INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY

June 21, 2021, 6:18 p.m. by Karuwaki Speaks ( 821 views)

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International Yoga Day or Antarashtriya Yog Divas has been celebrated annually on 21 June since 2015 and was established in 2014. Mr. Narendra Modi introduced it for the benefit of the citizens of India and everyone in the world.The resolution to adopt June 21 as the International Yoga Day was introduced by India’s Ambassador, Ashoke Kumar Mukerji.

Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self to the self.The first Hindu teacher to actively advocate and disseminate aspects of yoga, not including asanas, to a western audience is Swami Vivekananda, who toured Europe and the United States in the 1890s.

Significance

International Yoga Day|karuwaki spekas

Yoga is derived from Sanskrit and it means to join or to unite. Union of body and consciousness is known as Yoga as it helps to maintain a balanced lifestyle in these changing times. On the first yoga day,around 35,985 people, including the prime minister himself, gathered on Rajpath, New Delhi, and practiced near about 21 yoga poses for over 35 minutes.

Different Types of Yoga

International Yoga Day|karuwaki spekas

Yoga is a practice which evolved over a long period of time through different phases and is categorised into different forms, Here are some popular types of yoga:

  1. 1) Ashtanga yoga: It is one of the most popular forms of yoga practised by people worldwide. Ashtanga (meaning eight limbs) yoga founded by Patanjali, advocates eight steps to live a healthy life.
  2. 2) Iyengar yoga: Founded by B. K. S. Iyengar, Iyengar Yoga consists of 200 classical yoga poses and 14 different types of pranayama. It can be practiced by all the young, elderly, tired, injured or ill people alike as this form of yoga makes use of props like belts, blocks, blankets etc which minimises the risk of injury and helps in performing the asanas correctly with minimum muscular effort.
  3. 3) Bikram yoga: Synthesised from traditional hatha yoga techniques, Bikram yoga classes are conducted for 90 minutes and consists of a series of 26 postures, including two breathing exercises. Founded by Bikram Choudhury, this form of yoga became popular in the early 1970s and is a hot yoga style practiced in a 35-42°C room with a humidity of 40%.
  4. 4) Power Yoga: Practitioners of this form of yoga perform Ashtanga yoga poses with greater speed. It is a more active approach to the traditional hatha yoga, often accompanied by upbeat music and is characterised by the change in sequence every time this yoga is practiced
  5. 5) Sivananda yoga: Based on the teachings of Swami Sivananda, this is a form of hatha yoga which focusses on preserving health. Sivananda yoga deals with frequent relaxation and emphasizes full yogic breathing.

Theme

International Yoga Day|karuwaki spekas

This year’s theme for International Day of Yoga is ‘Yoga for Well-being.’ Psycho-social care needs to be prioritised amid the pandemic time and yoga plays a vital role in it. When COVID-19 patients, who are in isolation and quarantine, faced psychological problems doctors held yoga sessions as it provides aid in mental stability. Therefore, ‘Yoga for Well-being’ is the correct theme for this year because it focuses on the holistic health of every individual, which is the need of the hour.

International Yoga Day|karuwaki spekas

Yoga Is vital in an individual’s life to make his life organized and help him to keep his body fit and mind in peace. The International Yoga Day has helped in promoting the idea and the benefits of practicing yoga and has encouraged thousands of people and is continuing to do the same.


Comments (1)

user
Mini 2 years, 6 months ago
Well written!