[ad_1]
The international community celebrates June 21 as International Yoga Day, recognizing the many benefits of the ancient Indian practice of yoga. The year 2021 marks the 7th International Yoga Day.
The United Nations theme for this year is Yoga for Wellness, which takes into account how the practice can promote the holistic health of each individual.
Although yoga has long been recognized as a gift from India to the global wellness culture, official UN recognition came after a push from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014.
# International Yoga Day greetings! Our vision of the ancient seers of bringing mind and body together to achieve holistic health and happiness has benefited millions of people over millennia. One of India’s great gifts to the world, it can be particularly useful during Covid-19. #BeWithYogaBeAtHome pic.twitter.com/pO91fOnBxE
– President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) June 21, 2021
The United Nations proclaimed June 21 International Yoga Day by adopting a resolution on December 11, 2014 during the 69th session of the General Assembly. During the session, PM Modi said that yoga is an invaluable gift from our ancient tradition. Yoga embodies the unity of mind and body, of thought and action … a holistic approach [that] is valuable to our health and well-being. Yoga is not just about exercise; it is a way of discovering the meaning of oneness with yourself, the world and nature.
The first Yoga Day celebrations were held in 2015 at Raj Path in New Delhi and Modi, along with other dignitaries, had set two Guinness World Records. The first record was set for accommodating 35,985 people and being the largest yoga session in the world. The second was to have the greatest number (84) of nationalities participating.
The word yoga is derived from Sanskrit and means to join or unite, symbolizing the union of a person’s body and consciousness.
Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word yoga derives from Sanskrit and means to join or unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness, the United Nations website says.
According to its famous practitioner BKS Iyengar, Yoga cultivates the means of maintaining a balanced attitude in everyday life and confers skills in the performance of one’s actions.
In its 2019 Common Yoga Protocol, the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) lists Yama, Niyama, sana, Pryma, Pratyhra, Dhra, Dhyna, Samdhi, Bandhs and Mudrs, akarmas, Yukthra, Mantra-japa, Yukta-karma as popular yoga sadhanas.
The AYUSH protocol describes the Yoga Day folded hands logo as reflecting the union of individual consciousness with that of universal consciousness, perfect harmony between mind and body, man and nature, the holistic approach of health and well-being. The brown leaves of the logo symbolize the earth element, the green leaves of nature, the blue the fire element while the sun symbolizes the source of energy and inspiration.
[ad_2]
picture credit