The New Asana
Present circumstances:
- The commemoration of the International Day of Yoga (IDY), which falls on June 21 this year, will be attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the UN headquarters in New York, adding to its significance.
- Since June 21 was declared the International Day of Yoga, IDY has grown significantly. Yoga’s benefits for one’s physical, mental, and emotional health are now more understood.
Yoga has become widely popular worldwide:
- Due to the expansion of social media and technology platforms, yoga has become accessible to individuals all over the world. The first IDY was observed by 192 countries, 44 of which were Islamic, in 2015, demonstrating its popularity.
- Unofficial estimates suggest that about 400 million people participated in the 2022 International Day of Youth. The outcome has been positive, with many people doing yoga for wellness and health purposes in many different countries.
Support towards the promotion of yoga on a national and international scale:
- More people than ever before are aware that yoga is not magic, gymnastics, or a religious exercise today. The integrative and thorough methodology at the core of yogic science is understandable now more than ever.
- Yoga requires more practise than instruction.
- The Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), and the AYUSH Ministry have all supported yoga.
- The ICCR has been hosting an annual international conference since 2018 with the goal of fostering a firm understanding of the holistic nature of yoga.
- The goal of this meeting was to discover how yoga is related to other traditional wellness practises in Southeast Asia and Africa.
- The World Health Organisation, in collaboration with the Ministry of AYUSH and important yoga associations, has developed a new mobile app (mYoga) to educate people about the therapeutic benefits of yoga.
The mission of International Yoga Day is to spread awareness of yoga:
- Additionally, the IDY has provided funding for yoga research. Regular yoga practise can improve flexibility and balance, reduce stress, and support better physical and mental health, according to study.
- In many countries, yoga is now a part of the healthcare system. The WHO has already begun the process of developing a standard document for specifications in yoga instruction.
- Following IDY 2015, the Indian government inaugurated 150 Swami Vivekanand District Yoga Health Centres and 1,25,000 AYUSH Health & Wellness Centres. Growing in popularity is the use of yoga therapy in post-Covid rehabilitation.
- It’s noteworthy that the IDY has promoted yoga postures as potential combat sport components. For the first time, both Khelo India and the National Games will feature yogasanas as a sport.
- India duly formed the National Yogasana Sport Federation and the World Yogasana Federation, which would standardise and promote yogasana-based competitions at the national and international levels.
Yoga creates new economic opportunities:
- Yoga has contributed in the establishment of start-ups that specialise in yoga services (studios, therapy centres, lifestyle centres, etc.) and accessories for yoga (clothes, mats, props, etc.), in addition to being a wellness strategy.
- There will probably be a significant increase in the number of yoga-related start-up firms over the next ten years, with the worldwide yoga market nearing $100 billion in revenues.
- Additionally, there have been notable increases in the number of integrative medicine/Mind Body Medicine centres inside conventional hospitals, mobile applications for meditation, specialist yoga mats, specialty yoga treatments, and mobile apps for meditation.
- Since its inception in Bengaluru, the integrative medicine clinic network Vivekananda Health Global has grown internationally, including locations in China, South Korea, Singapore, and the US. Numerous fitness establishments have introduced the yogic diet and included yoga as a premium service to combat lifestyle disorders.
Conclusion:
- IDY has helped to strengthen the sense of community among yoga practitioners and aficionados. Yoga may offer treatments derived from Indian traditional knowledge traditions for lifestyle issues that present risks to one’s health and wellbeing.
- With the spread of yoga around the world, upholding its integrity and avoiding trivialising, adulterating, or misrepresenting the science may become the next challenge.
