The first thing you notice in Swami Shivamurthy Saraswati those are her eyes. During the interview, except when she is drinking tea, she is almost motionless, radiating a constant state of calm. But her dark blue, piercing eyes are full of tension. This is the woman who brought yoga to Greece 45 years ago. Swami Shivamurti Saraswati was born in Australia, and although she seemed to have nothing to do with Greece, from childhood she was fascinated by this country and its ancient Greek culture. “As a child, I always had a passion for Greece,” she says “K”. She began practicing yoga in Australia, and in 1975 she left for India, where she studied with the famous Indian guru Paramahamsa Satyananda, who, knowing her love for Greece, persuaded her to come here. “See if the Greeks are interested in yoga and get ready for everything – speeches, interviews, yoga camps,” he told her. His first stop was Kalamata in 1978.

In Mani

“I think Kalamata chose me,” he says, emphasizing that the Peloponnese in general has a special energy – “the first time I came to Mani, I felt at home,” he admits. In Kalamata, she met people who supported yoga and helped her open her first center. At first there were difficulties. She didn’t speak Greek — “a woman from Alexandria translated all the lessons, and I read them,” she recalls — and the society of the late 70s emphasized that it was very conservative. “I had to separate the men from the women,” she says, holding private classes because some people didn’t want her to know they were doing yoga. The influence of the church was too great, “and it was contrary to what I was teaching,” Swami points out.

Two years later he went to Athens, where he opened Europe’s first ashram in Penia, which is still in operation, learning later that Dionysian mysteries were said to have taken place there. He was followed by Thessaloniki, where he maintains the center from 1981 to the present day. “I found the people of Thessaloniki very warm and helpful – they still are,” she notes, explaining that in addition to yoga, for about 10 years, people who go to her center have created a group of volunteers and cook every Sunday for the homeless, among other activities . However, volunteering is not limited to Thessaloniki. Around Swami in different cities of Greece, groups of women have been created who, in addition to yoga, are engaged in volunteer activities, helping people in institutions, injured women or children.

“When Paramahamsa Satyananda encouraged me to come to Greece, he said, ‘Everything will be for your good, there will be nothing bad’ – this statement seemed unusual to me, but it helped me overcome difficulties,” he recalls. “He also told me to surround myself with women – he had great faith in women and their power,” Swami notes. “He believed that they should learn, explore the world, learn to deal with situations,” she says of her teacher.

100 years

This year, which marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Paramahamsa Satyananda, the program of the center is dedicated to his life lessons, says Swami “K”.which were not only about yoga, but also about social contribution, life in general. As part of the celebration, Swami will be hosting three webinars titled “Yogic Tools for Ultimate Health”. “We are focusing on health because after the pandemic, this is what we all need to focus on – mental, physical and emotional health,” Swami says. “According to yoga, disease arises from the mind,” he says, “and yoga works with consciousness, helps to reduce stress, tension, anxiety.” First of all, the main lesson of yoga, he emphasizes, is how to control your mind, how to turn negative emotions into positive ones.

The first time I came to Mani, I felt at home. However, there were difficulties in the beginning. I had to separate the men from the women.

“Yoga works in three areas – in maintaining health, in calming the mind and in awakening dormant potential. We all have potential that we do not use, and there are techniques that help awaken the chakras, become more aware, better perceive things as they really are, and not as they seem, ”he states.

Yoga, he emphasizes, is a philosophy of life – how to live well, how to know yourself and others, how to be able to cope with different situations, to have a successful life, not only on a spiritual level, but also on a material one. level. “He teaches good manners, emphasizes human values, builds character, respects his body and others,” Swami says. Is this the religion he describes?

“No, it has nothing to do with religion – you can practice yoga and belong to any religion or no religion, it doesn’t matter,” Swami says, emphasizing age, body type, weight or lifestyle. . “You don’t have to change anything, you just start doing yoga and then your body attracts different things,” she says.

She herself believes that yogis and the ancient Greeks taught absolutely the same thing. “The ancient Greeks said ‘know thyself’ — that is the meaning of yoga, to know thyself beyond the body, mind and senses,” he emphasizes. Her advice to the world is to take up yoga. “You will realize that there is more to learn, more to give, and there is nothing to lose,” he notes.

In the last 45 years she has spent in Greece, her teachings have remained the same, but she believes that people have changed. “When I first arrived, I found people very innocent – ​​now I don’t consider them innocent,” he says. “Greece got rich at some point, maybe that’s when innocence was lost.”

“I’m still working on it”

Regarding the main goal of yoga, controlling the mind, thoughts and emotions, he explains that it takes work, practice and patience. Does she think she did it? “I’m still working on it,” he replies with a laugh. “What Socrates said, and he was much wiser than all of us, is true – you don’t really know anything,” Swami says. “There is so much to learn,” he adds, “life is a continuous learning process.”