OdishaPlus Bureau
International Yoga Day is celebrated on a global scale on 21st June to raise awareness about the benefits of Yoga in daily life. Yoga is believed to heal the body and mind way effectively than medicines and other treatments.
The theme for 2019 is ‘Climate Action’, which focuses on the way how Yoga can help to solve the problems related to climate change. Also, this year it coincides with the summer solstice that occurs when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt towards the Sun. It happens twice a year and once in each hemisphere.
The United Nation General Assembly decided this day as the International Yoga day and most of the nation adopted it. The sacred land India, believed to be the successive founder of Yoga, observes this day with a high enthusiasm in different parts of the nation.
History of Yoga– where did it all begin and where are we now?
Yoga is essentially a spiritual bailiwick based on an extremely subtle science, which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body. The word Yoga, derived from a Sanskrit root “Yuj” which means “to join” or “to unite.” As per Yogic sacred scripture, the practice of Yoga leads to the Union of individual consciousness without the individual consciousness. It indicates a perfect congruence between the mind and body, Man & Nature.
One who experiences this oneness of existence eventually adapts the Yoga culture and later gets defined as a Yogi. Yoga brings peace, liberation and freedom to the human soul. These elements are termed as Mukti, Moksha and Kaivalya in Yoga Sadhana. Basic humane values are the very identity of Yoga Sadhana.
Origin of Yoga
The practice of Yoga is believed to have started with the very dawn of the civilization. In the yogic traditional period, Shiva is seen as the First yogi of Adi-Yogi or the first Guru or Adi-Guru. It is believed that Shiva poured his profound knowledge among the infamous Saptarishi or the Seven Sages. The sages believed to have had then carried the knowledge all over the world like America, Africa and to the middle east.
Historical evidences of the existence of Yoga were seen in the Pre-Vedic period (2700 BC). The main sources from which we get the information about the Yoga practices and the related literature during this period, are available in Vedas, Upanishads, Smritis, teachings of Buddhism, Jainism, Epics and Puranas.
The classical period that is between 500 BC- 800 AD is the most fertile and towering period in the history and in the evolving of Yoga. These periods are mainly credited to two of the great teachers of that era. They are Mahavir and Buddha. One can find it more explicitly on Bhagwat Geeta, The Holy Hindu Book. It has elaborated the concept of Gyan Yoga, Bhakti Yogaand Karma Yoga.
The period between 1700 AD to 1900 AD is considered as the Modern period where the Yogascharya like Ramana Maharshi, Rama Krishna Paramahansa, Vivekananda had contributed a lot towards Raja Yoga. This was the period where variety of Yoga were flourished like Vedanta Yoga, Hatha Yoga and Bhakti Yoga.
In the contemporary time, the level of Yoga has reached to high sky towards the preservation, maintenance and promotion of health. Yoga has spread all over the world by the teaching of great personalities like Swami Kuvalayananda, Swami Sivananda, Sri Aurobindo, Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, Swami Ramadev and etc. The transformation of Yoga or the modernize aspect of Yogis attracting the young masses to practice the same.
So, to revise the history of Yoga Saga, let’s celebrate this Yoga Day and propagate the significance of Yoga across the Earth.
Story by: Sanat Padhi