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This year marks the 10th International Day of Yoga with the theme “Yoga for Self and Society.”
Yoga, a transformative practice [consisting of eight limbs, spokes, or constituent factors], represents the harmony of mind and body [and spirit or breath], the balance between thought and action, and the unity of restraint and fulfillment.
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| Yoga on the lawn for 10th Int'l Yoga Day event, June 21, 2024, 6:00 pm (EDT), UNHQ, NY |
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| Poses are just one limb. Practice all eight. |
It integrates the body, mind, spirit, and soul [holy spirit,
prana, pneuma], offering a holistic approach to health and well-being that brings peace to our hectic lives.
Its power to transform is what we celebrate on this special day.
Organized by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN in collaboration with the UN Secretariat, the event takes place in the North Lawn Area of UNHQ.
What is yoga and why do we celebrate it?
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| I'm a movie star who loves the Easter Bunny. I'm a social climbing sociopath (2005 film). |
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| J-Love workout (pinterest.com) |
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.
Recognizing its universal appeal, on 11 December 2014, the United Nations proclaimed 21 June as the International Day of Yoga by resolution 69/131.
The International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga.
The draft resolution establishing the International Day of Yoga was proposed by India and endorsed by a record 175 member states.
The proposal was first introduced by recently reelected Indian [Nationalist] Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address during the opening of the 69th session of the General Assembly, in which he said:
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| I did it! Hands-free headstand balance! |
“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.”
What is “yoga” besides yoga pants?
The purpose of yoking, union (uniting body, breath, and mind) is to reach
stillness (
samadhi), so its real purpose is
meditation (
absorption) -- being able to sit and being able to still the mind and focus it on a single object.
That object could be the breath itself, a mantra (thought instrument to guide the mind), an image of the divine (visualization), a flower, a candle flame, a
kasina (disc), or any of the 40 meditation objects the Buddha described.
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| Yogini Jen Love in mod outfit |
So yoga may be described as a system of breathing exercises, body movements and postures, internal organ stimulation, cleansing, spinal flexibility developed by seers and sages. Although the sage Patanjali is credited with "inventing" yoga, he only organized it into a system in the
Yoga Sutras, which are really aphorisms or short sayings that are then explained. He learned them and expressed them concisely, rather than developing them all himself.
In fact,
the reason for yoga is stated in the first aphorism: to still the thought waves or streams of consciousness (
vrittis). If
samadhi is understood as "stillness" of mind, then
vrittis are the streams, the whirlpools, the chaotic roar of consciousness. Imagine the strings of an instrument all jangled, out of tune, and constantly strummed. Now imagine them in tune (coherent), softening, and stilling. That is the
eight limbs (
ashtanga) of yoga, yoking the mind to its
sadhana or "daily practice," coming all together,
sam-a-dhi, cohering.
One may not reach complete stillness all at once. It may be done in steps or employing expedient means along the way, such as leaning on "
God/Goddess" (
Brahman, Maha Brahma, neither male nor female but expressing the qualities of both masculinity and femininity, yin and yang), a
deva or image of the divine. or one's best possible self, aspiring to our own divine potential, our innate capacity to become divine.
So
from a Buddhist perspective -- or any non-Hindu, non-Vedic
dharma (doctrine), such as
Jainism or Baba's
Ananda Marga (
PR Sarkar's "Path to Bliss") -- perspective, one need not imagine or visualize a theistic being. It is quite enough to go bigger and take as one's ideal Brahman (the truth behind all
illusion) or the potential for
Buddhahood, the
bodhisattva ideal, when this "being-bent-on-enlightenment" refers to supreme awakening, nonteaching awakening, or personal awakening (the enlightenment of a supremely awakened teacher, a fully awakened
paccekka buddha, or an
arahant (enlightened disciple).
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| Om (aum): cosmic sound |
Patanjali, gurus, and
sadhus of the past really envisioned the immensity of the godhead (godhood), the omniscient and omnipotent (Brahman), rather than relying on human conceptions of an anthropomorphic figure like Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, or Krishna (or Ma Durga, Saraswati, Kali, or Radha). Imagine a "higher power," or the best form of myself I could ever become.
