By Lalit Garg
The eighth International Yoga Day was celebrated in India as well as in most countries around the world on June 21 with a new theme- “Yoga for Humanity.” Yoga is being made a medium to connect human beings and humanity.
In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed to celebrate Yoga Day at the United Nations meeting, after which it was announced on December 11, 2014, that June 11 will be celebrated as International Yoga Day every year.
The vision and efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have created an atmosphere for the international acceptance of Yoga Day. Today everyone is living a life of doubt, conflict, and mental turmoil. There is a crisis of life in front of the man. Mental balance is getting disturbed. Mental balance means establishing harmony in different situations and the powerful and effective medium is yoga is a means to achieve this balance.
Yoga is such a technique, a science that heals our body, mind, thoughts, and soul. It removes our stress and frustration. When we do yoga, focus on the breath, do pranayama, and exercise, all this inspires our body and mind to be happy and cheerful from within. Yoga is a powerful way to get rid of the hustle and bustle of life.
Yoga is the process of purifying and enlightening the consciousness of man, it is an undertaking to elevate man, it is a means to establish balance in life and it is the science of oneness with God and the universe. Realization of self is the task of life – the supreme goal. This realization can neither be attained by discourse, nor can it be attained by intellect, nor by listening to a lot, for that it is necessary to have self-realization and this realization happens only to the one whose conscience is pure and selfless.
The pure conscience is the mirror in which the vision of the soul, the manifestation of nature, and the vision of the self are seen. In a pure conscience, the intellect remains heavenly and clean, the mind as pure as the Ganges, the mind as steady as the light of a motionless lamp without wind, and the entire consciousness flowing like rivers to meet the ocean. Just as one’s face is visible in the mirror only when the mirror is clear and stable, similarly the Supreme power of self is visible only through a pure conscience. Yoga is such an effective form of exercise, through which balance is created not only in the parts of the body but also in the mind, and soul. This is the reason that apart from physical ailments, mental problems can also be overcome by yoga.
The importance of yoga, which is found in our Vedas or even earlier literature, today the same yoga is gaining fame all over the world and due to the corona crisis, the usefulness of yoga has increased more than before.
Yoga is the only way to physical, mental, and spiritual peace of health. Some people also believe that the science of yoga is older than the Vedas. In the excavations done by the Archaeological Department of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, many such sculptures have been found in which Shiva and Parvati are shown performing various yoga asanas. Swami Vivekananda, who hoisted Indian Yoga to the world, says – “A pure heart is the best mirror for the reflection of truth. That’s why all spiritual practice is for purifying the heart. When it becomes pure, all the truths are reflected in it at that very moment. Unholy imagination is as bad as unholy acts.”
Modern materialistic and convenient life is pushing man towards the disturbance, imbalance, tension, fatigue, and irritability, due to which the disorder is increasing. Yoga is such a powerful medicine that keeps the mind cool and the body fit to keep such heterogeneous and discrepant life healthy and energetic. The pace of life can be given a musical pace through yoga. Yoga is the oldest identity of our Indian culture. The awakening of Yoga-consciousness leads to purification of the mind. Its process is to see the soul through the soul. It is a technique of observing the tendencies and states of mind by the free consciousness of attachment and aversion. Right philosophy is a powerful undertaking to transform the Self. The secretions of the glandular system are balanced by the experiments of self-realization. Due to this, the feelings remain pure, thoughts become healthy.
The word yoga is derived from the age of culture, which means the union of the soul with the universal consciousness. Yoga has been practiced for more than ten thousand years. According to the Vedic Samhitas, it is mentioned in the Vedas about the ascetics have since ancient times. Sculptures depicting yoga and meditation were also found in the Indus Valley Civilization. In Hinduism, the Yoga civilization was adopted by sages, monks, and yogis from the very beginning, but not much time has passed since this method has spread among the common people. However, knowing the glory and importance of yoga, it is being adopted extensively for a healthy lifestyle, mainly because of its positive effects on busy, stressful, and unhealthy routines.
Yoga is necessary for us to stay healthy. Through yoga, you can get benefit from many diseases like asthma, diabetes, blood pressure, and arthritis. Yoga removes stress and gets good sleep, appetite is good, and not only this but digestion is also improved. Body fat can be reduced only through yoga. When a man takes shelter in yoga to solve his physical, mental, and spiritual problems are get their solution, then he connects with yoga, makes relationships, and tries to bring it into life. But when one starts knowing something about it, knowing it steps in the process of action, then it reaches the limit of use. By making the role of this experiment an integral part of life, we can give a new shape to humanity.
PM Modi, who is deeply interested in Yoga, has implemented it with a great resolution. Surely his yoga revolution will become the medium of development, happiness, and peace in the life of world humanity. Yoga not only teaches how to live a beautiful and orderly life, but also teaches the art of improving personality, communal harmony, good governance, and balanced life. Yoga is not associated with any religion, sect, caste, or language. Yoga means to unite, so it talks about love, non-violence, compassion, and taking everyone along. Yoga is an investigation into the process of life. It came into existence before all religions and it opened up infinite possibilities before human beings. This science-related to inner and spiritual development, human welfare is a great gift for the whole world.
(The writer is a senior journalist based in New Delhi.)
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Disclaimer: The views expressed are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times
