Justice through the practice of YOGA

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Yoga today has spread across the entire world and everyone is benefiting from the practice of Yoga and Ayurveda, even though, it’s still at the physical level which is still a very minuscule aspect of Yoga and does not represent Yoga in its entirety. 

A 15 thousand years old knowledge and science of wellbeing from Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) India is now spreading across the entire world in the form of Yoga and Ayurveda.

Thousands of students from all over the world used to travel to India in the early ’70s and ’80s and even to date and they all received a very warm welcome and they immediately felt at home. This you can experience across all Yoga Ashrams in India. This gratitude and gesture all springs from the fundamental philosophy of Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism) and Indian culture, a tradition which beliefs; 

||VASUDHAIVA KUTUMBAKAM|| 

that the entire world is one family and; 

||ATHITHI DEVO BHAVA|| 

which simply means that you must treat your guest with at most respect and treat him like a God!

Indian Yoga Guru’s always encouraged diversity in Yoga, still upholding the values and standards of Yoga at the highest level. 

||SAMATVAM YOG UCHYATE|| 

the quote from Bhagavad Gita, which simply means equal consideration towards all human beings through the practice of Yoga.

The reason why Yoga today has spread across the entire world is a result of Indian culture and tradition, where all the Yoga Acharya’s (experts)and gurus, made Yoga accessible to all human beings, regardless of their culture, their religion, race, and gender.

A profound culture and tradition in Yoga teach people to develop their human potential, physical and mental resilience; the ancient Yogic system provides these opportunities inherently. 

Unfortunately, today the journey and the path modern Yoga is taking is confusing and causing more harm, division, and competition which is very counter to the essence of Yoga. Classical Yoga is marginalized to serve the political, corporate, and organized religious agenda of many in western countries.

When an ancient tradition and culture is marginalized, shunned, isolated, or institutionalized, we all suffer. It is the fundamental right of a Yoga aspirant to understand and learn the ancient Yogic system in its entirety and it’s a moral responsibility of a Yoga teacher to deliver and educate Yoga students with complete authentic knowledge in the field of Yoga. 

Yoga has within it the profound power and capacity to awaken us towards human consciousness.
 

When Yoga is positioned to be accessible, inclusive, and respectful of the diversity and dignity of each student, it becomes a social catalyst, an opportunity for students, through the explorations of Yoga’s life skills and tools for personal well-being, to experience themselves as worthy of their own, and as capable of making contributions to the betterment of the whole humanity. 

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It may be difficult to view Yoga as a spiritual practice when the culture has become largely commodified, often narrowly focused on mastering physical postures. And yet, many of its foundational and philosophical texts, such as the “Patanjali Yog Sutra” and “Hatha Pradipika”, are intended to transform the human spirit—changing how we move through the world and how we interact with other human beings.

Moreover, it is something that the so-called Yoga organizations which are institutionalized in efforts to convert the Yogic system into a commercial fitness product must be criticized and boycotted. Instead, we can begin by studying the foundational texts and building our practice with affiliated academies and Guru who have dedicated their entire life to the field of Yoga and Ayurveda.