Why Do We Celebrate International Yoga Day?
Hey there Yogis!
International Yoga Day is coming up, and we want to celebrate with our ever-growing community. We have a few surprises for you, so please stay with us till the end of this post!
Celebrated on June 21, the International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing Yoga. The draft resolution establishing the International Day of Yoga was proposed by India and endorsed by a record 175 member states. The resolution notes “the importance of individuals and populations making healthier choices and following lifestyle patterns that foster good health.”
June 21 is the summer solstice and marks the official start of astronomical summer and the year's longest day.
What are the benefits of practicing Yoga? There are so many benefits that there is not enough space to name them all. In the words of one of its most famous practitioners, the late B. K. S. Iyengar, that “Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one’s actions.”
Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word “Yuj”, meaning union, to bind, to yoke, to join, to integrate. Yoga is this unity and oneness that our souls seek to evolve towards; Thus, Yoga is a tool for evolution.
I. A Sanskrit mantra
Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu (Sanskrit: लोकः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु) is a Sanskrit mantra often chanted after a yoga practice. Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu means “may all beings, everywhere, be free and happy.” Another popular translation is “may all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.”
By chanting this mantra, we move from our personal self and radiate a prayer of love for the world around us. It takes us from the egoic, little self, and its limited world view, and radiates from us global well-being. It is a reminder that we are a part of the universe and can positively impact all of creation.
Listen to this mantra on Spotify chanted by Explorers of Infinity
II. Surya Namaskar A: Sun Salutation
“Movement without awareness is exercise. Movement with awareness is yoga.”
This sequence of postures is essentially a series of prescribed motions that begins and ends with Tadasana (Mountain Pose). The poses take you through all manner of stretches, forward folds, and backbends that build heat and happen in a rhythmic cadence that’s aligned with your breath. The start of an inhale initiates your transition from one pose to the next, followed by a lull in both the breath and body as you come into the pose, with the beginning of an exhale acting as a cue for your next transition. Breath, movement, and stillness fall into a rhythm. The trajectory of the sequence, like that of its namesake star, has a predictable arc and is cyclical, making it easy to become quietly absorbed in the looping repeated motions. A moving meditation.
Source: Yoga Journal
III. Yoga | Book
Emmanuel Carrère is a renowned French writer. One of his latest works, Yoga, named a Best Book of 2022 by The Guardian, is about one man’s desire to get better, and to be better. It is a novel about yoga, about the ways in which meditation means “working with the available material”. It also addresses complex and urgent subjects such as terrorism, refugee crisis, loss, mental breakdown and more.
Yoga is laced with doubt, animated by the dangerous interplay between what is fiction and what is real. Loving, humorous, harrowing and profound, Yoga hurls us towards the outer edges of consciousness, where, finally, we can see things as they really are.
IV. And last but not least... Surprise!
Treelance Yoga and State of Yoga have come together to offer you the best gifts! You and your yoga buddy can each win:
• A black or green yoga bodysuit and a black high-waisted underwear from Treelance Yoga
• A virtual or face to face yoga class at State of Yoga, a peaceful sanctuary based in Miami Beach, ran by our beloved yoga teacher Sandrine Kamhi.
Learn how to participate here. We will announce the two winners today at 5 PM. There are still a few hours left to participate. Good luck everyone and stay tuned for the winners!
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Don’t hesitate to let us know your thoughts and suggestions. We would love to hear from you.
If you missed our previous newsletters about Being liberated through Yoga, Honoring Peace, Improving Mental Health, Embracing Vulnerability and more, you can check them out here!
Xoxo
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