NEW YORK (RNS) — Tomorrow (June 21), on the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, amateur and professional yogis will line up their mats across the world in celebration of the International Day of Yoga — an occasion created by the United Nations and the government of India 11 years ago.
In a first for the United Nations General Assembly, a record 175 countries co-sponsored the Yoga Day resolution, which passed unanimously in December 2014. “In this century, we realize that yoga has united the world,” said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the time.
Yoga, the ancient Indian practice that derives its name from the Sanskrit root “yuj,” or “to unite,” is intended to harmonize the mind, body, soul and spirit through synchronized breath and movement through poses, called asana. Whether the physically strenuous Ashtanga yoga or the slow and gentle Yin yoga, countless varieties of the practice have appealed across races, ethnicities, genders and ages worldwide, making it one of India’s most popular exports.
And in true Western fashion, practitioners across the United States have transformed yoga into their own. Modern developments like “beer yoga” as well as multibillion-dollar yoga attire businesses have spurred questions about appropriation and commodification, especially for those who see yoga as intrinsically linked to Hindu devotional tradition.
But practitioners say yoga, in all its forms and nuances, whether for sport or spirituality, has solidified itself as part of the fabric of the nation. Events will be held across the U.S. in recognition of this year’s theme, “Yoga for One Earth, One Health,” including a sunset yoga event Friday (June 20) at the UN headquarters in New York City that broke the Guinness World Record two years ago for the most nationalities practicing yoga at the same time.
“Yoga, (whether) you do it right or do it wrong, do it this way or that way, it is still beneficial,” said Tirlok Malik, founder of the Happy Life Yoga organization, an online platform that hosts workshops. “It is one of the greatest gifts India has given to the world.”
For Malik, who is also an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and restaurateur, yoga is a lifestyle choice — present in his consumption of nourishing Ayurvedic foods and in his commitment to an easygoing, stress-free mindset. Happy Life Yoga’s classes include affirmations and self-talk, interspersed with loud bouts of laughter. “There’s no need for a mat,” said Malik, who will present to thousands at the UPLIFTNY Central Park yoga event in New York on Friday, and an Indian Consulate online event on Sunday (June 22).
“Yoga is how you breathe, how you think, what are your emotional values and what are your physical stances,” he said. “I know many people who practice yoga, but they’re not healthy. They’re not happy. Just because you work out in a health club for one hour every day, it doesn’t give you a happy or healthy life: it gives you a muscular body.”
For Guruji H.H. Dileepkumar Thankappan, an internationally recognized Hindu guru and speaker, yoga’s fitness benefits, while not the full story of yoga, have brought the practice to the forefront of Western culture. In fact, he said, one of his goals is to see yoga at the Olympics, alongside other sports that increase flexibility and balance.
“Why did the universe give us legs and hands? To do something,” he told RNS. “By doing yoga, you get less tired and have more energy. A lot of the time, we are not stretching properly, or we are not getting balance or strength.”
Guruji H.H. Dileepkumar Thankappan is chairing the NGO Session of the 5th International Day of Yoga celebrations at the United Nations in 2019. Courtesy Thankappan
Like Malik, Thankappan said an expensive class is hardly necessary, nor is a sweat-proof rubber mat: “Lots of people have a wooden floor in their apartment, which is the best.”
As a new immigrant to the U.S., Thankappan initiated the World Yoga Festival in 1993, also falling on the summer solstice, and has been working with state leaders and gurus since then to get the day international recognition. He was preparing to lead a practice Friday at the Church Center for the United Nations, ahead of the large event on the North Lawn, for a smaller group “who’d like a little more spirituality” in their practice, he said.
“Indian philosophy and Indian culture is for every single being around the globe, not only for Indians,” he said. “We want to showcase around the world we are under one God, under one family.”
Across New York, spiritual organizations will also celebrate the day. For example, the Brahma Kumaris, a women’s ashram for meditation, will host a “Spirit of Yoga” event on Saturday at its Global Harmony House in Great Neck.
“In today’s commercialized wellness world, yoga is often reduced to fitness,” said Gayatri Naraine, the NGO representative of the Brahma Kumaris at the U.N., in a press release. “But the true spirit of yoga is about connecting to our highest self, to the Supreme, through spiritual awareness.”
And in Times Square, yogis were to meet Friday for the Mind Over Madness yoga event, a set of free yoga classes throughout the day on the Broadway pedestrian plazas and online.
“Thousands of people are making a different kind of pilgrimage to Times Square, and under the bright light of the longest day of the year, they are bringing just a little bit of stillness, and a little bit of santosa (contentment), to this intense and crazy city that we love,” said Tim Tompkins, former president of the Times Square Alliance, on the Mind Over Madness website.
Whichever way you bend it, said Malik, those yogis who came from India in the 1960s to share their home country’s ancient wisdom with the world have left a permanent mark on the West that still hasn’t faded.
“I think whatever is happening is very good,” he said. “My salute to the American people who have really promoted yoga. Now, the whole world knows about it.”
