Bharat Ek Soch: Wonderful pictures of yoga practice came from every part of the world on the occasion of International Yoga Day. Over the past few years, the common man has adopted Yoga rapidly and seen his welfare in its practice. In today’s fast-paced and virtual life, every person is distressed. In the process of connecting with the world, he is getting disconnected from himself. He finds himself lonely even amidst the crowd. In such a situation, the purpose of Yoga is the complete physical, mental, moral, spiritual and social development of a person’s life.
Yoga is considered the art of living. There has been an increase in numbers of yoga gurus and trainers in the country, who claim to cure major diseases through Yogasanas. In such a scenario, today we will try to understand whether yoga is a spiritual practice (Aastha) or a form of healing (treatment)?
How well does the ancient yoga tradition, which has been teaching the way of ideal life for thousand years, stand up the test of science? Emerging from the caves of the Himalayas, through which stages did yoga reach the common man? Which yogis took the Indian tradition of yoga to every corner of the world? How has Yoga created a huge employment opportunity for women? How big has the market for Yoga become in the country and the world? Today, I will try to introduce you to the world’s first Yogi and the 15,000-year long journey of Yoga.
Adi Yogi Taught Saptarishis The Science Of Being human
It is believed that yoga began with the development of human civilisation. At that time, there was no religion, no caste bondage, no fight for land, no kings, no paupers. Man was busy finding new ways of his progress while fighting the challenges of nature. The period we are talking about is before the thoughts of religion, faith and faith came into people’s minds.
According to the Shruti tradition, about 15 thousand years ago, a yogi reached the Himalayas and sat still at one place. He sat there for months without moving, speaking and even without eating. People were expecting some kind of miracle from that Yogi. But, even after months passed, no miracle took place. So the people starting moving away from there. In the end, only seven people were left in front of that yogi, who were later called Sapta Rishis. Also, the Yogi was none other than Lord Shiva, who was called ‘Adi Yogi.’
Adi Yogi imparted the knowledge of yoga to the Sapta Rishis on the banks of Kanti Sarovar in the Himalayas. It was the day when Adi Yogi explained the science of being human to the Sapta Rishis. According to the time cycle that date was probably – 21 June.
Now, this date is celebrated as International Yoga Day worldwide. The Sapta Rishis took the responsibility of spreading this wonderful, supernatural knowledge of yoga from the peaks of the Himalayas to every corner of the world. In this regard, Agastya Muni propagated the yoga culture in India.
Maharishi Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra
Maharishi Patanjali gave a systematic and scientific form to the tradition of yoga. Actually, the way of finding knowledge in the Indian tradition was very different at that time. The sages and Munis of the Vedic tradition, i.e. the scientists and researchers of that time, had already understood that whatever is in the human body is also present in the universe. That is why, they chose the human body for experiment, test and observation to discover news knowledge. Moreover, for the success and authenticity of the experiment, the sages and munis put themselves ahead.
They took science forward by concentrating their minds and this is the reason that the influence of Yoga is clearly visible on Indian philosophy, art and science. Maharishi Patanjali’s Yoga Darshan has four parts – Samadhi Pada, Sadhanapada, Vibhutipada and Kaivalya Pada.
Adi Shankaracharya Established Several Prominent Mathas
Lord Buddha himself was a great yogi. The Ashtanga of Buddhism shows the path of Nirvana i.e. Moksha, which is very similar to the eight sutras of Maharishi Patanjali’s Yoga. Buddhism also shows the way to a happy, healthy body and mind and creation of a peaceful society through Yoga. In the changing times, competition among religions has also begun to intensify.
This is about twelve hundred years old. In that era, Buddhism was rapidly attracting people towards itself. Muslim rulers were also rapidly working on their expansion plan. In such a situation, Adi Shankaracharya established maths in the four corners of the country to connect Akhand Bharat. This move breathed new life into the Yoga tradition.
Adi Shankaracharya expanded the reach of Raja Yoga. While, he described it as a way to calm and purify the mind, in the 10th century Guru Gorakhnath took Hatha Yoga forward and created many new types of asanas. He tried to take Yoga out from the domain of sages, a handful of elite people and spread it among the common people.
Glamorous Form Of Yoga Has Also Emerged
Spiritual Guru Osho used to say that Yoga is far above religion, faith and superstition. It is absolutely scientific and can be tested on the touchstone of experiments. He considered Yoga as the art of living and a way to keep diseases away. Osho believed that religion confines people to boundaries, while Yoga frees people from all kind of limitations.
Perhaps, it is the wonder of the miracles and changes that Yoga brings in human life that its influence is seen in all the major religions of world. No matter what the name is given, be it Judaism or Parsi, Christianity or Islam, all see the progress and prosperity of their community in postures and processes similar to Yoga. Notably, some Muslim writers do not see any difference between Yogasana and Namaz. They see the posture of offering Namaz very close to Vajrasana.
Kirtan, Japa and Ardaas of Sikhism are also forms of Yoga. Yoga has also changed to a great extent with changing times. In many parts of the world, glamorous form of Yoga has emerged. There has also been a successful experiment of taking yoga out of nature’s lap and bringing it to studios.
Size Of Global Yoga Market In 2023 Was Around $115 Billion
After passing through many stages of human civilisation, Yoga has now transformed into a new form. The yoga sutras written by Maharishi Patanjali were taken forward by yoga gurus from time to time. New asanas were formed but, in the last 100 years, Indian Yoga has reached the whole world. This is the wonder of modern Yoga gurus, who have taken yoga out from a handful of people and made it reach common man. With the Yoga practiced by common man, the market started to see great potential in it. According to an estimate, the global market related to Yoga can grow at the rate of 9% annually between the years 2024 and 2032.
According to a study, the size of the global market of Yoga in the year 2023 was about 115 billion dollars. It is predicted to increase to more than 250 billion dollars by 2032. The business of teaching yoga, popular in western countries is now spreading rapidly in every city of India. The Yoga tradition that originated In India is now showing the whole world, a path to healthy body and happy mind in its changed form. It is a method that helps even the poorest of the poor to stay away from diseases without spending money. Yoga makes a person mentally and emotionally strong to deal with the toughest of challenges.
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