International Day of YOGA

What does spirituality mean to you? Like yoga itself, spirituality is personal yet universal. Many people practice yoga as a means to a toned body and an hour of peace away from the office. But for others looking for their path through life, yoga goes deeper. For many people, spirituality is the answer to the question “what makes yoga special?”

According to Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, “Yoga means to be in perfect tune. Your body, mind and spirit and the existence are in absolute harmony.” When you fine-tune yourself to such a point where everything functions so beautifully within you, naturally the best of your abilities will just flow out of you.” He confirms that while standing on your head, holding your breath and twisting your body is a part of yoga – Yoga is actually the science of activating your inner energies in such a way that your body, mind and emotions function at their highest peak. Sounds complicated? All in good time you will understand what we are talking about here.

Welcome to the Hindu Swyamsevak Sangh (HSS) 21 day column. Here we will bring to you all that is necessary for you to know about YOGA. We trust that you will read, and share the message around to all your friends, relatives and even write to us.

Before we begin to explore yoga, you probably are wondering “What is HSS?”, “What do they do?” let us tell you a little on who we are.

The uniqueness of Hindu Dharma and the culture as practiced by the Hindu community has a significant contribution to make for the benefit of humanity. It is therefore essential for Hindus living in Guyana to develop unity and harmony in their community to effectively promote these salient features. The Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) Guyana is a voluntary, non-profit, social and cultural organization. Sangh, as the organization is popularly known, aims to organize the Hindu community in order to preserve, practice and promote Hindu ideals and values. We stem from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which in English means “National Volunteer Organization which was founded in 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (1889–1940). However outside of India, the organization is known as the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, but to differentiate amongst ourselves we place our country’s name behind.

HSS conducts structured programs of regular athletic and academic activities to develop strong character and leadership skills in its members (known as swayamsevaks for men and sevikas for women), emphasizing values such as self-discipline, self-confidence and a spirit of selfless service (seva) for humanity. We encourage maintaining Hindu cultural identity in harmony with the larger community.

Yoga happens to be one of the main aspects that we look into in HSS. We believe that in order to promote spiritual growth, a sense of unity with the environment and general well-being, yoga must play a critical role in everyone’s life.

What is the International Day of Yoga (IDOY)?

International Day of Yoga was the result of a call by Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during his address to the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) not long after he captured the imagination of world leaders after his election to office in May 2014. On September 27, of that year, he declared: “Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; 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. “

Following on PM Modi’s proposal, on December 11 in 2014, the UN General Assembly declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga. That day – the day of the annual Summer Solstice – was chosen because in the words of Modi, “the date is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and has special significance in many parts of the world.” It is the beginning of summer in this hemisphere. With this he urged the world community to adopt an International Day of Yoga.

The logo of IDOY is also deeply symbolic. It has two hands in the famous “namaste” pose which represents “the union of individual Consciousness with that of universal Consciousness, a perfect harmony between mind and body, man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. Brown leaves symbolise the Earth element, green leaves symbolise Nature, blue symbolises the Water element, brightness symbolises the Fire element and the Sun symbolises the source of energy and inspiration. The logo reflects harmony and peace for humanity, which is the essence of Yoga.”

Today more than 153 countries observe this day because they recognize the history, the benefits and the importance and the need of yoga. Guyana is one of those countries that has been participating in this observance for the past three years.

You can be of any faith or have no faith to practice yoga – yoga is not a religious practice, and the spiritual side of yoga is not linked to any organized form of worship. The word yoga means to join or unite, and yogis view this unison in different ways – the unison of body, mind and spirit, uniting all the aspects of yourself, or uniting with a higher power or spiritual force.

You can believe in a God or gods, or nothing at all. Sometimes working through asanas can be like a prayer – moving quietly, reverently, focused on the breath. But equally your prayer could come the next day, when you feel a jolt of recognition and completion, and are taken back to how you felt when you were truly in the moment, on the mat.

Think of yoga was a way of cultivating wholeness, remembering wholeness, and recognizing this wholeness everywhere – for many yogis, that is the spiritual side of the practice.

Join us tomorrow as we look continue to look at Yoga and Spirituality and how it can help you as an individual to be a more aware social being.