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Inaugural Int’l yoga day…Yoga presentations to be open to general public at Kalyan shopping plaza
Yoga has gained an increasing foothold worldwide.
June 21, 2015 marks the inaugural international day of yoga, a day first approved by the United Nations last year and the Indian High Commission of Guyana yesterday unveiled an itinerary of programmes geared at entrenching the art of yogic postures or asanas, in the Guyanese physic.
Guyanese will be exposed to demonstrations of several asanas/postures, as well as lectures on yoga and its many mental, spiritual and physical benefits. The programmes, which are the brainchild of the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC), are also being conducted in collaboration with Brahma Kumaris Spiritual Organization, and will allow students from the ICC to also showcase their abilities.
According to Indian High Commissioner Shri Venkatachalam Mahalingam, these events will be conducted at the Kalyan Shopping Plaza, Lamaha Street, Georgetown on Sunday, from 17:00hrs. The Indian consulates in Antigua & Barbuda and St. Kitts & Nevis, will conduct similar sessions at the Multipurpose Centre, Perry Bay, St. Johns, and Tiranga Restaurant, Royal St. Kitts Hotel,
The Indian High Commissioner, along with S.M. Joshi, Political officer (left) and a representative from the Indian Cultural Centre (right) with several books on yoga that will be on display.
Frigate Bay respectively.
“We want to popularize yoga as much as possible, because it is definitely a holistic practice which leads not only to health of body, but also health of mind.” The High Commissioner, at one time, was a devoted yoga practitioner.
Yoga, which is an ancient art and science that has gained tremendous popularity worldwide as a holistic health practice, traces its origins as far back as the Vedic scriptures written in the Sanskrit language, an ancient Indo/Aryan language. The Vedas (Sanskrit for knowledge) are a large body of texts coming from ancient India. They are considered the oldest scriptures and cornerstone of Hinduism.
Yoga has in particular gained a huge foothold across North America and has been taken up by mainstream Hollywood stars as a holistic approach to health. The High Commissioner, however, made it clear that yoga was for everyone, young or old, from any stratum of society or religion and that admission to the programmes scheduled for International yoga day was a nominal fee of $300 (registration).
Across the world, the popularity of yoga has been credited to the efforts of Swami Vivekananda, who has personally penned books on all four forms of yoga– Karma Yoga (yoga of action), Jnana Yoga (Yoga of knowledge), Raja Yoga (Yoga of meditation) and Bhakti Yoga (Yoga of devotion).
The Karma Yoga, which is normally advocated for those of an outgoing nature, teaches a disciple about acting selflessly and subjugating their ego, while the Bhakti yoga is primarily for those who have an emotional nature and are motivated chiefly by the power of love.
The Raja yoga, often referred to as the “Royal road”, teaches one to turn mental and physical energy into spiritual energy, while the Jnana yoga is referred to as breaking down the walls of ignorance and becoming knowledgeable and wise.
The Indian Cultural Centre has been in existence in Guyana since 1972. The art of yoga is an important facet of the Centre’s activities.
It was on December 11, last, that the 193-member United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) approved Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposal to pass a resolution naming June 21 as International day of yoga, with a record 177 co- sponsoring countries slated to host yoga activities on that day worldwide.
Shri V. Mahalingam was accredited as Indian High Commissioner in June 2014, replacing predecessor Puran Mal Meena. The Guyana/Indian relationship has been a strong one, with several bilateral programs including the Indian Technical and Co-operation program (ITEC), which has facilitated scholarships for Guyanese to study in India.
In addition, the Guyana National Stadium at Providence was constructed by Indian firm Shapoorji Pallonji, through a US$6M grant and a US$19M soft loan from the Indian Government.
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