INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA
The United Nations General Assembly declared June 21st as the International Day of Yoga on Dec 11, 2014. Addressing the UN General Assembly on 27 September 2014, the Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi had said: "Yoga is an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature.
By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day." On Dec 11, India's Permanent Representative introduced the draft resolution in UNGA.
The draft text received broad support from 177 Member States, including USA, and the draft text was adopted without a vote. Hence, June 21, 2015 is the first International Day of Yoga. Government of India is planning to celebrate IDY 2018 in all the countries around the world. Embassy of India is planning to organize a series of events culminating on June 17, 2018 to celebrate the IDY.
History of International Yoga Day
The root of this historic declaration can be traced back to the year 2001, when the proposal for a “World Yoga Day” was observed by Portuguese Yoga Confederation and the Yoga Samkhya Institute. Consequently the first World Yoga Day was celebrated on 21st June 2002. The first steps towards this declaring was taken on a conference, titled ‘Yoga: A Science for World Peace’ which was held in Bengaluru on 4th and 5th December 2011. It was the first time in history, that yoga guru from all parts of the world was endorsing the idea for an International Day for Yoga.
Ancient History of Yoga in India
Rig Veda, which is popularly known as the first book of mankind mentions yogic meditation. Yajur Veda exhorts mankind to practice yoga for enhancing mental health, physical strength, and prosperity. In addition, yoga-related terms like pranayama and samadhi occur repeatedly in Bhagavad-Gita. Yoga was systemized by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras during the time frame between 300–200 B.C. According to him, yoga was the only way for the soul to know its true self.
"Yoga, embodies unity of mind and body, thought and action, restraint and fulfillment, harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being."
--Narendra Modi
WORLD YOGA DAY THEME
- The theme of World Yoga Day 2018 was “Yoga for Peace”.
- Theme of 2017 was “Yoga For Health”.
- Theme of 2016 was “Connect the Youth”.
- Theme of 2015 was “Yoga For Harmony And Peace”.
14 Different Types of Yoga
1. HATHA YOGA
Hatha yoga is a comprehensive term that includes all kinds of yoga that is based in physical practice. So that includes styles like Ashtanga and Iyengar but not Kriya, Raja, or Karma yoga that are not based on physical yoga practice. Hatha yoga is best if you are just starting out as the pace is far slower than the other styles. The practice involves having to hold a pose Hatha classes for a few breaths and focuses a lot of meditation and correct breathing and postures. You will also learn some essential relaxation techniques.2. VINYASA YOGA
Like hatha, vinyasa yoga is a general term that describes many different styles of yoga. It essentially means movement synchronized with breath and is a vigorous style based on a rapid flow through sun salutations. You may also see a vinyasa class referred to as a flow class, which refers to the continuous flow from one yoga posture to the next.
3. ASHTANGA YOGA
Popularised by celebrities worldwide, Ashtanga or the “eight limb path” is very physically demanding so you should not do this if you are a beginner or not in great physical shape. It involves doing multiple surynamaskars followed by standing and floor postures. There are six series of postures that have to be repeated in every class. This kind of yoga is also called Power Yoga and in this style you start with the primary series and then graduate to the next level when you have mastered it. It takes years of practice to master this form.4. POWER YOGA
Power yoga is used to describe a vigorous, vinyasa-style yoga. It originally closely resembled ashtanga and was an attempt to make ashtanga more accessible to Western students. It differs, however, in that it is not a set series of poses, but rather allows the instructor freedom to teach what they want.Two American yogis, Beryl Bender Birch and Bryan Kest, both of whom studied with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, are most often credited with inventing power yoga. Power yoga's popularity has spread around the world and is now taught in most studios. Because the style can vary, it is recommended that you consult with the studio or individual instructor before attending a class.
5. BIKRAM YOGA
Created by yoga guru Bikram Choudhury, the key feature of this practice is to do a set of poses in a room heated to 41 degrees centigrade and 40 percent humidity. In a 90-minute sequence there are 26 basic postures that are done twice and two breathing exercises. The heat makes you sweat excessively thereby getting your body rid of toxins while the postures work every part of your body and bring oxygenated blood to all your internal organs. Drink plenty of fluids to rehydrate.6. JIVAMUKTI YOGA
David Life and Sharon Gannon created jivamukti yoga in 1984, and since then have studied with a number of teachers, including Swami Nirmalananda and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Their classes resemble ashtanga in the vinyasa-style flow through asanas. Each class begins with a standardized warm-up sequence unique to jivamukti and often teachers will incorporate weekly themes, chanting, meditation, readings and affirmations.7. IYENGAR YOGA
Founded by B.K.S. Iyengar, this form of yoga is great for those who want to work on injuries and joint problems. It focuses on correct alignment of the body and very precise moves. These postures are held while holding your breath and the duration of each pose increases with expertise. The perfect pose is achieved with the help of props like traps, blocks, and blankets. This practice great improves stability, mobility , strength and flexibility.8. ANUSARA YOGA
The anusara style is a new system of hatha that teaches a set of Universal Principles of Alignment that underlie all yoga postures, while encouraging flowing with grace and following your heart. Founded by John Friend, the practice of anusara is broadly categorized into three parts, known as the Three A's. They include attitude, alignment and action.
9. SIVANANDA YOGA
Coined after the original presenter by Swami Sivananda, this style of yoga is more of a holistic approach that focuses on the entire body. Sivananda concentrates more on relaxation and breathing while encouraging a vegetarian diet and positive thinking. If desiring a complete yogic lifestyle, Sivananda may be the perfect fit!10. VINIYOGA
Viniyoga is the comprehensive style encompassing the teachings of asana, pranayama, sound, chanting, personal ritual, and study of texts. It is highly individualized and encourages its supports to adapt poses and goals to align with personal needs and abilities. And rather than centering on building strength and flexibility, the yoga style can be thought of more as a “warmup,” ultimately reducing injury risk.11. KUNDALINI YOGA
Kundalini incorporates movement, dynamic breathing techniques, mediation, and the chanting and singing of mantras. If desiring a lesser physical demand, a deeper spiritual development, and a livelier practice and environment, Kundalini might be ideal for you.
12. YIN YOGA
Yin yoga is a slow-paced style in which poses are held for five minutes or longer. Even though it is passive, yin yoga can be quite challenging due to the long holds, particularly if your body is not used to it. The purpose is to apply moderate stress to the connective tissue - the tendons, fascia and ligaments - with the aim of increasing circulation in the joints and improving flexibility. It was founded and first taught in the U.S. in the late 1970s by martial arts expert and Taoist yoga teacher Paulie Zink. Yin-style is now begin taught across North America and in Europe, due in large part to two of the more prominent instructors, Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers.13. INTEGRATIVE YOGA THERAPY (IYT)
Integrative yoga therapy brings together asanas, pranayama, mudra, yoga nidra, mantra and meditation into a complete package where they can be utilized for therapy. Founded by Joseph Le Page in 1993, IYT was an attempt to create a training program with the focus on yoga as a healing art, and has designed programs specifically for medical and mainstream wellness settings, including hospital and rehabilitation centres.
14. RESTORATIVE YOGA
As its name suggests, Restorative Yoga promotes restoration and recovery. Unlike a continuous series of multiple poses other yoga types display, Restorative Yoga typically focuses on merely five or six poses. Each pose is often assisted with a prop, held for five minutes or longer, and encourages complete relaxation and rest.
OBJECTIVES OF WORLD YOGA DAY
International Day of Yoga has been adopted to fulfill the following objectives:
- To let people know the amazing and natural benefits of yoga.
- To connect people to the nature by practicing yoga.
- To make people get used of meditation through yoga.
- To draw attention of people worldwide towards the holistic benefits of yoga.
- To reduce the rate of health challenging diseases all over the world.
- To bring communities much close together to spend a day for health from busy schedule.
- To enhance growth, development and spread peace all through the world.
- To help people in their bad situations themselves by getting relief from stress through yoga.
- To strengthen the global coordination among people through yoga.
- To make people aware of physical and mental diseases and its solutions through practicing yoga.
- To protect unhealthy practices and promote and respect the good practices to make health better.
- To let people know their rights of good health and healthy life style to completely enjoy the highest standard of physical and mental health.
- To link between protection of health and sustainable health development.
- To get win over all the health challenges through regular yoga practice.
- To promote better metal and physical health of people through yoga practice.
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