PRESS BRIEFING ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA
12th June
2015
On a call from the Prime Minister of India to declare
21st June as International Day of Yoga (IDY), United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA), on 11th December 2014, adopted a resolution moved
by India and co-sponsored by a record of 177 countries (including Madagascar),
to declare 21st June as “International Day of Yoga”. 21st
June will, therefore, be celebrated worldwide as ‘International Day of Yoga’
every year.
The Embassy of India, Antananarivo (Madagascar) will
be celebrating International Day of Yoga in a befitting manner on 21st
June 2015 at Hotel Ibis in Antananarivo (Madagascar) and National Assembly Hall
in Moroni (Comoros). There will be presentations and Yoga demonstration on this
occasion.
Indian
Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi, in his speech at the 69th session
of the General Meeting of United Nations on 27th September 2014,
said that "Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. It
embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment;
harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and
well-being. Yoga is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness
with ourselves, the world and Nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating
consciousness, it can help us to deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International
Yoga Day."
On 11th December 2014,
the 193-member UNGA approved the proposal by consensus with a record 177
co-sponsoring countries a resolution to establish 21 June as
"International Day of Yoga".
In its resolution, the UNGA recognised that Yoga provides a holistic
approach to health and well-being and wider dissemination of information about
the benefits of practicing Yoga for the health of the world population. Yoga
also brings harmony in all walks of life and thus, is known for disease
prevention, health promotion and management of many lifestyle-related
disorders.
What
is yoga? : Yoga is essentially a spiritual
discipline based on an extremely subtle science which focuses on bringing
harmony between mind and body. It is an
art and science for healthy living. The word "Yoga" is derived from
the Sanskrit root yujmeaning "to join", "to yoke" or
"to unite". According to
Yogic scriptures, the practice of Yoga leads to the union of individual
consciousness with universal consciousness. According to modern scientists,
everything in the universe is just a manifestation of the same quantum
firmament. One who experiences this oneness of existence is said to be "in
Yoga" and is termed as a yogi who has attained a state of freedom,
referred to as mukti, nirvāna,
kaivalyaor moksha.
"Yoga" also refers to an inner science comprising of a variety of
methods through which human beings can achieve union between the body and mind
to attain self-realisation. The aim of Yoga practice (sādhana)
is to overcome all kinds of sufferings that lead to a sense of freedom in every
walk of life with holistic health, happiness and harmony.
Brief history and development of Yoga: The science of Yoga has its
origin thousands of years ago, long before the first religion or belief systems
were born. According to Yogic lore,
Shiva has seen as the first yogi or ādiyogiand
the first guru or ādiguru.Several
thousand years ago, on the banks of lakeKantisarovar in the Himalayas, ādiyogipoured
his profound knowledge into the legendary saptarishisor "seven
sages". These sages carried this
powerful Yogic science to different parts of the world, including Asia, the
Middle East, northern Africa and South America. Interestingly, modern scholars
have noted and marveled at the close parallels found between ancient cultures
across the globe. However, it was in India that the Yogic system found its
fullest expression. Agastya, the saptarishi who travelled across the Indian
subcontinent, crafted this culture around a core Yogic way of life.
Yoga is widely considered as an
"immortal cultural outcome" of the Indus Saraswati Valley
Civilisation – dating back to 2700 BC – and has proven itself to cater to both
material and spiritual uplift of
humanity. A number of seals and
fossil remains of Indus Saraswati Valley Civilisation with Yogic motifs and
figures performing Yoga sādhanasuggest
the presence of Yoga in ancient India.
The seals and idols of mother Goddess are suggestive of TantraYoga. The presence of Yoga is also available in
folk traditions, Vedic and Upanishadic heritage, Buddhist and Jain traditions, Darshanas,
epics of Mahabharata, including
Bhagawadgita and Ramayana, theistic traditions of Shaivas, Vaishnavas and
Tantric traditions. Though Yoga was
being practiced in the pre-Vedic period, the great sage Maharishi
Patanjalisystematised and codified the then existing Yogic practices, its
meaning and its related knowledge through Patanjali'sYoga Sutras.
Yoga is just not a physical exercise as perceived by many. Yoga is all about harmonizing the body with the mind
and breath through the means of various breathing techniques, yoga postures (asanas) and meditation. Yoga enables man to perceive the
truth in all religions. A prayer that
one utters while at the same time thinking of other things in the background of
the mind is not a true prayer and is unheeded by God. Yoga teaches that in order the prayer to
succeed, one should know to concentrate and through Yoga one can attain this
concentration.
Yoga is for everybody, for the
people of the east, west, north and south.
One cannot say that telephone is not for the east because it was
invented in the west. So is Yoga. In fact,
a cross section of people in different countries throughout the world are
practicing yoga but there is a need to popularize it so that the entire
humanity could be benefitted by the inherent strength of Yoga.
Come, join us in
spreading the message of Yoga.
