As the sun rises on 21st June 2025, practitioners and enthusiasts around the globe will come together to celebrate International Yoga Day. This day is not just a moment on the calendar; it’s a powerful reminder of the benefits of yoga for our body, mind, and spirit. Let’s take a moment to reflect on the significance of this celebration and how you can ignite your practice.
Today, I will explain what genuine Yoga is as practiced by the sages of India for thousands of years.
The Roots of International Yoga Day:
First proposed by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in 2014, International Yoga Day was established to raise awareness about the many benefits of yoga. Yoga is more than just a physical exercise; it is a holistic approach to life, promoting peace, harmony, and well-being.
Why Yoga Matters:
In a world that often feels chaotic and overwhelming, yoga offers a sanctuary. It provides us with tools to reduce stress, improve focus, enhance flexibility, and foster an overall sense of wellness. Engaging regularly in yoga can lead to profound personal transformations. Research has shown that it can lower anxiety levels, improve cardiovascular health, and even enhance brain function.
Celebrating Together:
International Yoga Day is an opportunity for unity. Communities across the globe will host free classes, workshops, and events aimed at bringing people together, irrespective of their background or experience level. Whether you are a seasoned yogi or a complete beginner, there’s a place for you on the mat this June.
How to Celebrate:
Understand what Yoga is: Yoga means communion with the spirit or consciousness within. The real Yoga is the 8 limbs of Yoga as expounded by Sage Patanjali. These 8 limbs are
Yama, Niayama, Prathyahara, Prana Yama, Asana, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi
Here is an explanation based on the teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba my teacher and guide.
Yama :
Sage Patanjali refers to the practice of universal values such as Non-Violence( Ahimsa), Truth(Sathya), Non-stealing ( Asteya), Brhamacharya** , non-Avarice ( a- parigraha).
This means the giving up of attachment to the body and to the sensual pleasures. The establishment of one’s intellect in this Consciousness is the real renunciation of the body and the senses. This is what is called Yama and is the very foundation in the practice of inner contemplation ( Gyana Yoga, the Yoga path of knowledge) . This requires the development of Mindfulness of what we think, speak, see, do and aligning these to the prompting of our consciousness rather than the pull of the wayward mind.
** The word Brahmacharya is often translated as Celibacy, meaning abstaining from sex. The real essence of Brahmacharya sees and experiences Brahman ( the universal Cosmic Consciousness) as the basis of everything in creation. Even a clinical Scientist or an avowed Atheist cannot deny there was a propelling force for creation. It is this force that is defined as Brahman and is further clarified as the Energy or Current of unconditional Love.
Practice Yama daily by speaking softly, learn from your scriptural teachings, expose your young ones to spiritual teachings at a tender age and always contemplate on what is permanent and what is transient.
Niyama:
Niyama means purity, being full of joy, engaged in spiritual exercises or repetition of the name of the Lord. This is mentioned in Raja Yoga; Purity( Soucha) , Joy( Santosa) , Asceticism/ self-control( Tapas) , Self-study / Introspection( Swadheya) and surrender to God**( Iswara** Pranidhana).
These are the components of Niyama. In summary, Niyama is the condition of steady love in the Godhead**, always and under all conditions.
People who have realised Niyama will not be affected by derision or praise, by wind, sun or rain, heat or cold, by honour or dishonour. They will tread the path of liberation, free from all attachments to anything except the sole aim of realizing the bliss of unison with the basis Brahman.
* God, Ishwara, or Godhead is Brahman the force/ current of unconditiona,l undiminishing Love which is in us and around us and in everything. This inner fountain of Love within us is called the Soul or Atman and is no different from the all-pervading Universal Brahman. In some religions, worship of forms is allowed as an initial step towards Devotion to the Godhead until the form sheds itself and leads the devotee to the final destination of the Formless, all-pervading Universal Consciousness ( called Brahman, God, Allah, Yahveh, Tao etc)
Put Niyama into practice by Speaking lovingly and softly to all. Do not speak ill of others. Accept ups and downs, slander and praise all as “good for me” and practice forgiveness, compassion. Maintain purity of thought word and deed. Watch your words, watch your actions, watch your thoughts, watch your character and watch your heart.
Forget the bad others did to you and the good you did to others.
Asanas:
Means Physical Postures, also referred to as Hatha Yoga. These postures are called Yoga Asanas. One should have a steady posture in sitting, meaning one should not shake or sway. Asanas will help with flexibility and enable the practitioner to sit comfortably and calmly in prayers and meditation. Also, the health and well-being will be enhanced. Asanas must lead us towards being unaffected by the happenings of the world while being engaged in the world ( non-attachment). This is compared to the water droplet on a lotus leaf in a pond. The water droplet is on the lotus leaf but does not wet it.
If you do not appreciate certain people’s ways, there is no need to find fault with them or laugh at them or show your contempt. It is enough to continue your work, unaffected by their arrival. Let those whose behaviour you do not appreciate follow their path; leave them alone. This is an attitude of unaffectedness.
Asanas must lead to giving up attachment to the momentary, the things clothed with the trappings of name and form.
By Asanas, we strive to develop love for the Absolute, the One that is everywhere and within us as Supreme Love( or Cosmic Consciousness ). We yearn to constantly turn over in our mind that the One( also called Brahman, Allah, Yahweh, Tao etc) is the Reality, and the world is just a passing cloud( unreal) .
Once you have achieved this attitude of unaffectedness, you will have unshakeable Peace, Self-Control, and Purity of Mind. This is the steadiness and stability of posture in a physical and mental sense; this is the result of Asanas.
Practice Asanas to develop flexibility in your body so that you can sit for prayers or meditation without tension or pain in your body. Asanas, when practiced properly, are also known to produce anti-stress hormones – Dopamine & Endorphins – which make you feel good and develop stress resilience.
Prana Yama
Means control and regulation of the inhaling and exhaling of the breath, which helps in mind and sense control. Regular practice of Prana Yama will quell the agitations of the mind and lead to better physical and mental health.
Breath control during the 5 or 10 minutes of Prana Yama practice in the early mornings is not enough. Breath control throughout the day will require unaffectedness to the happenings around us. This again is possible when we realise the reality of ourselves, whereby we are no different from the Brahman( cosmic consciousness) and all around us are repositories of this same consciousness.
While several Prana Yama practices are mentioned in the various texts, they require a rigorous, disciplined lifestyle and must be learnt from an experienced Teacher ( Guru). Hence, practice that is suitable for today’s lifestyle should be chosen. This again must be progressed in gradual steps to achieve physical and mental benefits.
Laghu Prana Yama helps in reducing the agitations of the mind, reduce symptoms of sinus and improves emotional wellbeing.
Practice Laghu Prana Yama daily after learning this from an experienced teacher.
Watch this video to know about breathing, before starting your Yoga practices; https://youtu.be/reje12bUAcM
If you cannot go to sleep, try this 5-minute Yoga Practice called Brahmari Prana Yama
Prathyahara:
Means sense control- the five senses are sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. The tongue tastes, eye sees, ear hears, the skin feels, nose smells. Thus, these senses act throughout life.
The senses must be withdrawn from the external objective world and turned toward the internal Mental Consciousness ( called Chitta). Patanjali calls this process Prathyahara. Thus, clarifying and purifying the Chitta, which is the directive force of all sense,s is Mind control.
The general nature of the Mind is to waver and hesitate and flutter in its search for happiness and peace. When it realizes that the things it ran after are transitory and meaningless and do not give permanent Peace( Shanthi) or Permanent Happiness( Prema) , it suddenly grows ashamed and disillusioned. Then it begins to illumine the Consciousness. As we progress into the stage of Prathyahara we will start watching the world go by and our thoughts go by like a pantomime. This becomes possible when we realise the Atman ( soul) within us is the basis of everyone and everything in creation. The inward look, straight, sharp, single-pointed vision of the Atman within us is the real Prathyahara. This can be adopted by anyone irrespective of their faith.
Put Prathyahara into practice by controlling your desires and having a ceiling on desires. Do not waste Time, Money, Food and Energy. Money or food thus saved can be used to help others in need; control the cravings of the senses that can draw you into an abyss of sin and despair if left uncontrolled.
Dharana(one pointed concentration):
Means engaging Concentration. Sage Patanjali explains that when Awareness ( Chitta) is fixed in one place or object, it is Dharana. It means an undeviating attitude of the mind, unwavering in character. Fixed attention to the Ideal is concentration. It should not be mixed up with concentration mobilised in day-to-day life, to walk , to see, to hear, to cook, to drive , to write we require concentration. Therefore, man already has a concentration of some sort.
Dharana is the fixing of the Mind on the ideal in an unwavering manner. What is this ideal? The ideal is the all-pervading Brahman, thus, Concentration is to train the mind to see Brahman in everything and everyone.to make the Mind aware that all that is seen is a product of Brahman. In doing this, never should we deal with the Mind forcibly; it will yield to tenderness and patient training.
Practice Dharana or one-pointed concentration daily to bring your mind under the control of your inner consciousness. Here are some links to learn Dharna practices.
How to develop one-pointed concentration (Dharana in Yoga) is less than 5 minutes, watch this video; https://youtu.be/rnrHohgKxaM
Try this Dharana(one-pointed concentration or Mindfulness) practice on your breath to deal with stress and relax. https://youtu.be/IGLH_Vo9Rac
Try these relaxation practices and reduce your stress
Dhyana ( Meditation)
Meditation in short, is the uninterrupted dwelling of the consciousness ( Chitta) in wisdom, the consciousness itself thereby becoming the embodiment of wisdom.
Meditation is turning the mind inwards to the inner soul/spirit/consciousness rather than towards the material world.
This requires Concentration, Contemplation, and finally Merging. There is one and only one approach. Whether the Meditation is on a Form ( Sa- Rupa) or the Formless ( A- Rupa) if it is one-pointed, devoid of deviations, it is entitled to be called Dhyana.
Sky or space is the same inside the house and outside the house, but we see it is both an interior space and an exterior space. The Brahman, too, appearing as various bodies with their characteristics, is One and One only, like space inside and outside the house.
While techniques of meditation may vary, the types of human being may vary, the end result is experiencing the One and Only Brahman in everything, avoiding all feelings of differences and distinction.
Spirituality consists in forgetting worldly concerns and immersing oneself in God. This means sanctifying every action in life, whether it be talking or walking or anything else. Reading and writing are also forms of meditation, because they call for concentration. Everything in life can become a form of meditation.
Learn more on how to meditate here. https://www.udemy.com/course/draft/6360029/?referralCode=CA3429205EEF12623AFA
Samadhi:
Samadhi is your mind merging or uniting with the inner GOD(universal cosmic consciousness) or achieving constant integrated awareness that ALL ARE ONE. In practical terms, it means achieving equanimity in the face of good or bad, praise or slander etc. Samadhi means the fixing of the mind, free from all impulses and agitations, on the Divine, or on one’s own Reality. It indicates the state in which one is in one’s own real nature.
In Samadhi, all duality about the meditator and the one who is meditated upon is dispelled and destroyed. One won’t even experience the experience, oneself alone, nothing else, that is Samadhi. If there is anything else, it is not Samadhi, it is something like a dream, a fantasy, a passing vision at best. Samadhi can admit nothing other than Brahman, the all-pervading consciousness.
It is the culmination of the eight-fold path of Yoga effort. It is the ocean into which all spiritual disciplines in all faiths flow.
Sign of achieving Samadhi is being unperturbed by the ups and downs of life and seeing only the ONE in ALL and being alike to ALL beings.
From the above, you can see Yoga is the embodiment of all faiths and their teachings.
Beyond just one day, let the spirit of International Yoga Day inspire you to incorporate yoga into your daily life. Whether it’s a quick morning session, a midday break, or an evening wind-down, find a routine that works for you. As you develop this practice, you will not only strengthen your body but also cultivate a tranquil mind.
On this International Yoga Day, June 21st, 2025, let us honour the roots of Yoga and the unity it fosters worldwide. Step onto your mat with passion, openness, and a willingness to grow. Remember that the journey of yoga is ongoing, filled with challenges and moments of enlightenment. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small, and embrace the connection with yourself and others. Here’s to a day of peace, mindfulness, and celebration! Namaste.
Have any questions? Call Narendra at +61438496040 or email me at sanatanayogaacademy@gmail.com
