Today is the sixth International Day of Yoga, 21 June 2020!
The idea of international Day of Yoga was first proposed by the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi during his speech at the UNGA, on 27 September 2014.
He beautifully described Yoga in his speech as follows;
Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help in well being. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day. NARENDRA MODI UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
https://www.un.org/en/observances/yoga-day
So wherever you are, you can do some Yoga today! Honouring our practice of Yoga and all of the teachers that brought it to us and continue to.
Remember that your Yoga practice is personal to you and can be anything from the compassion you show to someone, to taking a few deep Yogic breaths during your day to completing the full Ashtanga Primary Series.
Theme of International Day of Yoga 2020
The theme for International Day of Yoga 2020 is Yoga for Health – Yoga at Home
While the social distancing measures adopted by countries to fight the COVID-19 pandemic have shut down yoga studios and other communal spaces, yoga practitioners have turned to home practice and online yoga resources. Yoga is a powerful tool to deal with the stress of uncertaintly and isolation, as well as to maintain physical well-being.
https://www.un.org/en/observances/yoga-day
We celebrated International Day of Yoga 2020 this morning at our Sunday Yin Yoga class. As a result of the current climate, we practice Yoga at home. You can continue with your practice and feel connected to others by practicing at home.
Yoga for Health is a wonderful theme for this year. We created a page on our website to highlight the great health benefits that yoga has. This page highlights the great work carried out by Dr Timothy McCall. He has collated a large number of health studies around the benefits of yoga. Currently there are 117 conditions listed that Yoga has been proven to benefit. Check out the page here, where you can read about it or download a copy: https://yogasmiths.org/health-conditions-helped-by-yoga/
Let us all spend a moment for ourselves today, on International Day of Yoga. Connect with our breath. Anchor ourselves in the moment through our breath. As a result you can allow yourself to witness and experience the union (Yoke) of breath, body and mind.
Be mindful, be Yoga.
Namaste
Paul & Steve