Narendra Modi on Yoga

and its True Significance

Excerpts from the Indian Prime Minister's Inaugural Yoga Day
Speech
Ads

Yoga Class

Yoga Studio

Yoga Practice

Yoga Yoga

Yoga Meditation

Hot Yoga

Yoga Exercises

Bikram Yoga

Yoga Flow
Yoga Benefits

Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga along with others at Rajpath during mass
yoga session to mark the International Day of Yoga on June 21, 2015 in New Delhi,
India. An estimated 40,000 people participated in the celebrations at Rajpath, with

around two billion people taking part across the world. The yoga celebrations are being
organised after the United Nations had in December last year declared June 21 as
International Yoga Day. (Photo by Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

By Subhamoy Das
Hinduism Expert
SHARE
PIN

Updated January 14, 2016.

The first International Yoga Day was celebrated around the world on June
21, 2015 with millions participating in this movement spearheaded by
India. It was a result of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis appeal
at the United Nations General Assembly on 27 September, 2014, urging
the world community to adopt an international day of yoga. On
December 11, 2014 the 193-member United Nations General
Assembly approved the proposal by consensus with a record 177 cosponsoring countries.
From sunrise in the Far East to sunset in the furthest corner of the
western hemisphere, people joined in this great celebration of yoga. In
India, an estimated 40,000 people participated in the celebrations at
Rajpath in New Delhi with around two billion people taking part across
the world. The Indian postal service also released a commemorate coin
and postal stamp on the occasion.

Modis Views on Yoga and its True Worth

Below is an excerpt from the Prime Ministers inaugural Yoga Day speech
which captures the very essence of yoga and how it can benefit the
entire world community.
Ads
How To Do Meditation?
omharmonics.com/Free-Meditation
Discover 3 Ways How To Experience Deeper Meditation In Minutes.
3-Minute Chakra Test
chakrahealing.com/Free-Chakra-Test
Take This Easy & Free Chakra Test. Detect What Is Affecting Your Life.
Visita la India

tripadvisor.co/India
Lee las Opiniones de Viajeros y Encuentra Ofertas en Hoteles!

Yoga Class
Yoga Studio
Yoga Practice
Yoga Yoga
Yoga Meditation

The reach and spread of yoga spans continents, cuts across differences
of color, class and creed. I am told that there are communities of yoga
practitioners in almost every country in the world. From the banks of
the river Indus to every continent in the world yoga has spread harmony
between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and wellbeing.

Who is a Yogi?
In order to benefit fully from yoga, to understand yoga in its entirety, we
must understand who is a yogi. A yogi is a person who is in harmony
with herself, her body, with her surroundings, with nature. Yoga is the
means to achieve that harmony.
From the Upanishads, comes the idea of Yoga to transform human
consciousness through control of body and senses through constant
practice. The body is the vehicle for the realization of the Supreme
Being. The Bhagvad Gita the song of the world is a call to action and
defines itself as a Yogashastra. The Gita says Yoga Karmeshu
Kaushalam that is, yoga is excellence at work. Work with devotion and
without attachment is yoga. The Gita also says Yogasya Tatha Kuru
Karmani act with the discernment of a yogi.

What is the Philosophy of Yoga?

Yoga is, therefore, a vision for a harmonious future for humanity. It is a
state of mind People often think that yoga is just a set of exercises.
Yoga is a philosophy of discipline and meditationthat transforms the
spirit and makes the individual a better person in thought, action,
knowledge and devotion.
The problems of modern lifestyles are well known. People suffer from

stress related ailments, lifestyle related diseases like diabetes and

hyper-tension. We have found ways to control communicable diseases,
but the burden of disease is shifting to non-communicable diseases.
Young people who are not at peace with themselves seek refuge in drugs
and alcohol. There is ample evidence that practicing yoga helps combat
stress and chronic conditions. If the body is a temple of the mind, yoga
creates a beautiful temple.

How Yoga Benefits the Individual

The benefits of yoga are manifold. When practised correctly and with
discipline, Yoga leads to:

Perfection of our bodys potential in strength, skill, and

general well-being, peaceful and stress-free living.
Control and mastery of our life-energies (Prana) leading
to health, long and disease-free life, capacity for full
enjoyment of life.

Opening and refining of the hearts emotions leading to

greater compassion, mutual understanding, and
sensitivity to the needs of others.

Full development of our mental powers, leading to

heightened concentration, intelligence, creativity,
intuition.
Liberation of our spirit from ignorance, suffering,
incapacity, leading to freedom, equality, constant
joyfulness and inner strength to overcome all
challenges of life. It awakens the deeper sense of unity
and oneness with the whole Universe and all living
beings.

Together, these lead to the realization of our highest

divine Perfection.
How Yoga Helps the Community
At a community level, the evolution of the individual through yoga
results in:

Reduction of greed, coarseness and violence in thought

and action.

Enormous reduction in the cost of healthcare and social

support.

A dramatic reduction in conflicts and

misunderstandings within families, communities, and
between nations.

Increased collaboration and effective teamwork in

businesses and communities.

Compassion towards all beings: plants, animals and

humans and long-term and ecological thinking in all
socio-economic planning.

Increased power of innovation, technology and

knowledge; deeper impact of art, music, poetry,
dance to uplift the quality of life and an overall increase
in the pace of human development and evolution.

What is the Need of Yoga in Todays World?

To sum up, in a world of excess, of seeking after materialism, yoga
promises restraint and balance. In a world suffering from mental stress,
yoga promises calm. In a distracted world, yoga creates focus, creates
concentration. In a world of fear, yoga promises strength and courage. A
healthy body and a disciplined mind are the foundations of a world free
from fear. In crafting a new self through Yoga, we create a new world.
We live in a world that is divided, in a world in conflict over material
gains, a world in conflict over failures to understand each other. How
shall we understand each other, if we do not understand ourselves?
Swami Vivekananda says in his book on Rajyoga Each soul is
potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this Divinity within by
controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or
worship, or control, or philosophy by one, or more, or all of these -- and
be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or
books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details.
It is this freedom that will free us from misunderstandings, from doubt,
from conflict, and lead us towards world peace. We are at a point in
history, where global warming threatens the world as we know it. The

worlds ecology is threatened by human greed and excess. Yoga shows

the way to consumption that is healthy, balanced, and in tune with
nature. We will need to raise a generation that lives according to these
principles if we want to leave the world habitable for future generations.
Sri Aurobindo said Indian Yoga is potentially one of these dynamic
elements of the future life of humanity. it is now emerging from the
secret schools and ascetic retreats in which it had taken refuge and is
seeking its place in the future sum of living human powers and utilities.
The spread of yoga, therefore, is the symbol of a changing world. In the
past, yoga was the preserve of a select few saints. Today, it is available
to all - in the words of Patanjali, Sarvabhauma or a universal culture. It
represents a world where knowledge flows, without restriction of
country, creed or class. It represents a world where people come
together across boundaries, for causes and concerns that unite the
planet The closest parallel I can think of is the movement to protect
the environment, to protect the world that we live in.
As we work to make the benefits of yoga accessible to the whole world,
we will also work to keep barriers to knowledge down, to ensure free
flow of knowledge and information across boundaries. We will work to
maintain an open world free of prejudice and discrimination.

Greetings on the Occasion of the First International Yoga

Day
I greet all present here today, my fellow travelers in spreading the
message of yoga. I greet all my fellow practitioners in different countries
who are present here in spirit. Yoga is our collective gift to humanity. It
may have originated in India, but it draws its energies from the millions
who practice it around the world. International Yoga Day is not the
brainchild of a government or of the United Nations. It is a reflection of
the largest knowledge based peoples movement the world has ever
seen. A movement of people whose lives have been touched, been
changed by yoga. We will take this movement forward to aim for better
health, more fulfilled lives and more connected communities.
On this day, I also pledge the spirit of India, the collective energy of our

people, to the creation of a more equal world, a world without fear, a

world of peace. We will build on the foundations of the Indian spirit and
its creative genius to reach out and foster a culture of inclusiveness, of
fraternity, of one global family.
I will end with the grand invocation of good health and peace
the Shanti Paath,
Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah
Sarve Santu Niramaya
Sarve Bhadrani Pasyantu
Ma Kascit Dukkha Bhagbhavet
May
May
May
May

All Be Happy
all be free from illness
all see that which is auspicious
no one suffer