Calm in the City Live to Love, Love to Serve — this is the Integral Yoga Centre’s motto. In Gibraltar, we are very privileged to have an Integral Yoga Centre, which serves to help individuals gain peace within and allows the community to come together through its various activities. The centre is headed by Nalanie Chellaram and just sitting in her office, speaking to her, there is a feeling of calm and tranquility. The Integral Yoga foundation is a world wide school of Yoga, founded and based on the teachings of Swami Satchidananda. Swami Satchidananda, also known as Gurudev, was initiated into monkhood in 1949, and for years had his base in Sri Lanka, where he gave spiritual talks and explained the benefits of Yoga to his disciples. As is the custom for spiritual leaders Gurudev was invited to the United States for a talk in 1966. On seeing the number of disciples he had, he chose to stay and it was from the States that the Integral Yoga Institute started, with centers opening up around the world, all aiming to spread the word of Gurudev and to promote peace within individuals. Nalanie and her teachers in Gibraltar have all helped to build up the Yoga Centre from what was once a weekly class held at St Martin’s School in 1989, to owning and running their very own centre, based in Town Range, which they obtained in 1998. There are various services on offer, including classes on spirituality, meditation and hatha yoga (physical exercises) which are free of charge for people of all ages and abilities, as well as counseling sessions to those who need it. Beginners of yoga need not be shy, there are several beginner classes on hatha yoga, spirituality, meditation, etc. Yoga helps to relax the mind and the body, and relieves the stress which can result in so many modern day illnesses. The centre extends into the local community, with weekly hatha yoga classes held at the Lady Williams Centre for cancer patients, and several talks have been held to help Gibraltar’s Women In Need organisation. The Integral Yoga Centre collects donations on a regular basis from visitors which helps towards the housekeeping, and once that expense is met the rest of their donations go towards many charities in Gibraltar. The Centre is also very heavily involved with helping an orphanage in Chennai in India, and a leper colony in Peru. In fact, the Yoga Centre in Gibraltar is also able to help financially with literature produced by yoga teachers in the States, to help spread the word of Gurudev further. This is a small institution yet it is able to reach out and help those from all over the world, without disregarding the local community. Together with Gibraltar charities Akin (Association for Kids in Need) and Clinic Nepal, the Yoga Centre’s next large project is the building of the Spirit of Satchidananda School in the Nepalese village of Debt Ghat, in South Nepal. The idea for the school was presented to Hari Bhandary, the director for Clinic Nepal, and after it was met with approval, the plans were drawn up for the school. There was great enthusiasm from the Clinic Nepal charity, because the school would serve the purpose of helping children and their families with education which is essential for improving their standards of living. This school will benefit the whole community by providing a custom built building allowing children from different social circumstances to mix together and integrate. The pupils will be made up of orphans who will actually stay at the school, and children from local families, poor or wealthy, who will pay for their children’s schooling, depending on their individual circumstances. Also included within the school are three residential units for a set of foster parents and eight orphans to each building, and a bungalow where volunteers and visitors are able to visit and reside for as long as they are there. The school is expected to provide a top-class education, including a strong emphasis on the spiritual mind through yoga. This will help the children focus, and help them to have the ability to provide for themselves in the future without the need to rely on others. Teachers from the United States have volunteered to start up the school, and they will train Nepalese teachers so they can hand the project over to them eventually, giving them the opportunity to help their own community and becoming self-sufficient. The plot of land was purchased in February 2008, however the building of the actual school has been delayed due to the current political situation in Nepal. With the new government in power, Hari is trying to get construction underway and the school should be built, and up and running within a year. This project has been very popular amongst the Integral Yoga teachers and pupils. The enthusiasm towards this project has been shown in the various fund raising activities held around the world, as well as the copious donations made towards the school at the Yoga Centre here in Gibraltar. The most popular event held was the Gala Evening hosted by Ulla Rapazote, a student of Nalanie’s, in Estoril, just outside Lisbon recently, attended by several guests as well as Nalanie, and a few others from Gibraltar. There was also a kirtan (a spiritual gathering) held in Hong Kong by Nalanie’s niece Tiana Harilela in April to help raise money for the school. Speakers were invited to come and give a talk, and over 80 yogis (followers of yoga) were present for the event. The Yoga Centre has proved to be a huge success since 1996 proven by its role in the local community as well as its ability to help people wherever needed. “Live to Love, Love to Serve” without expecting anything back from anyone, they are able to do this whole heartedly. Nalanie is proud of the Yoga Centre’s achievements in these few years, knowing full well that she would not be able to fulfill these needs without the help given by her teachers and her pupils. The Integral Yoga Centre can be found at 33 Town Range. Timetables for classes are available on www.yogagibraltar.com or by email from yoga@gibraltar.gi, alternatively Tel/Fax: 200 41389. by Priya Gulraj

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