• Table of Contents
  • How to Pray for Someone by Swami Veda Bharati
  • ‘Last Words of the Rishi’ by Dirk Gysels
  • Himalayan Neem Nursery by Sunil Trikha
  • Challenges on the Spiritual Path by Pandit Hari Shankar Dabral
  • Highlights from Korea
  • The Himalayan Tradition in Italy by Sabina Cesaroni
  • Surrender to the Wave of Silence by Jim Whiting
  • Lithuania Silence Retreat by Darius Plikynas, PhD
  • Health Camp for Virpur Khurd
  • A Contemplation on the GURU-Gita by Swami Nityamuktananda
  • Life’s Twists and Turns by Marylou P. Nunamaker
  • New Magazine Announcement
  • 2011 Events and Beyond
  • Full Moon Meditation Dates
  • Location of our SRSG ashram
• AHYMSIN Newsletter Archive

The Himalayan Tradition in Italy

The Institute in Florence

by Sabina Cesaroni - Teacher of HYI-Italy

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The Himalayan Yoga Institute in Florence, Italy, was established by Victor Bischoff, on mandate of Shri Swami Rama of the Himalayas, in 1991 in Florence.

Its activities are continuing in the will and passion of those who, in the course of time, have continued to participate and believe in the ancient teachings from the Lineage of the Himalayan Tradition.

The Institute, affiliated to the AHYMSIN, is located not far from the center of the beautiful city of Florence, in Via Faentina 33r.

The aim of the Association is to be able to transform into daily practice the guidelines of this Tradition, promoting the confluence between the eastern and western cultures, to reach a state of well-being and global health as handed down by the ancient Masters.

In addition to the spreading of the Hatha Yoga and its benefits and to the study and practice of Meditation, there are also cycles of meetings and courses such as: Yoga in Pregnancy, Play Yoga for children, Yoga Dance, Soft Yoga for the elderly.

The latter was born thanks to a close and friendly cooperation with the Public Institution and the citizenship, something that has allowed us to create a direct and open contact with an ever wider public.

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Thanks to the agreement with the Municipality, the University of Florence, the Club of Budapest and the ONLUS Association Un Tempio per la Pace, in October 2007 the HYI has been able to realize, inside  the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio, destination of actual artistic pilgrimages, a conference with Swami Veda Bharati on the theme “The inner journey of Peace and the Meditation: Gathering among different Spiritual Traditions.”

On this occasion it was possible to publish, thanks to the well-known Italian Publisher Giunti, the Swami Veda’s book “Quando l’Uomo fa la Pace” (Italian version of “What is right with the world”).

The Institute organizes seminars, also residential, individual and group sessions and silence retreats (the last realized in full spring 2011 in the splendid Tuscan countryside).

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Seminars are held by Masters and teachers such as Swami Veda Bharati, Swami Ritavan Bharati, Swami Nityamuktananda, Stoma Parker, Shri S. Rajagopalan, Ashutosh Sharma, Margo Balog, etc. thus facilitating the approach to the authentic and traditional system of the discipline of Yoga received directly at the presence of a Master.

La Verna, holy land, famous in the course of time for the presence of St. Francis of Assisi and the cave where he lived in silence and meditation, has been repeatedly preferred place for these meetings, also at the international level (see European Retreat of the Himalayan Tradition 2010).

The Institute, each Wednesday, opens the doors to the study and practice of meditation followed by a Satsanga with readings of excerpts from books of the Masters, creating moments of sharing and reflection.
The aim of the Association is also to promote projects of help and support in the world (see KHEL Project to support education and the livelihood of children and the poorest families in Dehradun, Uttaranchal – India http://www.khelcharities.org/). Recently a couple of teachers of the Institute visited the headquarters of KHEL to give their contribution and, on their return, a photographic exhibition organized in a public place of the city was a lively and important witness of this experience.

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Since 2006 the HYI is committed to run the Teacher Training Program of yoga and meditation in the Himalayan Tradition with a four years program of study, led by Masters and teachers in the Lineage of the Tradition. The project is part of the International Teacher Training program of the AHYMSIN. In 2010 it has successfully completed the first cycle of Teacher Training with 33 new teachers. A new Course (2011-2015) will start next October.  Please see: http://www.himalayaninstitute.it/?p=1534

33 New Teachers.

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The Italian Center is proposed as a meeting place not only to acquire a technique but, above all, as a vital point for information, exchanges, communication, expansion and personal growth, opening the doors to people, even  those simply consulting books, reading and studying audiovisual material or meeting to satisfy and deepen doubts, curiosity, reflections.

There are, thus, theme evenings where you can contemplate the various aspects of Philosophy, Psychology of Yoga, Ayurveda, holistic disciplines, the study of Sanskrit and global health.

In the section dedicated to the study, there are numerous translations from English to Italian in the form of books and booklets (some of which are also available at SRSG Rishikesh - India) and audiovisual material.

Behind all this a large group of people: the Teachers, the Governing Board of the Institute and the Members that all collaborate moving toward a single goal to facilitate the development of the Institute and its programs in the course of time.

Editor’s note:

Himalayan Yoga Institue Italia is an AHYMSIN affiliated center in Florence, Italy.  We invite you to visit their website at this link http://www.himalayaninstitute.it/.  They contribute much to sharing the teachings of the Himalayan Tradition with the greater world.