“Shishu” means child and “Vihar” means a safe space. Chinmaya Shishu Vihars are a safe and nurturing space for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers, where they are introduced to basic spiritual concepts through an age appropriate immersive curriculum. Seeded in a parent’s desire to introduce culture and faith at a young age, Chinmaya Shishu Vihars are unique in their ability to promote whole child development and foster a loving spiritual bond within families, as they are in a parent&me format.

50% of the brain’s neurological pathways are formed by the age of 4 and another 30% by age 8. To catch this development and aid the growth of children in their earlier years, Chinmaya Shishu Vihar helps form a spiritual and moral foundation that will always stay with the children.

Chinmaya Shishu Vihars are running successfully all throughout India, Asia Pacific, Australia, United Kingdom, the UAE and USA. The curriculum was developed by Swamini Supriyanandaji, who comes from a Developmental Psychology background. It focuses on creating an environment where parents also learn with their children and see things from the children’s point of view.

The Need For Shishu Vihar

• Catching them young: As children mature faster there is a greater need to catch them younger and set them on the right path earlier
• Changing needs: Families are increasingly nuclear or living in all corners of the world. There is a greater need for community and connection to culture
• Financial Needs: It is more likely that for financial stability, both parents are working therefore there is a greater need for a sense of stability in children
• Increased Pressure: Due to increased competition, children need to get deeper into academics and sports at an earlier age so time for cultural connection is getting reduced

How Shishu Vihar Works?

Chinmaya Shishu Vihars are a parent & me class where parents are expected to let the child lead the learning. Parents are expected to give their complete attention, therefore cellphones are not permitted in the classroom.

• It is a discipline free environment where little ones learn at their pace, in the manner that best suits them.
• Through a combination of tactile and auditory learning, yoga and music, spiritual concepts are introduced to children in an immersive and gentle repetitive manner.
• Trained sevaks and sevikas, along with parents in the classroom create an environment where children hear songs and stories about, and see beautiful imagery of popular Gods and Goddesses as well as gain familiarity with common festivals and how they are celebrated.
• One God per month is covered, as curriculum is lined up with the Chinmaya Bala Vihar calendar so that the experience is completely immersive for the youngest learners.
• Families are given weekly support through tips and whatapp messages, emails that can help reinforce concepts at home.

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“When a mother is a true seeker, the whole environment of the house changes. Your family does not have to go out to hear a swami. You change, and your environment will follow suit. You are the mother, the model, the Guru.”   – Swami Chinmayanada

The first Devi Group, or Chinmaya Study Group exclusively for women, was inaugurated in November 1958, at Chennai, India, with Swami Chinmayananda’s blessings: ‘Salutations to Mothers! I need not mention how happy I am that a Devi section of Chinmaya Mission is being inaugurated on this sacred day. Indeed, women have been, and even today are, the real custodians of our country’s spiritual culture. The fall of our cultural standard is a true measure of the growing ignorance in the mothers of our society.’
These encouraging words laid the foundation of Chinmaya Mission’s Devi Group culture. The activities of the Group were given a boost in January 1960, when several hundred women delegates from twenty-three towns gathered at the Venguhad Palace at Kollengode, Kerala, for a Chinmaya Devi Conference.

The Devi Group format allows members to feel comfortable in the all-women setting where they are able to freely discuss their doubts, fears and problems without fear of disapproval or censure. ‘No question is unimportant!’ Swami Chinmayananda always insisted. Every question is valid and each member is treated as special and an important part of the group. Thus, women study the scriptures, reflect and are able to apply the concepts to their specific tribulations at home.

Following the same curriculum as Chinmaya Study Groups, Chinmaya Devi Groups have grown over the years as powerful learning forums, open discussion arenas, and healthy support systems for women of all ages.

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Contact

info@chinmayanewyork.org

Chinmaya Swaranjali is the musical wing of Chinmaya Mission.

Swaranjali means, ‘a musical offering to the divine’. True to its motto, ‘Swara to Ishwara’, Chinmaya Swaranjali members look upon music not as an idle passion, but as a dynamic vehicle to seek the inner source of joy and divinity. It is a movement dedicated to exploring the mystical world of Indian classical music, thereby discovering the veiled joy of infinitude.
Chinmaya Swaranjali members range from professional musicians to people with no musical background, linked through their mutual love for music. ‘Experience directly the beauty and rhythm of the Lord, which is always available in Indian devotional songs. Many of our saints reached Truth through singing for Him,’ said Swami Chinmayananda It, therefore, comes as no surprise that Chinmaya Swaranjali performances always stir and stun audiences, for even a seemingly meek Damaru produces unparalleled music in the hands of Lord Shiva!

“Classical music, rich in its devotional sentiments has the rare and precious ability to raise us to sublime heights. The lyrics and melody in it, kindles the jnana and bhatki elements in us, and fuses the two. This fosters a stirring of the heart, a blissful expansion within, which purifies us, thereby becoming a sadhana.”– Swami Tejomayananda

Chinmaya Mission New York’s Swaranjali happens every first Sunday of the month from October to May from 5:00-6:30pm in the Manhattan area.  Under the current circumstances we have changed the format and time to 4:00 pm – 4:45 in order to better suit an online event. Register for the upcoming event.

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Contact

CMNY Swaranjali Team: cmnyswaranjali@gmail.com