It was a chilly wintry Sunday morning on 4th December 2011, when prominent Yogis of Bharat and some from abroad assembled in the picturesque, The Art of Living International Ashram, in Bengaluru for the 1st day of Yoga: A Science for World Peace, organised jointly by The Art of Living, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA) and Portuguese Yoga Confedaration under the leadership of Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji.
For an ordinary seeker like me, it was goosebump moments just to be in the presence of virtual who’s who of the Yoga World. Imagine the energy exuded from the stage above when you have Yoga Shiromani Padma Vibhushan Shri Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar (Popularly known as BKS), Padma Bhushan Sri Sri Sri Balagangadharnath Swamiji of Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt, Swami Paramatmananda-General Secretary of Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, Swami Baba Ramdev of Patanjali Yogpeeth, Yogarshi Subodh Tiwari of Keivalyadhama Yoga Institute, Padmashri Dr. Nagendra – Chancellor S-VYASA, Karpadi Siddalingeshwara Swamiji of Yogavana Betta, Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raj-President of Portuguese Yoga Confederation, Dr. Ramesh Bijlani of Aurobindo Ashram, Swami Radanath of ISKCON and others
Note the pen in Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri’s hands (scroll down to the end why I mentioned specifically)
Yogis and delegates deliberated over a period of 2 days to evolve plans to standardize yoga education while allowing the flexibility for innovations and classical contributions of Yoga Gurus and Yoga Schools. It was felt by the delegates that the standardisation is a must to ensure consistency of delivery, evaluation and improving practice and teaching of Yoga, which then can become an objective tool for value-based education and a catalyst for social transformation and facilitate the use of yoga as a performance enhancer and stress buster..
Yoga today has become an integral part of wellness strategy and agnostic to race, nationality and ethnicity. In recent years, medical researchers are exploring therapeutic benefits of yoga. There are compelling evidences to use yoga as a lifestyle intervention for stress and lifestyle related psychosomatic diseases. Presentations during the summit, on basic research on yoga has also made out that yoga facilitates scholastic and occupational performance in children and adults respectively.
On the 1st day of the summit, Shri BKS Iyengar moved the following proclamation (see picture below for the exact resolution)
On the 2nd and final day of the summit, the resolution of Proclamation was adopted by all delegates and participants
Amazing and mind-boggling display of Hatha Yoga to a very advanced levels were part of the two day conference.
The UN Resolution
In his opening address of the 69th session(click on the link for full text) of the General Assembly, Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi mooted the proposal saying, “Yoga is an invaluable gift from our ancient tradition. Yoga embodies unity of mind and body, thought and action, a holistic approach that is valuable to our health and our well-being. Yoga is not just about exercise; it is a way to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature.”
With the above address of Prime Ministet as background, on December 11th 2014, United Nations and the UNESCO resolved to observe June 21st as International Day of Yoga, and the resolution was passed by the UN General Assembly with a whopping majority of 175 Countries, the biggest majority for any of the resolutions in the History of United Nations.
As the resolution notes, “the importance of individuals and populations making healthier choices and following lifestyle patterns that foster good health.” In this regard, the World Health Organization has also urged its member states to help their citizens reduce physical inactivity, which is among the top ten leading causes of death worldwide, and a key risk factor for non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes.
As United Nations says, Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness.
Today it is practiced in various forms around the world and continues to grow in popularity. No denying Yoga is very much Hindu system (which inherently is Secular) and Sanatana Dharma’s faith agnostic contribution to Humanity
International Day of Yoga-2023
Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lead International Day of Yoga 2023 celebrations in the United Nations
It is also yet another proud moment for India this year as Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be leading the sessions on 9th International Day of Yoga celebrations(The Link works at the time of writing this article), hosted by our Permanent Mission to the United Nations from 6:30 pm IST (9:00am EST) on 21st June 2023. You can watch it live on Youtube
A Prized Possession
Something personal related to the International Yoga Summit, International Day of Yoga is my prized possession which is now framed and preserved for posterity. It was my pen that used by all the Yogis, to sign the proclamation on 4th December 2011. Grateful to Shri Vinay Tadimalla ji, then Secretary to Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji, while giving me the pen, told me “you would be desperately wanting this pen back and here it is”.
Some random Clicks of International Day of Yoga, over the years that I have been part of (either leading on stage or as participant)
