PCV Boat Cruise

The Punjabi Club of Victoria (PVC) celebrated its Annual Dinner Dance by organising a boat cruise on the Yarra River for its members in early August. Mr Surinder Mudher, President of PVC welcomed and thanked guests for braving the cold windy weather and promised everyone an evening filled with good food, drinks and entertainment- and the guests were not disappointed!

The night was a huge success with guests treated to delicious cuisine provided by Paradise

Arvind Dixit

Indian restaurant and entertained by the tunes of DJ Ashish from Orja Nights. As part of the evening’s programme, guests also enjoyed an entertaining Salsa dance performance by Mario and his partner Lisa. The couple’s dance routine considerably spiced up the proceedings.

Feedback from the guests was positive and they all agreed that the night was great fun as there was plenty of good food, drinks and most importantly, great music which allow everyone to dance the night and winter blues away!

It was a unique experiment in which local yoga institutions like Vasudeva Kriya Yoga, Yoga in Daily Life, Art of Living and Shiva Yoga shared a common platform and thereby strengthened ties and interactions. The day of intensive and complete yoga practice included pranayama, asana, meditation, self enquiry and practical yoga philosophy and was facilitated by leaders of four authentic yoga traditions. They were Shri Swami Gopal Puri, senior yoga instructor of Yoga in Daly Life; Shri Swami Atmananda, teacher of Learn to Meditate Courses at Shiva Ashram, Mt Eliza; Shri Chris Dale, teacher of Art of Living and Sahaj Samadhi Meditation and Shri Rajendra Yenkannamoole, yoga teacher and the founder of the Vasudeva Kriya Yoga School.

The inaugural session was conducted by Shri Swami Gopal Puri who spoke on AsanaThe Psychosomatic Approach, dwelling upon asanas or exercises that use the body to influence the mind rather than the other way around.

Shri Rajendra Yenkannamoole deliberated on the Foundation of Yoga-Yama and Niyama, opining that in the present times, the basic spirit and essence of yoga seemed lost and had assumed gym-like manifestations. He emphasized on the eight levels of yoga and the importance of the foundations of yoga, stating that the practice of yoga took one away from sorrow and led the Self towards happiness.

Shri Yenkannamoole averred that the underlying mission behind this annual seminar was dissemination of the true meaning of yoga to the community by bringing varied yoga schools on a common platform. Equally important were attempts to add value and provide service to the wider community through individual core competencies.

Shri Swami Atmananda who reflected on Meditation and Self-Enquiry said yoga meant taking responsibility for one’s life. Yoga should never separate us from what we term as a normal layman’s life, it should improve upon it. Self enquiry made one look at every area of one’s life to examine what the problem was from a spiritual perspective and then unblock it.

Shri Chris Dale discoursed on Sri Sri Yoga: Awakening Your Full Potential through a Complete Yoga Practice

The audience listened in rapt attention to the inspirational speakers, diligently emulating the demonstrations or spiritedly jotting down notes on health tips and information on current research findings. The tasty vegetarian lunch that was served indeed tantalized the taste buds. The popularity of the workshop was clearly evident by houseful attendance and the palpable sense of happiness and calm written largely across the faces of the audience. Indeed, it was an overwhelming experience - soaking in the richness of