Celebrate International Yoga Day on June 21st: Embracing the Spirit of Yoga

When it comes to the word ‘fitness’, Yoga has made an echoing impact across the globe. It has changed the perception of fitness from six packs to healthy body. So, on this International Yoga Day, I bring you the treasures of this ancestral wisdom!

What is Yoga?

Yoga is not some cryptic posing or balancing of the body. It is rather the union of the mind, body and spirit achieved through a deep sense of self. Yoga is the awareness of the consciousness and the subconsciousness, that which is beyond and which is within.

Every ‘yogasana’ teaches important life lessons. Yoga teaches us self-reliance, strength, control, discipline, perseverance and perfection. It also teaches us patience and acceptance.

Yoga is not a form of exercise but a way of life.

The asanas increase flexibility and mobility of your body. It converges your energies, sharpens your brain and calms your mind. The list of physical and mental benefits of Yoga is ceaseless.

The most popular perks are better sleep, digestion, weight loss and anti-ageing. In addition, Yoga is a great stress-buster and anti-depressant. Studies also prove a direct association between yoga and the positivity.

Yoga also reduces blood pressure and controls blood sugar. Practicing yoga on a daily basis can prevent ageing and age-related diseases. New researches say yoga can also enhance longevity.

Also Read: Do yoga and meditation result in fewer doctor visits?

Yoga’s Early Detour of the World

The profound benefits of Yoga have touched many lives, healed many and helped all. People who visited India in ancient times took the art to distant places. Some Indian yogis also travelled across the seas promoting this wisdom of wellness. 

In the early 1840s, the sacred Indian texts found their way to Massachusetts. This sparked an interest among the elite and educated for Yoga. Many books on Yoga were also published in the 1800s.

Some of the books published during that time were

• N.C. Paul’s Treatise on Yoga Philosophy (1851),
• Edwin Arnold’s Light in Asia (1878),
• Helene Blavatsky’s Isis Unveiled (1877),
• The Secret Teachings (1888). 

All these books stirred a curiosity about the ancient way of life. But literary knowledge was not enough to turn it into practice. Swami Vivekananda is one among the first few who is credited with bringing Yoga to America.  

Also Read: Amazing benefits of Suryanamaskar

The monk who sailed Yoga overseas – Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda detoured the West for gathering funds for the impoverished in India. But his teachings on yoga and wellness turned him into a great influencer.

Vivekananda was a keystone in founding the New York Vedanta Society. It was his influence that prompted the opening of ashrams in Los Angeles. His teachings also prompted the opening of America’s first-ever Hindu Vedanta temple in San Francisco in 1906.

In 1919, Yogendra Mastamani created a group that explored yoga from a scientific point of view. This was a break-through in shattering the perceptions of yoga as an unproven means of spirituality. 

Also Read: Incredible Ways Yoga changes your mind, body and spirit

The rise of Yoga in the West

Yoga’s popularity continued to rise throughout the 1900s. Many gurus and yogis travelled extensively promoting the techniques of Yoga. Around the 1930s, yoga became more widespread. Famous personalities like Charlie Chaplin was awe-stuck by the Yoga Life.

Soon, yoga became a popular symbolism of India. Many tourists started to visit this mystic land in search of their soul. And their life-changing encounters and experiences compelled many others to follow the suit. 

And thus, this ancient Indian practice of Yoga found a place in the Western World.

Booming after the storm

It was by the end of the 19^th century, Indians started to lose their touch to this great inheritance. Britishers planted the seeds of doubt on the young generations about these archaic practices. And that sprouted in the end of 19th century.

People started to walk away from this ancestral treasure. They started trusting the modern myths of health. From diet to lifestyle everything say a big shift. People were losing their touch of the conscious and subconscious!

In such times, another sage was born to revive the lost charm. Swami Ramdev Baba is a practitioner and promoter of Yoga and Ayurveda. He played a transformative role in reinstalling this art with respect to modern life. 

In 2003, Astha TV featured Ramdev Baba in its morning slot. His way of explaining things in simple and lucid way earned him millions of viewers. People once again learnt the importance of Yoga in health and wellness especially in the modern times.

In no time he became a popular figure worldwide for his knowledge and art of performing Yoga. He travelled across the world and conducted several seminars and workshops which garnered much popularity. 

Ramdev Baba in a way became the brand ambassador for Yoga. He was quite successful in bringing Yoga back to the life. Today, Yoga is one of the most widely practiced form of exercises.

Also Read: Swami Ramdev – the Baba who popularized yoga and Ayurveda

The birth of International Yoga Day

In the twentieth century, Yoga became a trend widely followed across the world. Many celebrities not only from India but even from the West became its ardent follower.

Our honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi acknowledged this international fame of Yoga. On 27^th Sept 2014, he first proposed the idea of International Yoga Day during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

He proposed June 21^st as the date dedicated to acknowledging the importance of Yoga. 21^st June is the Longest Day of the year in the northern hemisphere and shortest in the southern hemisphere.

In ancient Indian scripts, it is said that Shiva, the first yogi (Adi Yogi) began imparting the knowledge of yoga to the rest of mankind on this day, and became the first guru (Adi Guru). 

This proposal was accepted by the maximum number of members of the council and thus, yoga got due recognition. And 21st June is celebrated as the International Yoga Day

International Yoga Day!

As Honourable P.M. Narendra Modi said, Yoga is an invaluable gift of the ancient Indian tradition. It is for harmony and fulfilment. It’s a holistic approach to health and wellbeing. It is not about exercising but about discovering your true self. And in immersing in the practice of yoga one often stumbles upon their true self.

The International Yoga Day is a celebration and remembrance to all that Yoga teaches and preaches. It is a salute to our ancestors and the great teachers.