Whether you knew it or not, June 21 was a very special day. Not Christmas or Halloween or St. Patty's Day, but International Yoga Day, believe it or not. This rookie holiday was introduced last year on the same day after the United Nations General Assembly declared it on December 11, 2014 according to http://idayofyoga.org/. With roots from India, yoga is both a form of exercise as well as personal spiritual and mental time away from the rest of the world. As Narendra Modi, a member of the UN General Assembly states, "Yoga is an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition. This tradition is 5000 years old. It embodies the unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; 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 nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help in well being . Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Yoga_D...For these reasons, he and others believed a day was necessary to celebrate the positive attributes of a practice that such a strong population loves.
The first International Yoga Day was celebrated on June 21 of last year and interestingly enough broke two Guinness world records including largest yoga class with nearly 36,000 participants in Rajpath, India and also had the largest number of participating nationalities, 84 to be exact. This year, equally popular events were planned in India and in countries all over the world to recognize International Yoga Day. One event in particular was the epitome of International Yoga Day in India - Conversation with Yoga Masters – Yoga for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Yoga_D...The reason this event is so special is that Jaggi Vasudev of the Isha Foundation, which is a non-profit organization that provides yoga programs worldwide spoke at the event.
Although India is the center of many International Yoga Day activities, you can celebrate on your own this week. I first started taking yoga classes at my local YMCA, which offers free classes to members. If you're a member of a gym like the YMCA, it's likely that you can find classes of any level and of various practices. Some of my favorite classes include power yoga, which is a more active and higher-energy level form of yoga and yin yoga which involves holding poses for minutes at a time.
I have come to love yoga for the various mental and physical benefits it provides. A primary part of the practice of yoga is the controlled breathing exercises it involves. Personally, I have found that it alleviates stress and anxiety and allows one to take a few moments to oneself and really relax while engaging and stretching various muscles. I would encourage everyone to give yoga a try, whether it be this week to celebrate International Yoga Day or sometime soon. Become a Yogi with me!
