Newsletter April 2024
Yoga success on a national level
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Prabhavathi und U. Shakeer, 7th class, changing the laws of gravitation
Dear friends of the Shanti Ananda School!
As we all know, creativity and yoga are important cornerstones or pillars of our educational concept and our everyday school life. Yoga has been a mainstay for many years and is used on almost all special occasions in the school community.
That's why I'm delighted, excited and happy about a phenomenal success for our English and Yoga teacher B. Prabhavathi: she won 1st place in yoga at the 4th Senior Women's National Yogasana Sports Championship in March 2024 in Delhi!
This is a spectacular, magnificent and simply wonderful result and a highlight in our school life. I am extremely proud of her and am thrilled that her great dedication, extraordinary commitment to yoga, discipline and hard work have led to this result.
Prabhavathi, me and her daughter Tejeswani (right to left)
The National Yogasana Sports’ Federation (NYSF) hosted the senior sports competition for the 4th time; they want to create a 'culture of fitness, competition, well-being and growth' through Yogasana. In the Indian tradition, yoga is a meditative, spiritual and physical practice; in modern Indian practices it has also developed into a competitive exercise. The Yogasana Bharat of India, a nationwide association, promotes Yogasana as a sport and wants to further develop Yoga as a competitive sport.
Our teacher B. Prabhavathi (right) at the prize presentation in Delhi
When I brought my ideas about creative pedagogy to the Nagananda School in 2006, they were enthusiastically received by the teaching team; and our successful experiment began - among other topics with yoga which was new to the school at that time. Therefore, I am very touched by Prabhavathi's success - my greatest reward for 18 years of educational work.
S. Akhil (7th class) wants to become a Yoga professor
Prabhavathi's victory is a great success not only for herself, but also for the school, inspiring us all:
“I have been working at the Shanti Ananda Nature Concept School since 2011. I have loved games and sports since I was a child; As a high school student in Rayalaseema zone, I won many medals, for example a gold medal in the race.
I was always very sporty, and as a sports woman I was inspired to do yoga by Helga Shanti. She supported me to participate in a yoga teacher training course (YTTC - Yoga Teacher Training Course) at the University of Madurai in 2015. Later I completed a postgraduate diploma and a Master of Science course in yoga. I conducted free yoga classes for women in Mudigubba, Saraswathi Vidyamandir.
Our school children love yoga classes; hence they have been very successful in yoga competitions at mandal, district and state levels. This is a great achievement for our small school. U. Asif, 7th grade, and E. Keerthinandana, 6th grade, secured 3rd position at the state level. I achieved 4th place in my age group at the national level. Behind this success were Helga, Horst and the headmaster, to whom I am very grateful.
My dream is to see a “healthy mind in a healthy body” in everyone.” (B. Prabhavathi)
Yoga auf dem Schulgelände mit Prabhavathi
Prabhavathi and I have similar visions for a better world through quality pedagogy for the head, heart and hands; we share our enthusiasm for child-centered and sustainable teaching with sport, games and fun.
Her wonderful victory reminds me of how yoga began at our school. In the first few years (2006 – 2008) the entire setting was very modest and simple; but the teaching staff was highly motivated to improve teaching. Hence, we just started putting our ideas into practice; Creativity and yoga were integrated into everyday life. It was a very inspired and joyful time full of enthusiasm and positive mood of optimism. I looked at old photos from the first few years to see the development again after 18 years. The result was an article about how yoga has developed with us over the years; it will be available on our website soon...
Yoga in the Amphitheater in April 2024
Finally, I want to praise the German company Yogistar which supported us greatly in creating a yoga infrastructure and was therefore indirectly involved in Prabhavathi's success: it financed the amphitheater (our yoga hall), yoga materials and training for the yoga teachers. These donations were a great help given to our modest budget. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Yogistar once again!
Those were a few words from people with hearts about our project, which has now grown into a teenager and has expanded its scope of action.
Merry Christmas from India,
Your Helga Shanti Fründt
Contact
Shanti Ananda School Website
Shanti Ananda School on Facebook
Donation Accounts
FCRA account
Shanti Ananda Education Society
State Bank of India, New Delhi Main Branch
40043801956
IFSC: SBIN0000691
General Account
Shanti Ananda Education Society
Andhra Bank, Mudigubba Branch
Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India
185410100193769
IFSC: UBIN0818542
German Donation Account
Shanti Ananda Education Society
Anahata Stiftung, Munich, Bank für Sozialwirtschaft
BLZ: 700 205 00
IBAN: DE72700205003751241124
BIC: BFSWDE33MUE