and his disciple Swami Vishnudevananda brought yoga to the West.

To make it more accessible, Swami Vishnudevananda distilled the essence of yoga into five pillars:

physical postures, breathing, relaxation, nutrition, and positive thinking.

On Thursdays, in our yoga class, we practice the first three: physical postures, breathing, and relaxation.

The class lasts 90 minutes. It begins with mantras that honor the tradition and create a clear, calm framework. Then come breathing exercises and postures (asanas). At the end, a guided relaxation leads the body into rest and the nervous system into regeneration mode—you arrive within yourself. The class closes with mantras expressing gratitude and good wishes for teachers and students.

Those who wish to dive deeper can explore the roots of Sivananda Yoga—either here in Berlin or at one of the international centers.

I look forward to seeing you.