Yoga is an ancient form of exercise which is rooted in India and its rich cultural heritage. This liberating activity holds immense benefits for both physical and mental health and for some it is even used for spiritual growth.
Purification of the body, mind and intellect is only part of the benefit of yoga as it has been known to serve as a cure for ailments such as the common cough, stomach disorders and mental tensions and almost any mental health problems.
A local yoga instructor, Agnela Patil, grew up doing yoga as she was born and raised in India, where it is a prominent practice. Explaining yoga to Stabroek News, she said “It’s a vast thing. You need to go deep into yoga to know it. Yoga, which means to join or to connect is what yoga means. Anything that connects you to your universal self.” Therefore it is the connecting of the body, mind and spiritual self.
Patil shared: “It has become my way of living, I have made it my life. I started it as a child because I come from India where it originated so I have been doing it as a child. I was an engineering student but I found it so interesting that I took it up as a full-time profession. It has been good to me and it gives me immense pleasure to share it with people. There is not a single day that I do not practice yoga,”
The Indian High Commission-er to Guyana, Dr K J Srinivasa also described yoga as much more than just poses and exercise but a passion that is secular for well-being and mental health.
Srinivasa in an interview with Stabroek News said that yoga became an exercise for everybody thousands of years ago, when the Indian sages would practice the exercise in the forest. Eventually, kings and other persons in high positions started doing it and it became a commonly acceptable as a lifestyle. And while many persons might see these poses and think them to be difficult, he explained that yoga, is in fact more than the poses we see. “People see all those complex poses and they are like, ‘oh my god, what’s this?’ But these are for people who have achieved its mastery. You do yoga for 10 years and then you reach that level, your body becomes flexible. You are completely supple.” However, before attaining that level, one must first understand that yoga has its physical, mental and spiritual attributes.
Srinivasa explained that the physical attributes have more to do with the poses, which can be mastered with time and dieting. Yoga, he said, follows strict dietary practices which help with the cleansing of the body, this further helps with making the insides of the human body healthy. While the mental attributes are influenced by the ‘calmness’ of the meditation and deep breathing exercises incorporated in yoga. People swear by yoga. Spiritually, Srinivasa said, yoga can be uplifting and he has had encounters with persons who feel more liberated spiritually while doing yoga. For some, yoga is even used as a form of therapy.
Srinivasa attested that for the past three years that he has done yoga, it has greatly helped his thought processes. “My poor colleagues feel the burn of it when I keep on telling them do this, do that. But you know they all do yoga as well,” he said.
For Indians, June 21 is important since it marks the summer solstice – the longest day in the year. This event is important because it symbolises an inner spiritual journey. As such, it is only fitting that International Yoga Day would be held on that day. Back in 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the observance to the United Nations. The proposal was supported by 177 sponsors.
While Srinivasa has travelled with the yoga campaigners to many places promoting yoga, he brought those same sentiments with him when he was posted to Guyana. In addition to promoting yoga to Guyana, he has diplomatic responsibilities for Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, and St Kitts and Nevis.
Annually, international yoga day is met with huge plans but because of the new novel coronavirus outbreak, the plans, like many other events, have been moved to the virtual realm. International Yoga Day is being observed under the theme “Ghar Garh Se Yoga – Yoga From Home” on Sunday, June 21. Persons are encouraged to join the yoga instructors at the Swami Vivekananda Culture Centre (SVCC) in Georgetown for a virtual yoga session from 10:00hrs. Interested persons can join by visiting the SVCC Facebook page and joining the Zoom conference. It will also be aired on local television channels 6, 28, 11, 65, 69 and E-Networks.
Additionally, the SVVC and the Indian High Commission to Guyana have invited the public to participate in a worldwide video blogging competition, “My life, my yoga.” The competition is part of a series of week-long online activities which includes lectures on Yoga. Persons are encouraged to submit written essays explaining how yoga has impacted their lives and there are the art and poster categories as well. Also, persons can take a photo of themselves in various yoga postures to be eligible to win various prizes.
