21st June- International Yoga Day

‘Go to east in search of knowledge’, says an English adage. India has a rich ancient culture. Yoga Shastra is one of the most important texts in the Hindu ancient culture. A notable Samkhya philosophy scholar Patanjali, who is said to have lived between 2^nd and 4^th BC has written bashya on yoga theory and practice. In Sanskrit language, yoga means ‘to unite’. India introduced yoga to the western part of the world. In the west yoga is referred to physical exercise, but yoga is more than that and is a group of physical, spiritual and mental practices.

Last year, yoga was listed as one of UNESCO’s cultural heritage program. United Nations has declared 21^st June as the International Yoga Day. Ahead of the UN’s declaration, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), one of the best universities in India, which was always in news for wrong reasons, for the first time is in the news for the right reason. JNU has approved a short course in yoga in its curricular activities. The above developments show that yoga is a part of India’s ancient culture. In the tension filled modern life, yoga is attracting people from all communities for relief from tension. Yoga gives us ways to develop harmony and balance and achieve good health in life. Yoga is a science and not a religion. Yoga is not just physical fitness program but also an emotional well-being too.

Once considered as an exercise for the elderly people and basically restricted to breathing techniques, has now become wholesome. Yoga is practised to obtain a release from the web of pleasure and pain. Everyone from house wives to highly technical persons, are thinking of yoga. Many gyms are nowadays offering yoga classes along with weight balancing training to attract a wider clientele.

The practitioner of yoga, yoga Sadhaka bridges the gap between the body, mind and self. Yoga stills the mind. If the world takes up yoga practice, it will usher in a dawn of ‘New Civilization’.