Sivananda Monastics: Finding Both Peace & Delirium At 5AM
“Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize.”
Swami Sivananda
What I expected to find in my foray into a monastic lifestyle and 5 am wake ups was a bit of delirium and a lot of discomfort. This is true, there is no doubt. But in the process, even 8 days into my 8 week internment into the monastic protocols of my Sivananda yoga teacher training I have also found a teensy bit of peace of mind that seems to, in my brighter moments, more than make up for complete body and mind exhaustion by day’s end. Here is a bit inside my Sivananda world and tandum work experience for a bit of insight into this whole endeavor:
Monday :
5am rising
6am-715am meditation
730 (early) to work-4:30pm TRAUMA THERAPY
5-600pm second work ADDICTIONS THERAPY
630pm Home to write some notes and go to sleep
Tuesday:
5am rising
6am-715am meditation
730 (early) to work-5:10pm (late staying and early coming most days because there is not enough time to come home between the two in the am and pm) TRAUMA THERAPY
5:30-6:45pm Yoga class (take or assist in the class)
7-10pm yoga academics class
10:30 Home for sleeps
Wednesday:
5am rising
6am-715am meditation
7:15-8:45am Yoga class
9-10:30am Yoga class (make up for missed class Mondays because of night job)
IF I can 11:00-12:00pm yoga class (make up for missed class on Friday because of night job)
12:30pm-9:00pm TRAUMA THERAPY
9:30pm Home for sleeps
Thursday:
5am rising
6am-715am meditation
730 (early) to work-5:10pm (late staying and early coming most days because there is not enough time to come home between the two in the am and pm) TRAUMA THERAPY
5:30-6:45pm Yoga class (take or assist in the class)
7-10pm yoga academics class
10:30 Home for sleeps
Friday
5am rising
6am-715am meditation
730 (early) to work-4:30pm TRAUMA THERAPY
5-7:30pm second work ADDICTIONS THERAPY
8:00pm Home to write some notes and go to sleep
Saturday
5am rising
6am-715am meditation
745-845am YOGA CLASS (take or assist)
9-1030am YOGA CLASS (take or assist)
HOME FOR COLLAPSE J
Sunday:
7:45-8:30am Breathing class
8:30-9:00am Karmic yoga (ie: clean up the studio)
9-11:00am ADVANCED YOGA CLASS (take)
5:45-7:15 Meditation
7:15-8:15pm Vegetarian Pot Luck (mental note, must remember to make something each and every week—when I don’t know!)
WEEK 1 of yoga school completed. WEEK 2 is moving forward–with or without my consciousness! I am proud to say I have only had an emotional or exhaustion breakdown 1-2 times per day! Hoping to maintain or improve over the next week!




Congratulations on making it through week 1! I’m sure you’ll find the next seven weeks flies by.
Just a note though – don’t worry about any breakdowns that occur. It’s entirely natural when you’re in an intense retreat and yoga practice like you are. So go with the flow.
Thanks for sharing about your adventures! I’d like to do some Sivananda teacher training one day
Congratulations on making it through week 1! I’m sure you’ll find the next seven weeks flies by.
Just a note though – don’t worry about any breakdowns that occur. It’s entirely natural when you’re in an intense retreat and yoga practice like you are. So go with the flow.
Thanks for sharing about your adventures! I’d like to do some Sivananda teacher training one day