Yoga Veeras and Ishangas Reach Out to the Community
On 21 June, International Day of Yoga, Isha volunteers went all out to share the tools of transformation with people around the globe. Trained Ishangas[1] conducted webinars to teach the potent Yogic practices of Simha Kriya, Makarasana, and Sashtanga, specially designed by Sadhguru to enhance one’s immunity. They also trained Yoga Veeras (Isha volunteers) to conduct webinars, leading to an exponential increase in lives touched.
In Tamil Nadu, 927 online sessions were conducted, reaching 78,894 people. In a first, all Isha Vidhya students and teachers were trained to be Yoga Veeras. People from every walk of life participated – corporate leaders, government officials, healthcare professionals, teachers, journalists, bankers, armed forces, farmers, auto rickshaw drivers, and taxi drivers.
The Government of Haryana in Rewari district took the initiative to conduct a Simha Kriya webinar for its populace. The district administration pulled off a comprehensive campaign with press articles, advertisements, FM radio spots, and even loudspeaker announcements to reach out to remote villages. The effort paid off, and a staggering 1 lakh people registered for the session. Apart from this, a total of 498 online sessions were conducted, attracting 50,826 participants. Yoga Veeras reached 9,115 people through 395 sessions, making it truly a grassroots movement.
In Europe and the United Kingdom, Isha Foundation conducted its first Yoga marathon with a combined back-to-back livestream time of over 43 hours across 48 social media channels. As many as 38 European influencers and celebrities lent their support and helped offer the online Yoga sessions to their 6.3 million followers. Various embassies across Europe and UK also collaborated with Isha Foundation to organize Yoga sessions that included Upa Yoga, guided meditations, and yogic diet. A dozen Indian diplomatic missions of 16 countries participated, with 2,500 people benefiting from the sessions.
[1] Isha Yoga teachers
Sadhguru’s Message
In this unprecedented time of crisis, there has never been a greater need for Yoga. Sadhguru explains the significance of the International Day of Yoga in his message for the day:
Sadhguru: As there are sciences for external wellbeing, Yoga is a science for inner wellbeing. The seventh International Day of Yoga is the seventh anniversary of Yoga being acknowledged not as a religion, belief system, philosophy, or ideology, but as the science of inner wellbeing. This particular International Day of Yoga is more significant than ever before, simply because of the pandemic. As a generation, we have realized how our lives can be turned upside down without warning. At a time like this, building a vibrant and resilient body, a joyful and focused mind, and an indefatigable sense of energy within you is most essential to fight these external invasions.
We have already seen two waves in India and in many different countries across the world. The authoritative voices in virology are saying that it could last much longer than we have imagined. It is extremely important that we build a resilient body and a balanced and exuberant mind so that we can go through these rigors of life with the least amount of distortion to our lives.
The Essence of Yoga
Yoga is not a simple form of exercise. The human being is a complex mechanism. Yoga is understanding the mechanics of human existence, and how we can take it to the highest possibility. The word “Yoga” literally means union. That means we consciously obliterate the boundaries of our individuality to know the universal nature of our existence. As a tiny piece of life, we are capable of experiencing the whole cosmos. We are capable of experiencing the eternal nature of this existence while being here in this moment of time.
Yoga for Peak Health
This is a possibility that India offers to the rest of the world. This can also be a very effective tool to fulfill the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Doctors and scientists can help us when we are sick, but health will never come to us from a doctor or a medical professional – it has to come from within us. Health does not mean just being disease-free – it means you are at the peak of life.
Health means that you are at the very peak possibility of your existence in terms of body, mind, emotions, and energies. We should not aim for anything less than that. Yoga has this potency and the necessary science and technology to deliver you there. These technologies for wellbeing must be employed by everyone in their lives.
Yoga for All
We have created a small package especially for this pandemic situation which will enhance the immune system and also bring equanimity to your mind and vibrancy to your body. It is available in full detail and depth for those who are interested, and in a simple package for those who want to just do a simple practice.
It is available everywhere, free of cost and dedicated volunteers are always on call to make sure that you benefit from this. It is my wish and my blessing that every human being on this planet should bring in some aspect of Yoga into their life and live a complete life.
Beat the Virus
We have to successfully come out of this pandemic, not be crushed by the situation. We as human beings are capable of this. The sole carrier of this virus is the human being. If human beings are into some sense of Yoga, that means they have become more conscious, not a compulsive life. If this happens, stopping the pandemic in its tracks is very much in our hands. Let us take this stand on this International Day of Yoga that we will bring Yoga into our life and beat the virus.
