AYUDH International gathering for New Year's celebration
We held a New Year's program that brought together enthusiastic youth from diverse countries to celebrate the new year together in the ashram Amritapuri in India.
The program comprised a wide array of interactive activities, including Yoga classes and Bhajan singing, participating in recycling, volunteering to learn about sustainability, and tasting the local traditional cuisine during a joint picnic.
Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri and Swami Shubamritananda Puri graced the occasion with inspirational talks dedicated to the moving queries of the youth, and a group photo meeting with our founder, Amma, paved the way for a compassion-driven year ahead.
1. On the occasion of the New Year and marking the 20th anniversary of AYUDH Europe and the 10th anniversary of AYUDH Americas, we gathered for an interactive program in Amritapuri to celebrate together!
This New Year’s at Amritapuri, AYUDH members from many different continents gathered for the first time since 2019. Many activities were planned with the youth to make the most of our time in Amma’s presence. As we always have been about engaging young people in positive activities and sparking positive discussions, the itinerary for the week was filled with bhajans sessions in front of Amma, yoga on the beach, recycling Seva, discussions with Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri and Swami Shubhamritananda Puri, and finally, a photo with Amma for a lasting memory of this week for everyone involved.
2024 marks the 20th and 10th anniversaries of AYUDH Europe and Americas, respectively, symbolizing the commitment from youth across the world to use their time to make a positive change in the world. Over 120 youth joined the activities throughout the week from over 30 countries — showing our commitment to bringing people from all walks of life and backgrounds together for a common goal of service to the community and self-reflection.
“The photo with Amma, Swami Amritaswarupananda’s talk, and Swami Shubamritananda’s talk were great opportunities for all of us to come together. The Swamis talks were inspiring and helped uplift us, in terms of having internal confidence and how to live our lives in the West with courage. My favorite part was doing seva with AYUDH Europe - it was so cool to hear about their experiences with satsang and Amma.” - Ritu Kumar, AYUDH DC Chapter Lead
As Amma says, “If youth arise and act, they have the strength and dynamism to generate a huge transformation in society.” The week of New Year’s 2024 gave the youth of AYUDH worldwide the platform to do so.
Picture: Group picture with our participants from around the world with the honor of Mata Amritanandamayi in Amritapuri on the occasion of the New Years celebration
2. We had the honor to be blessed with the esteemed presence of Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri and Swami Shubamritananda, giving inspiring talks
The sessions with Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri and Swami Shubamritananda Puri gave AYUDH members an informal space to pose questions about spirituality, the material world, and more to Amma’s senior disciples. In Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri’s session, he posed a question to the youth gathered: “What does it mean to be spiritual? How is being in Amma’s ashram different from living in the West?”
One of us immediately responded, “It’s easier to get distracted in the outside world.” Swamiji then countered, “Does this mean spirituality is a partial thing? No, it is a state of constant awareness. The mind can wander, but we need to be aware of where it’s going, and take steps to correct its direction. There’s no difference between spirituality and existence in the world. In fact, spirituality, and materialism are two sides of the same coin. Everyone in the world is spiritual at certain moments — moments when we show kindness, patience, compassion, and love, we are all spiritual in these moments. The key is awareness. An aware person will never commit the same mistake twice.”
Picture: We were listening to the New Year's Program of Swamiji
In Swami Shubhamritananda’s talk, he focused on the power of courage in all facets of life, and how to deal with the failures that are bound to occur along the way.
Swamiji said, “When we look at Amma, she personifies fearlessness. Nothing has ever shaken Amma, and she constantly shows the power of spiritual courage in the face of all the moving parts around her.” Explaining further, he mentioned how the fear of change is something that all of us can relate to, as we have an inherent reticence to changing situations. What spiritual courage does is allow us to shift our mindset when it comes to change — instead of viewing it from a state of uncertainty and fear, we can view it as an opportunity for growth. To drive this point home, Swamiji had a clever acronym to redefine the term “fail” in our minds. First Attempt In Learning, or FAIL, is the new mindset from which we need to observe failures in life. \
Picture: Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri with us after an inspiring talk and exchange
“With so many things going on in our lives - it gets tough to stay positive sometimes. These talks from the Swamis remind us that we have the strength within to deal with these situations and give us the mental tools to do so.” - Vidya Corley, AYUDH Americas Coordinator
3. We experienced an interactive program filled with empowering activities and social gatherings
We have offered an interactive and diverse program during the New Year's celebration to engage with each other and connect with our new and old AYUDH faces. During the activities, we had a unique intercultural exchange, and the opportunity to experience inspirational talks, practice mindfulness, and benefit from team building.
The New Year's week was kicked off with a friendly get-together aimed at presenting the exciting program of the week. To make everyone comfortable and welcome, the afternoon was enriched with icebreaker games to get to know each other better. We enjoyed tea and snacks, listening to the vision and mission of AYUDH. “After the kick-off, I got so excited about the anniversary year of AYUDH Europe and the many activities and opportunities that are going to take place this year” Sudha, AYUDH Europe
Picture: We facilitated a get together on the beach in Amritapuri
One of our aims is to practice mindfulness and establish harmony and awareness. Two Yoga sessions were offered as a part of the New Year's program to integrate these values. A yoga session was held at the nearby beach, where we enjoyed the calmness of the ocean shores during the morning hours. “I was able to put my thoughts at rest during the yoga sessions, and it was a great experience to practice with others” Mahesh
Picture: We were starting the day with a morning Yoga class at the beach in Amritapuri
A long tradition in AYUDH is a joint Bhajan session that truly brings everyone together through singing, playing instruments and connecting in the spiritual meaning of the lyrics and rhythms. A great privilege and blessing of the week was to present the joined Bhajan session in the evening program for Amma. Traditional Bhajans and new compositions were humbly performed in the grace of Amma.
Picture: First Bhajan rehearsal together and preparing for the evening program
A New Year is also a new opportunity for action-taking to combat the adverse impacts of the climate crisis on our planet and the people. The AYUDH program included a recycling and gardening activity at the beach. Joining forces by practicing selfless service demonstrated caring and compassion-driven action that brings natural benefits to the area.
Last but not least, the interactive week ended with a delicious journey into the traditional cuisine of Kerala. We had the honor of being invited by Swamiji for a culinary highlight lovingly prepared and generously shared with us. Swamiji offered locally sourced ingredients such as Tapioca freshly harvested by the Brahmacharinis.” I felt very blessed with the invitation to a local picnic and the food was incredibly good and even better with the joyful company of everyone”. Alongside the tasty picnic, the group enjoyed Chai and opened a space to talk and exchange with each other” Youth Participant
Picture: Swamji preparing locally grown organic food and traditional dishes for a picnic with us
The New Year’s program has been fostering personal development and communal exchange. The positive feedback is reflected in our voices, “This week provided a remarkable opportunity for global youth to come together, celebrating the common bond of our love for Amma. Our Seva and AYUDH activities in our respective countries keep us connected to Amma, and gathering in Amritapuri in Her presence was a profound blessing. Hearing participants express that AYUDH is a place for inclusivity, fun, and nurturing relationships- and that this week embodied these values, was truly meaningful” Sarada - AYUDH Europe Coordinator
4. We are announcing many more exciting activities coming for AYUDH this year
After setting the tone of activity and spiritual discourse with the AYUDH New Year’s Program, we are delighted to announce a series of upcoming events for AYUDH Europe, welcoming participants from a diverse array of countries. These activities are designed to foster community, spiritual growth, and global awareness among youth.
For more information on AYUDH Europe events throughout the year, visit the following link - AYUDH Europe 2024 Activities
The AYUDH Europe 20th anniversary Summit will take place from July 21st to July 28th 2024 in Hof Herrenberg, Amma’s Center in Germany, with youth from all over Europe and the world.
To register or receive any other information, please contact: info@ayudh.eu
On the AYUDH Americas side, there are several ongoing projects, with local chapter heads organizing efforts in their communities. To learn more about ongoing initiatives, visit the following link - AYUDH Americas Initiatives
The Annual AYUDH Summit meeting in Chicago will take place in August 2024 as well, marking the 10th anniversary of youth from across the Americas coming together.
To get involved, get in touch at ayudhna@amma.org.
As Amma says, “Don’t feel daunted at the thought of dispelling the darkness of the world. Instead, light the candle within you and spread the light.”
Let us all work towards this goal from this new year and beyond.