Follow the weekly progress of the Bhagawan Nityananda Hall

Week 22: Saturday night 18 September Satsang was the unofficial launch of the new hall (the main launch is on the 2^nd October). Timed to coincide with Devi Ma’s birthday, it was the perfect evening to celebrate both major events.

The launch was the culmination of many people’s hard work, dedication and generous donations. From the amazing painted mantras to the comfortable new roomy spaces to sit and – above all – to the Shakti that is already so present, the Satsang community were excited and moved by this creation which takes Shiva Yoga to a new level in many ways.

After a sweet puja by the children, there was a presentation of a cake and flowers to Devi Ma along with the traditional singing of the Ganeshpuri birthday song and the launch of our new CD with wonderful chants by the Mighty Shiva Band and Sachi. Swamiji then began his talk with the great aphorism from Pratyabhijnahridayam: “He is a bound soul who has poverty of Shakti. With the unfoldment of his Shakti, however, he becomes Shiva himself”. Swamiji said that contemplation of this quote was enough to last us our lifetime. After commenting on a sublime text by Baba Muktananda, Swamiji then encouraged us to consider our time in the hall as the opportunity to always let go of negativity and move towards the Shiva state.

While we will continue to work on refining the decorations and landscaping for some time this story will be the last in our report on the building of the hall. Stay tuned though for a special feature on the official opening and the arrival of the murti. We hope you have enjoyed reading about the progress of the hall and please do remember that if you feel inspired to help we would love to hear from you!

Week 21: Five months into the building project and we edge ever closer to completion. This week the bi-fold doors were installed which will let us divide the space in half when needed. Painting also continued, and as each week goes by the hall looks more beautiful. If you have artistic ability and would like to be part of this shakti-filled project, please contact the ashram - we would love to have you join the team. The final building check was completed this week and our occupancy certificate should arrive soon. We are not able to hold programs in the hall until this paperwork is completed but we are now planning to have our first Satsang to coincide with Devi Ma's birthday on the 18th September.

Weeks 19-20: The last two weeks have seen a lot of activity on the hall. A disabled ramp has been installed allowing access into the building. Inside, the heating is now installed and the hall is snug and warm. Beautiful new orange blinds have been fitted. Work continues on the painting which is gradually giving the space a unique oriental atmosphere. Gold mantras are being painted on the lintels and other decorations are starting on the doors and columns. Working bees are being held and many members of the community are giving freely of their time. If you want to help please contact the ashram. It is possible that we will hold our first Satsang here next weekend...so watch this space!

Week 18: This week the installation of heating in the hall began. A spontaneous working bee broke out on the weekend with a group of sevites helping with landscaping, mulching and laying of gravel. Inside the hall a team of artists lead by Swami Durgananda add gold mantras to the ceiling with the promise of many more temple-inspired design to come. The interior decoration has been masterminded by Swami Bhaktananda who has created a vibrant and elegant palette of colours. On a more mundane note the shoe racks arrived this week too - a very necessary addition to a hall that will hold so many people. We are anticipating moving into the hall in the next few weeks and the formal opening will be on the 2nd October.

Week 17: This week's major achievement was the laying of a beautiful carpet throughout the hall. Now that all the major elements have been installed it is time for our talented artists to get to work to add decorations and they are beginning to paint the outlines of what will be wonderful murals. Work also continued on the area around the hall which although still a bit of a muddy wasteland will soon turn into a lovely landscaped area. The murti of Bhagawan Nityananda - which will be a focus of the hall - is progressing with photographs of the sculptors’ work with the clay model showing it to already be full of Bhagawan’s powerful presence.

Week 16: Jonathan and his team have now completed the main painting of the interior of the hall. More work on the landscaping took place this week too with lots of digging outside the hall for what will ultimately be a paved area. Concrete ramps were added to enable wheelchair access. The next big job will be to lay the carpet which will make the hall snug and comfortable for us.

Remember it is not too late to help with the building fund....all monies will be very well spent to make this a magnificent hall!

Week 15: On Sunday, Swamiji and Ma Devi led a puja for the hall to mark its formal handover. While the group chanted propitious mantras, Narada braved the mud and cold to crawl under the building and lay the foundation stone (which had been blessed at the start of the building). After prasad, we all then trooped into the hall for a tour and to begin a working bee. The main job was painting the undercoat and a team of people did excellent work. All week Jonathon and his team have been adding the final coat of paint (a warm white) and adding a spectacular 'feature wall' behind Swamiji's chair in a warm, 'suede-finish' brown. In other news Maria has been in India to look at the progress on our statue of Bhagawan which will feature in the hall. It is at the clay stage and work is proceeding well before final casting.

Week 14: The building took some good steps towards handover this week as the final electrical installation took place and steps were built that lead onto the front porch. We have a 'working bee' this weekend to start the interior painting which should transform the look of the hall. It is very exciting to see how beautiful the space is and, with some great interior design plans in place, we will soon give it our own distinctive 'Shiva Yoga' touch.

Week 13: This week the builders finished both internal fittings and the external deck. Plans are well advanced for when we take over the building to fit it with carpets and paint the inside. We are hoping that we can hold our first Satsang in three to four weeks. It is not too late to help with the building fund and every bit of assistance you offer will make our new hall only more beautiful!

Week 12: This week was one of consolidation on the building. The outside walls received a final coat of paint; internal walls were constructed; and the beams were boxed. It will only be a week or so before the builders leave the site and we can begin to lay carpets and paint walls.

Weeks 10 & 11: Over the last two weeks a lot has been achieved. Most notably the external walls of the hall have been rendered and painted a soft ochre/yellow. The hall looks beautiful and when landscaping is done it will be even better. Inside, the ceiling has been installed and walls now divide the main hall from the reception and office areas. Storage rooms have been created along with the space that will house the amenities. It is very exciting to see how large the space is for Satsang - over double the size of the hall we are presently using at Kailas.

Week 9: The roof panels of the building were put on this week and the front doors installed. We are now officially at lock up stage. Swamiji went on a tour of the building and said "who allowed shakti in here before the opening, I didn't order it!" The interior of the hall is incredibly spacious and wide and for the first time, we will have plenty of room.

Week 8: This week saw the hall really take shape. The pre-engineered wall panels were slotted into position and a crane placed the roof trusses in place. The building is a ‘Force 10’ structure with a hi-tensile frame that makes it extremely resistant to extremes of weather. If a cyclone were ever to pass through Mt Eliza we could rest assured that we would be safe!

Week 7: This week saw amazing progress on the building. The floorboards were laid; a gigantic crane came and put the metal bracing beams into place and on Friday the first of the walls were slotted into the structure!

Week 6: Last Sunday work began on the creation of our murti (enlivened statue) of Bhagawan Nityananda in Mumbai. A puja was performed in India prior to the creation of the murti and we too offered our blessings with a puja. During the week a lot of productive work was done on the site with stumps, bearers and joists laid and the concrete poured. The dimensions of the hall are now clearly apparent.

Week 4 & 5: The area that once held our marquee is now cordoned off with red tape and is a formal 'construction site'. Groundwork is being laid prior to the concrete pouring which begins soon. The area is filled with heavy machinery, workmen and activity. It takes some imagination to picture a neat new building on the muddy site but it won't be too long before one appears. Each week our on-site photographer, Narada, is taking a photograph of how the building progresses so we will have a record.

Week 3: Prior to Satsang tonight there was a special ground blessing puja for the new hall by the Hindu priest, Panditji Abhay Awasthi. Swamiji described the event as “an inauguration of the corner stone of the new building”. During the puja we asked for blessings from many deities and we received a special stone, which will be part of the hall. The stone contained blessed ash from the puja.

Week 2: This week several large gums were removed and earthmovers arrived to clear the land and set the levels for the space on which the hall will be built. The area is beginning to look like a construction site but there is also a sense of how much more accommodating the new hall will be. The old car parks have now been paved and new parking bays marked. It already seems a long way from the days when we parked in a dusty paddock.

If you would like to sponsor the Bhagawan Nityananda Hall you can contact Amba on (03) 9775 2568 or amba@shivayoga.org.

Week 1: On the 12th April we began the process of building our long awaited new hall. The first step was to remove the trusty old tent which has served us so well over the last ten years. People could not believe how small the ground space was when the tent finally came down: the magic of shakti had made it seem far larger than it actually was. The tent will go to a good home and was sold on Ebay to a man who is using it for the reception for his daughter’s wedding. As he packed it away he commented that it had 'very good vibes!'