Bharat Darshan describes the concept of Whole Yoga

Yoga explores the principle of man’s Unity with God or Supreme Being. Indian tradition suggests that God is present in entire creation and yet God remains detached, unattached, aloof, distant, or separate from creation. Human Existence is evidence for Unity of man with Divine Principle and yet Human Existence is burdensome, worrisome, and troublesome as God chooses to remain separate from entire creation.

International Yoga Day – The Celebration of Man – Woman – God Unity called Humanity

The term ‘Yoga’ is related to ‘Yug’ which pertains to time, and Yoking which means pairing, joining, coming together, harnessed to work together, bonding, and union.

The term ‘Yoking’ is also attached to Holy Union of Man and Woman in Matrimony, a coming together if mankind has to survive.

International Yoga Day is observed on June 21 and it emphasizes  importance of seeking harmony, and physical well-being through actions that bring body, mind, and soul to work together.

The UN General Assembly declared June 21 as International Yoga Day. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his maiden address to the UN General Assembly on September 27, 2014, asked the world leaders to adopt June 21 as Yoga Day. He stated that Yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being; a holistic way of life that brings harmony between man and nature and promotes simpler lifestyles. Prime Minister Modi has expressed the hope that by changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, Yoga can help us deal with Climate Change.

The phenomenon called ‘Humanity’ is the evidence of Divine Providence sustaining Life on Earth as individual human beings arrive and depart experiencing Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility in their living condition.

What is Yoga?

Yoga is a general term for spiritual practices, and spiritual discipline followed for centuries by devotees of both Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism to attain “Higher Consciousness,” liberation from ignorance, release from suffering, and Freedom from Rebirth. It is also one of the six orthodox systems of Indian Philosophy. Patanjali (2nd Century B.C.,) expounded the Theory and the Practice of Yoga called “Raja Yoga” (Royal Yoga). He stated Yoga Sutras or aphorisms and divided the practice of Yoga into eight stages.

Patanjali considered “Samadhi” as the highest stage of Yoga practice in which the Yogi, the practitioner of Yoga finds identification of the individual “Consciousness” with the Ultimate Godhead, or the Absolute Reality (often called Brahman). Hindu tradition recognizes three main types of Yoga; Jnana Yoga, the path of wisdom and discrimination, Bhakti Yoga, the path of Love and Devotion to a personal, or impersonal God, or both, and Karma Yoga, the path of selfless or unattached action. Hatha Yoga emphasizes physical control, holding body in systematized postures, and the practice of controlled breathing. In Jainism and Buddhism, the emphasis may involve withdrawing from the world, mental concentration without allowing the mind to get distracted by extraneous things. In Indian traditions, the highest meditative state is called “Nirvikalpa Samadhi,” content less trance that constitutes Liberation or “Nirvana.”

While Yoga may explain the highest aim or purpose in “Life” for most Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains, certain physical practices have found their acceptance in the West without any concern for the religious doctrine or the philosophical basis. Even in the Indian tradition, the practice called “Japa Yoga” which involves the repetition of certain sounds with mystic power or “Mantras” is concerned about providing relief to man while coping with “Stress”, the physical, and mental challenges posed by day-to-day existence in a world where threats to existence come from several known and unknown directions.

The word ‘Yoga’ is related to the Sanskrit word ‘Yuga’ which symbolizes union, or association of entities or events. It may be noted that the problem of human existence is always connected to the Time and the Place of man’s existence. In the Indian tradition, the events in one’s life are conditioned by the Cyclical Flow of Time, and the Time Cycles have designated names called “Yuga.” The term ‘Yoga’ is variously used in Indian tradition to describe the ‘Yoke’ which is often seen as a mark or symbol of bondage. ‘Yoke’ is commonly used all over the ancient world where the agricultural practices are similar.

Yoke (Hebrew. motah, an oxbow, a yoke, tsemedh, yoke of oxen; Greek. zeugos, a team and Zygos, yoke) in the literal sense, is a bar of wood so constructed as to unite two animals, usually oxen, enabling them to work in the fields, drawing loads and pulling the plow. For these two chief functions yoke was commonly used all over the ancient world.

The Yoke imposes a burden of its own and can be seen as a sign of bondage and servitude. At the same time, the Yoke provides some relief to the entities that are paired or joined together while they are subject to bondage and servitude for there is sharing of the burden. Man’s existence in the world imposes a burden for man has to constantly find an external source of energy to support his living functions. This burden of ‘Life’ is eased for man is paired with Providence, the term that describes God’s Compassion, Mercy, and Grace. Man is never alone in the toils of his ‘Life.’ I use the term “Spiritual” to describe the nature of a relationship, a partnership, a pairing, “Yoking”, an association, a connection, or bonding between two, or more living entities to find Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility in their living experience. For man’s existence is conditioned and is constantly threatened by both internal, and external challenges from known and unknown directions, man has to find comfort and solace by pairing with the Divine Providence.

If spirituality is about finding Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility in the living, human condition, the spiritual practice called ‘Yoga’ demands the “Yoking” of man with Son of Man. In The New Testament Book, The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Chapter 11, verses 28 to 30 describe the ‘Yoga’ prescribed by Jesus Christ: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

If spirituality is about finding Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility in the living, human condition, the spiritual practice called ‘Yoga’ demands the “YOKING” of man with “The Good Shepherd.” In The New Testament Book of Bible, The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Chapter 11, verses 28 to 30 describe the ‘YOGA’ prescribed by Jesus Christ: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Yoga explores the principle of man’s Unity with God or Supreme Being. Indian tradition suggests that God is present in entire creation and yet God remains detached, unattached, aloof, distant, or separate from creation. Human Existence is evidence for Unity of man with Divine Principle and yet Human Existence is burdensome, worrisome, and troublesome as God chooses to remain separate from entire creation.

Millions stretch and bend as Indian PM Modi leads International Yoga Day exercises

21st June 2016 | AFP

CHANDIGARGH: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called yoga a “people’s mass movement” as he took to the mat Tuesday along with millions of others worldwide to celebrate the ancient practice.

Across India, sailors, soldiers, school children and bureaucrats bent and twisted their bodies from early morning at mass outdoor sessions to mark the second International Yoga Day.

Sessions were also held around the world including at the Sydney Opera House where colorful mats were spread outside the Australian landmark, while Afghans and foreigners gathered at the Indian embassy in Kabul.

Yoga-loving Modi, dressed in a white track suit, led more than 30,000 people in the northern city of Chandigarh for a mass session where they performed poses and breathing exercises at the outdoor Capitol Complex.

“Do not wait, make yoga a part of your life,” Modi urged in a brief speech to mark the event, an idea he successfully asked the United Nations to adopt.
“This is a day linked with good health and now it has become a people’s mass movement,” the 65-year-old premier said.

Modi took a short break to inspect the poses of his fellow yogis, who included students and soldiers, before returning to his spot.

His ministers were also dispatched to cities around India to stretch and bend along school children, while the navy tweeted photos of sailors on mats spread atop an aircraft carrier.

Modi, who credits yoga for his ability to work long hours on little sleep, has been spearheading an initiative to reclaim the practice as a historic part of Indian culture after his Hindu nationalist government came to power in 2014.

Indian scholars believe yoga dates back 5,000 years, based on archaeological evidence of poses found inscribed on stones and references to Yogic teachings in the ancient Hindu scriptures of the Vedas.

Modi, who has established a government ministry charged with promoting yoga, last year led around 35,000 people in New Delhi in an outdoor session to mark the first World Yoga Day.