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21st June marks an important yet uncelebrated event that has been occurring since millennia. This is the day when the Sun transitions from North to the South in what is known as Dakshinayana and this is also the day when Shiva started to transfer his knowledge of Yoga to the Rishis. In current context, June 21 now assumes importance in that the UN has declared it a World Yoga Day pursuant to the efforts of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The decision came in the wake of Narendra Modi’s speech at the UN General Assembly in September and the UN made a declaration on 11 December 2014 with 170 nations supporting Modi.
Yoga is ancient India’s system of holistic health, closely tied with Ayurveda. Yoga is not religious in nature and is a system of practices and way of life that brings about inner balance, calm, sense of purpose and improved health. It also creates harmony between man and nature. Will all nations celebrate World Yoga Day or will it remain on paper? Assuming that Modi does give directives to seriously implement Yoga day and yogic practices, what can we expect? • Physical education is a part of school curriculum. Yoga could become a part of the curriculum and ingrain yogic practices into each child at a young age, paving the way for a country where each citizen is spiritually and physically balanced as well as empowered and works not only for his own good but for the greater good with a world view of the environment at the macro level. • At the micro level, each individual experiences greater calm, inner security and balance and thus behaves in a socially responsible manner. Should it become a widespread practice, yoga could certainly have an influence on the crime rate and make for happier families. Yoga is about self control too. • Yogic practices mean a sustainable lifestyle with minimalist requirements so it should curtail consumerism and bring about better interaction among classes and cross sections of society since money will not be the great definer. • Yoga becomes a lifestyle in the future and we can expect industrialists, farmers and even homeowners to be more responsible in handling pollution as well as nurturing environment. We may be reading a lot into the World Yoga Day and expectations may not match actual practices as has been the case in other “world” days declared by the UN. On a positive note, the population is more health conscious and World Yoga Day will only serve to motivate more people to become healthier mentally and physically through yoga. Know more about Yoga Guru Patanjali Statues
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