The 21st of June will for all time
be International Yoga Day. For the United Nations to declare this is at such
short notice is not only unprecedented but also a stunning soft-power success
for India. When Modi spoke about yoga at the UN General Assembly in September,
there were the usual critics in India who thought it was out of place in a
speech meant for world leaders. They were proved wrong once again. Modi said
that “yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and
fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and
wellbeing.”
In suggesting June 21 as the
International Day of Yoga, Modi said that as the longest day in the northern
hemisphere and as the summer solstice it has special significance in many parts
of the world. The Indian ambassador to the United Nations followed through with
a proposal and 175 nations joined in as co-sponsors — the highest ever for
any resolution in the 193 member states of the UN. This proves that India has
really arrived on the global scene thanks to Narendra Modi.
Unfortunately, even on this occasion
where 193 countries came together to celebrate this day our own politicians
could not be united. The Congress and some other parties played spoiler saying
it was just a public relations exercise but even if it is, Indian soft power
going global should be a time for unity and rejoicing in India — not back
stabbing. How weird and anti-national can political parties in India get? Don’t
they know that they are constantly letting down the very country and the people
who give them votes? Making yoga controversial is like saying anything
intrinsic to India is bad and should not go global. How sad is this. But then
parties like this would sell India to the enemy in a jiffy.
Getting back to yoga going global,
it is time for India to take the lead in promoting it. So far it was never a
government effort but individuals who took yoga abroad. Madonna and other
celebrities took it to another level by making it popular and B.K.S. Iyengar
had a lot to do with that. In the United Sates, Yoga is an 87 billion dollar
business. But it is practiced differently in different places.
After trying my best to learn yoga
taught by foreigners abroad, I was shocked and troubled by the disparities in
the various centres of yoga that are proliferating all over US and Europe. From
the very popular Hot Yoga popularized by Bikram Choudhry, which has 24 postures
and only two breathing exercises to self-styled yoga teachers who have done a
quick course in India and think they are experts. Hot Yoga is more like sweat
exercises as it is done in a room with the temperature at 40 degrees and the
humidity also at 40. It can be quite detrimental to the health but is a way to
lose weight fast. It has nothing whatsoever to do with combining mind and body
and creating a sense of oneness with the world and nature.
Pranayama, which means the breathe
of life and has several breathing exercises, which end with meditation is
hardly given any importance and is actually one of the most critical aspects of
yoga.
I went to several teachers before I lucked out when I came back to India. I was introduced to Shastriji who got the title due to his extensive studies of the Vedas in a Gurukul. Santosh Kumar was referred to me by a friend six years ago and it was about the best that could have happened to me health wise. From curing back pain to sinus problems to even getting good results with Parkinson’s Disease, the yoga that Kumar taught me was so different from my experiences abroad and even in India that I was quite upset about its misrepresentation and how the stories I had heard of yoga causing health problems or slip discs were due to bad teachers not the science itself.
I went to several teachers before I lucked out when I came back to India. I was introduced to Shastriji who got the title due to his extensive studies of the Vedas in a Gurukul. Santosh Kumar was referred to me by a friend six years ago and it was about the best that could have happened to me health wise. From curing back pain to sinus problems to even getting good results with Parkinson’s Disease, the yoga that Kumar taught me was so different from my experiences abroad and even in India that I was quite upset about its misrepresentation and how the stories I had heard of yoga causing health problems or slip discs were due to bad teachers not the science itself.
For instance, Kumar was stunned to
learn that most teachers never taught me Pranayama. They focused on Surya Namaskar
and stretches. I also learnt that yoga is not one size fits all as is commonly
practiced. For instance, if you have high blood pressure there are some
exercises that can even be bad for you. For heart patients and even people
suffering from cancer, Pranayama is a must. His very first question when he
comes for a yoga class is “How are you feeling today?” If one has developed a
muscle cramp, or back ache or headache he will attend to those first tailoring
the exercises to fix the problem. Anxiety, depression, asthma can all be cured
with Pranayama if done right daily.
On a trip to Washington I searched
the internet for a yoga class that would help my friend who was suffering from
cancer. Unfortunately all I could find was the Hot Yoga classes while she
basically needed Pranayama. I felt so frustrated and dismayed that I could not
find anyone who taught the beneficial yoga as I had come to know it. Several
studies have come out in the west of how yoga benefits people with chronic
illnesses and even children suffering from cancer. They are in less pain and
have a more positive outlook when they practice this science.
The fact that this aspect of yoga is
not given much importance in classes abroad is unfortunate as it has the most
benefits especially for countries where the stress levels are high and even
children are treated for depression and anxiety. Imagine how much the drug
companies would lose if teachers like Kumar were available in the US.
We really need to do more to set up
centres of excellence in yoga abroad. Since yoga classes are very lucrative for
the teachers it need not even be a government initiative but a non resident
Indian venture capitalist could do this especially now when the world is open
to it and has recognized the fact that yoga taught properly can have amazing
health benefits.
However, the government does need to
standardize yoga practices and teachers first just like it does medical science
and doctors. Yoga practitioners need to be properly qualified before they teach
classes or India could well lose the advantage to dubious self- proclaimed yoga
teachers abroad who can so easily give a bad name to the science by harming
learners more than curing.
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above
are the author's own.
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