Yoga came from the word “yuj” which means to unite. It brings the light of awareness into the darkest corners of the body. It is designed to be a vast and profound purpose and its essence should be embodied. Yoga originated in India about 5000 years ago. Adiyogi, the first yogi, explained 112 ways to unleash the ultimate potential and transferred his science of knowledge to ‘Saptrishis’ or “seven sages”. These seven sages traveled to different parts of the world in order to spread Adiyogi’s offerings. Agastya’s teachings and philosophy have crafted the yogic way of life around the Indian culture. Maharishi Patanjali was blessed with a deep knowledge of the human mind, body, and consciousness. He assimilated all the complex yogic knowledge in a format called Yoga Sutra and displayed an important technique of yoga that helped to form a cornerstone of Yoga literature. This literature has become a part of the yoga curriculum.
Yoga helps us to connect with the inner self and to lead a peaceful life. It empowers us to face problems and stress with a positive mind. The motto of Yoga is to bring a balance in life and create a path to unite with our true creative selves and with the universal consciousness.
When it is Celebrated?
International Yoga Day is celebrated every year on 21 June, since 2015. This day was proposed by our current Prime Minister Narender Modi during his United Nations General Assembly speech on 27 September 2014. 21st of June was selected because this is the longest day in the year in the northern hemisphere. From the Yoga perspective, this day shows the second full moon after the summer solstice which is known as the Guru Poornima.
This day was celebrated for the first time in the year 2015, the event was organized by the Ministry of AYUSH at Rajpath in New Delhi, including more than 35000 people with PM Modi, and dignitaries from different countries. This was the largest yoga class ever held in which all those who were gathered performed yoga asanas for 35 minutes.
2021 International Yoga Day Theme
The theme of this year on International Yoga Day was “Yoga at home and Yoga with Family”. As we all are well aware of the covid-19 pandemic due to which lockdown was imposed. It is hard or impossible to go outside for yoga. WHO (World Health Organisation) has informed that coronavirus won’t spare the world for a couple of years. In these difficult times, it is important to keep your immunity strong and for that yoga is the best option. Thus, the theme of this year focuses on people to stay motivated and adopt a healthy lifestyle by doing exercise and yoga at home along with loved ones.
5 Yoga Asanas for Beginners and Peaceful Mind
Yoga is the best way to control your tension, it brings calm and improves mental health alongside physical benefits. If you are a beginner , you can try some asanas we have listed below:
- Balasana or Child Pose – This pose helps in nerve stretching and eases stress/ fatigue that keeps the mind quiet and calm. If you are doing this for the first time you can use a pillow.
- Sukhasana or Easy Pose – It is the best to relieve exhaustion, mental stress, and correct body postures.
- Tadasana or Mountain Pose – It is good for people who have anxiety problems. It enables you to control your breath and feel more secure and grounded.
- Setubandhasana or Bridge Pose – This pose is useful to address problems like insomnia, anxiety, and migraines.
- Savasana or Corpse Pose – This is basically to relax your body once you are done with the yoga session, it lowers the stress, hypertension and ensures mental well-being by keeping depression at bay.
Conclusion –
International yoga day is not a public holiday but a public awareness day. Yoga day events are organized by many universities, schools, and offices in order to promote healthy living. So, this year, at AmiciCorp we celebrated yoga day with our office colleagues by doing different asanas and posting videos on social media by using hashtags like #InternationalYogaDay, #WorldYogaDay, #InternationalDayOfYoga2021, #YogaInIndia, #YogaBenefits.
Also read: National Creativity Day – Celebrate the Imaginative Spirits!!