YOGA: PHYSICAL, MENTAL & SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

Gunin Borah

(The writer is the HOD of Geography at Biswanath College, Chariali. He can be reached at borah.gunin@gmail.com.)

International Yoga Day on June 21 celebrates the ancient practices of Yoga and has significance at a global level. Established by the United Nations, this day aims to raise awareness about the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of practicing yoga. With millions of people around the world participating in various yoga activities and events, International Yoga Day serves as a reminder of the universal appeal and transformative power of these ancient practices.

International Yoga Day, 2023, is celebrated on the official theme ‘ Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. These themes emphasize the healthy being of every individual, irrespective of any discrimination, through the regular practices of yoga. It is a Sanskrit phrase that can be translated as ‘the world is one family’ or the whole world is one single family. The principle reflects the idea that all human beings are interconnected and should live in harmony and cooperation with one another, transcending boundaries of nationality, religion, race, or any other form of division.

Yoga is originally derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Yuj’, which means union of the individual consciousness or soul with the universal consciousness or spirit. Yoga is a more than 5000-year-old Indian body of knowledge. Though many think of yoga only as a physical exercise where people twist, turn, stretch, and breathe in the most complex ways, these are actually only the most superficial aspects of this science of unfolding the infinite potentials of the human mind and soul.

In the Bhagavad Gita, yoga is defined as being equal-minded in both success and failure. Such equanimity is called yoga. Yoga is a skill in action.’

The art of living yoga is a holistic way of life that integrates all elements of the ancient knowledge of yoga to make a prayerful discipline of unity of the body, mind, and soul. Along with the series of simple yet effective yoga postures and breathing techniques, a great emphasis is placed on the inner experience of meditation for the well-being of the mind and other hidden elements of human existence. Regular practise of the art of living yoga has brought remarkable lifestyle changes to its practitioners. Participants have a healthy, happy life with reduced anxiety, increased tolerance, and mindfulness. It is the secret to better health and a greater sense of happiness.

The date of June 21 was declared the International Day of Yoga by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 2014. Yoga, a more than 5000-year-old physical, mental, and spiritual practice with its origins in ancient India, aims to transform the body and mind. The declaration came after the call for the adoption of June 21 as International Day of Yoga by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to the UN General Assembly on September 27, 2014. In the UN General Assembly, Narendra Modi stated, “Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body through action, restraint and fulfilment, harmony between man and nature, and a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but about discovering a sense of oneness with yourself, the world, and nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.”

At present, Swami Ramdev is the main person to be given credit for the revival of yoga in India. He has given international recognition to yoga and ‘ Patanjali Yogpeeth’ by organising international conferences on “Yoga for Health and Social Transmission” in January 2011 and in 2013, to which about 2000 delegates came and attended. At the conference, some 25 scientists shared their research on Yoga. Prestigious institutes were represented, like Harvard Medical School, Oxford University, and the University of Texas, which entered into collaboration with Patanjali University and several others.

Yoga originated in ancient India thousands of years ago. It is a form of exercise that unites the mind, body, and spirit. The combination of stretching, muscle toning, controlled breathing, and meditation helps us feel more energetic and focused throughout the day, even in stressful situations.

Yoga is a group of mental, physical, psychological, spiritual, and social practises that originated in ancient India. It comprises 84 asanas. Asanas are also called yoga poses or yoga postures in English. They are Ashtanga yoga, Tadasana, Uttarasana, Vanasana, Dandasana, Sirasana, Matsyasana, Bhujangasana, Dhanurasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Animal yoga poses, etc.

The best thing about yoga is that anyone of any age and any fitness level can do it and feel its benefits. The present-day students and younger generations are the future citizens of our country. So a strong nation, both in intellect and discipline, has to be moulded from these students. The main problem faced by the student is controlling their minds to channel them for concentrated learning and productive utilisation of energy. It is here that yoga can do tremendous good for all-round development.

Yoga provides enormous benefits to students and helps their all-round development. Yoga provides a healthy, safe, and happy learning environment for the students. Yoga should be added to the curriculum and practised at all levels of education. It produces mentally, physically, psychologically, and socially well individuals for society.

This leads to controlling the body and mind, creating awareness, and helping them become responsible citizens. Yoga helps a wandering mind concentrate on a specific task with single-minded devotion. Thus, the practise of yoga by students not only helps them control their body, mind, and emotions but also improves their mental, emotional, and other faculties.

Modern society teaches us unnatural and artificial ways of living. We don’t eat, drink, sleep, breathe, or clothe ourselves properly, resulting in disease, disorder, and ailments. Faulty ways give rise to negative emotions such as fear, hatred, and despair, causing both short- and long-term malfunctioning of the human system. The practise of yoga eliminates all these physical and mental evils.

Yoga improves flexibility, strength, muscle form, and toning. Regular yoga exercise reduces pain in joints, the back, arthritis, migraines, and muscle soreness. It stabilises breathing and improves lung capacity. Yoga improves blood circulation, which detoxifies our body and reduces blood pressure. It regulates metabolism and improves digestion in our body. Yoga balances the hormonal system of the human body.

Yoga improves our concentration, focus, and mental clarity. It reduces mental stress, depression, and anxiety through increased endorphin secretion. Yoga helps with mood stabilisation. It improves sleep and reduces sleep disturbance. Yoga increases our feelings of well-being and self-image.

There is a growing body of research to back up yoga’s mental health benefits. Yoga increases body awareness, relieves stress, reduces muscle tension, staining, and inflammation, sharpens attention and concentration, and calms and centres the nervous system. Yoga’s positive effects on mental health have made it an important practise tool in psychotherapy. It has been shown to enhance social well-being through a sense of belonging to others and improve the symptoms of depression, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, and sleep disorders. Definitely, mind-body practises like yoga, meditation, deep breathing, and prayer help to reduce stress and improve stress-related nervous system imbalances in our bodies.

Yoga provides a healthy, safe, and happier learning environment for the students. Yoga should be added to the curriculum and practised at all levels of education. It will produce mentally, physically, psychologically, and socially well individuals for society.

The ultimate aim of yoga is the transformation of a disintegrated personality into a coherent and cohesive being. Both men and women of all age groups should practise yoga for the all-round development of their personalities.