Mr SN Yadav, my yoga teacher, learnt his ropes under famous and much controversial Dhirendra Brahmachari. He continues to practice yoga and heal people.&nbsp;

The healing is also accompanied by long rounds of preaching the virtue of the yogic traditions in India which can be both amusing and irritating at the same time.&nbsp;

But, in one of the usual conversation which I had with him during a therapy session about Yoga, in general, made me see the whole PM Narendra Modi-led campaign in a different light. 
&nbsp; 
When I asked, what has changed under Modi when it comes to yoga, he said, “Respect.” The conversation was long but the message was clear that something indeed changed under Narendra Modi. Though yoga cannot be attributed to any person, group or government, but the push made by Narendra Modi did make yoga attain visibility and respect across the globe. A simple act of lending himself to the act of Yoga in public made the ancient art respectable with the Indian elite.

I asked him what does he mean by respect? He said,” Earlier hospitals would not entertain the idea of alternative healing. Today, every hospital invites us for alternative healing. Medical fraternity too has understood that Yoga does not compete with any system of knowledge. It only adds to it.”

There are photographs of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru doing Yoga and Indira Gandhi patronising Dhirendra Brahmachari, but a personalised push supported by both organisation and government was absent owing to the fact that many people associated yoga with Hinduism.

Lastly, when I asked him, what was the idea of yoga in 70s and 80s when you started your work, he said,” People thought Yoga is all about old people and ascetics and never thought in terms of it being an intrinsic part of modern daily life.”

It is for this reason, the public practice of yoga became such a polarising issue. But down the years, the critics have reduced and participation of people has increased. My understanding is that yoga has found space within the rubric of positive nationalism too which makes a claim to India’s rich historical ancient legacy.

Yoga is reflecting a larger temperamental shift, wherein faith from the ancient civilizational perspective is reclaiming its lost space in the politics, culture, literature and society.&nbsp;

This shift is a rejection of the idea of ‘French secularism’ which many political parties feel is still workable in Indian democracy. It is not. The former was about separation of the church and the state whereas the Indian experience of living together (as religious communities) is about peaceful co-existence which does not come at the expense of public affirmation of Sanatan Dharma and practices and art, directly and indirectly, connected to it.&nbsp;

Today, India has stamped its ownership on Yoga and the credit, definitely, goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.&nbsp;Narendra Modi helped&nbsp;yoga&nbsp;attain&nbsp;the global status it deserved.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Mr SN Yadav, my yoga teacher, learnt his ropes under famous and much controversial Dhirendra Brahmachari. He continues to practice yoga and heal people. The healing is also accompanied by long rounds of preaching the virtue of the yogic traditions in India which can be both amusing and irritating at the same time.

Mr SN Yadav, my yoga teacher, learnt his ropes under famous and much controversial Dhirendra Brahmachari. He continues to practice yoga and heal people. The healing is also accompanied by long rounds of preaching the virtue of the yogic traditions in India which can be both amusing and irritating at the same time. But, in one of the usual conversation which I had with him during a therapy session about Yoga, in general, made me see the whole PM Narendra Modi-led campaign in a different light. When I asked, what has changed under Modi when it comes to yoga, he said, “Respect.” The conversation was long but the message was clear that something indeed changed under Narendra Modi. Though yoga cannot be attributed to any person, group or government, but the push made by Narendra Modi did make yoga attain visibility and respect across the globe. A simple act of lending himself to the act of Yoga in public made the ancient art respectable with the Indian elite. I asked him what does he mean by respect? He said,” Earlier hospitals would not entertain the idea of alternative healing. Today, every hospital invites us for alternative healing. Medical fraternity too has understood that Yoga does not compete with any system of knowledge. It only adds to it.” There are photographs of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru doing Yoga and Indira Gandhi patronising Dhirendra Brahmachari, but a personalised push supported by both organisation and government was absent owing to the fact that many people associated yoga with Hinduism. Lastly, when I asked him, what was the idea of yoga in 70s and 80s when you started your work, he said,” People thought Yoga is all about old people and ascetics and never thought in terms of it being an intrinsic part of modern daily life.” It is for this reason, the public practice of yoga became such a polarising issue. But down the years, the critics have reduced and participation of people has increased. My understanding is that yoga has found space within the rubric of positive nationalism too which makes a claim to India’s rich historical ancient legacy. Yoga is reflecting a larger temperamental shift, wherein faith from the ancient civilizational perspective is reclaiming its lost space in the politics, culture, literature and society. This shift is a rejection of the idea of ‘French secularism’ which many political parties feel is still workable in Indian democracy. It is not. The former was about separation of the church and the state whereas the Indian experience of living together (as religious communities) is about peaceful co-existence which does not come at the expense of public affirmation of Sanatan Dharma and practices and art, directly and indirectly, connected to it. Today, India has stamped its ownership on Yoga and the credit, definitely, goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Narendra Modi helped yoga attain the global status it deserved. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Blog: Yoga fever grips the world and the credit goes to Narendra Modi

Crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking yoga to the world, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the ancient Indian practice has become ambassador of the country's culture around the globe.

Shah praised Modi's efforts towards promoting Yoga and said it was due to the prime minister's initiatives that yoga has got international recognition and June 21 is now celebrated as the International Day of Yoga.

Addressing state-level yoga day celebrations organised by the Haryana government here, Shah said on December 11, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21 as the 'International Day of Yoga', months after Prime Minister Modi proposed the idea.

The International Day of Yoga is celebrated annually on June 21 to raise global awareness about the benefits of the ancient Indian practice.

"Modi ji has helped take yoga to the world. It has also helped promote our culture. Yoga today has become ambassador of our culture to the world and has helped attract millions across the world to our culture... It has played a key role in promoting our culture," Shah said.

Without naming anyone, Shah said there are some who point fingers by saying what will be gained by doing yoga for a day. 
 
"I want to humbly tell those pointing fingers that today, on this occasion, in 200 nations crores of people who are doing yoga will help inspire millions of children, who will take a pledge to connect yoga with their life," he said.

He said in the past when India was under foreign rule including by the Britishers, yoga was restricted to saints and seers. 
 
Shah said that later many people made their contributions to promote yoga, but international recognition came only in 2014.

"Several people held different programmes and contributed to revive yoga. But it gained recognition at the world level when country witnessed a big change in 2014 when people decided to elect Narendra Modi as the prime minister. Addressing the UN General Assembly on December 11, 2014, Modi presented our heritage before the world," the Union home minister said.

"Within 70 days of putting the proposal of observing June 21 as Yoga day, 177 countries accepted it. As a result of it, the whole world is celebrating International Yoga Day," he said.

Shah said in western nations and at other places a patent is registered for any invention, but yoga, he added, was India's gift to the world and it was for the welfare and well-being of the entire world.

Shah also expressed gratitude to saints and seers as also to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Ramdev for popularising this ancient Indian practice. 
 
Expressing happiness on a large number of people taking to yoga, the home minister said he is surprised to see a gathering of 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh attending early morning yoga camps of Ramdev.

"I want to express gratitude and thank all those who have helped promote yoga and make it as a revolution," he said.&nbsp;He congratulated the Manohar Lal Khattar government for setting up a Yoga Council in the state.

Shah highlighted the benefits of the ancient Indian practice for overall well-being, saying yoga keeps body and mind healthy.&nbsp;Yoga is showing the world the way towards a healthy life, he said. ?&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

"Yoga is the symbol of India's ancient history and diversity which is showing the world the way towards a healthy life," he tweeted after the event.

Earlier, Chief Minister Khattar touched upon steps taken by the Modi government and his own dispensation for promotion of yoga.&nbsp;He said yoga day celebrations were held at 80 places in Haryana.

On the occasion, Shah, Khattar and others performed various yoga 'asanas' including 'Kapal Bhati', 'Anulom Vilom' and 'Bhramari Pranayama'.

Among others who were present on the occasion included Haryana ministers Anil Vij, Manish Grover, senior BJP leader Anil Jain, BJP MP from Rohtak, Arvind Sharma and state BJP chief Subhash Barala.&nbsp;

Crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking yoga to the world, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the ancient Indian practice has become ambassador of the country's culture around the globe.

Crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking yoga to the world, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the ancient Indian practice has become ambassador of the country's culture around the globe. Shah praised Modi's efforts towards promoting Yoga and said it was due to the prime minister's initiatives that yoga has got international recognition and June 21 is now celebrated as the International Day of Yoga. Addressing state-level yoga day celebrations organised by the Haryana government here, Shah said on December 11, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21 as the 'International Day of Yoga', months after Prime Minister Modi proposed the idea. The International Day of Yoga is celebrated annually on June 21 to raise global awareness about the benefits of the ancient Indian practice. "Modi ji has helped take yoga to the world. It has also helped promote our culture. Yoga today has become ambassador of our culture to the world and has helped attract millions across the world to our culture... It has played a key role in promoting our culture," Shah said. Without naming anyone, Shah said there are some who point fingers by saying what will be gained by doing yoga for a day. "I want to humbly tell those pointing fingers that today, on this occasion, in 200 nations crores of people who are doing yoga will help inspire millions of children, who will take a pledge to connect yoga with their life," he said. He said in the past when India was under foreign rule including by the Britishers, yoga was restricted to saints and seers. Shah said that later many people made their contributions to promote yoga, but international recognition came only in 2014. "Several people held different programmes and contributed to revive yoga. But it gained recognition at the world level when country witnessed a big change in 2014 when people decided to elect Narendra Modi as the prime minister. Addressing the UN General Assembly on December 11, 2014, Modi presented our heritage before the world," the Union home minister said. "Within 70 days of putting the proposal of observing June 21 as Yoga day, 177 countries accepted it. As a result of it, the whole world is celebrating International Yoga Day," he said. Shah said in western nations and at other places a patent is registered for any invention, but yoga, he added, was India's gift to the world and it was for the welfare and well-being of the entire world. Shah also expressed gratitude to saints and seers as also to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Ramdev for popularising this ancient Indian practice. Expressing happiness on a large number of people taking to yoga, the home minister said he is surprised to see a gathering of 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh attending early morning yoga camps of Ramdev. "I want to express gratitude and thank all those who have helped promote yoga and make it as a revolution," he said. He congratulated the Manohar Lal Khattar government for setting up a Yoga Council in the state. Shah highlighted the benefits of the ancient Indian practice for overall well-being, saying yoga keeps body and mind healthy. Yoga is showing the world the way towards a healthy life, he said. ? "Yoga is the symbol of India's ancient history and diversity which is showing the world the way towards a healthy life," he tweeted after the event. Earlier, Chief Minister Khattar touched upon steps taken by the Modi government and his own dispensation for promotion of yoga. He said yoga day celebrations were held at 80 places in Haryana. On the occasion, Shah, Khattar and others performed various yoga 'asanas' including 'Kapal Bhati', 'Anulom Vilom' and 'Bhramari Pranayama'. Among others who were present on the occasion included Haryana ministers Anil Vij, Manish Grover, senior BJP leader Anil Jain, BJP MP from Rohtak, Arvind Sharma and state BJP chief Subhash Barala.

Amit Shah credits PM Narendra Modi for taking yoga to the world

Preparations are in full swing in Ranchi to host the International Yoga Day 2019. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform yoga with thousands of yoga enthusiast at Prabhat Tara Ground as part of the celebration on 21st June. Watch to know more about the special arrangements made for IYD 2019.

Special arrangements for 5th International Yoga Day in Ranchi, Jharkhand

Ahead of the fifth leg of the Yoga Day celebration this month, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modis-twitter-facebook-profile-updated-minutes-before-he-took-oath-222892">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a> on Wednesday tweeted out an animated video on Trikonasana.&nbsp;

The video, which runs for over 2 minutes, features an animated avatar of the prime minister. A step-by-step guide to doing the pose is exhibited in the video which follows the numerous benefits the pose renders.&nbsp;

In his tweet, which carries the video, the prime minister urged everyone to make yoga part of their lifestyle.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
On 21st June, we will mark <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YogaDay2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YogaDay2019</a>. 
 
I urge you all to make Yoga an integral part of your life and also inspire others to do the same. 
 
The benefits of Yoga are tremendous. 
 
Here is a video on Trikonasana. <a href="https://t.co/YDB6T3rw1d">pic.twitter.com/YDB6T3rw1d</a>
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1136109150134505472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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"I urge you all to make Yoga an integral part of your life and also inspire others to do the same. The benefits of Yoga are tremendous," his tweet read.&nbsp;

Trikonasana is one of the easiest poses that beginners could start with and incorporate in their daily routine. Apart from calming the body and working on the excess fat around the waistline, regular practice of the posture aids weight loss, enhances flexibility, alleviates lower back pain and strengthens muscles around the back as well as the thighs.&nbsp;

During his last term, PM Modi was seen propagating the benefits of Yoga. He took the age-old practice and placed it at the global pedestal by getting a day dedicated as the Yoga Day.

Every year, starting from the year 2015, Yoga Day is celebrated on June 21. People from across the world enthusiastically observe the day, taking part in mass yoga events.&nbsp;

Ahead of the fifth leg of the Yoga Day celebration this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tweeted out an animated video on Trikonasana. The video, which runs for over 2 minutes, features an animated avatar of the prime minister.

Ahead of the fifth leg of the Yoga Day celebration this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tweeted out an animated video on Trikonasana. The video, which runs for over 2 minutes, features an animated avatar of the prime minister. A step-by-step guide to doing the pose is exhibited in the video which follows the numerous benefits the pose renders. In his tweet, which carries the video, the prime minister urged everyone to make yoga part of their lifestyle. On 21st June, we will mark #YogaDay2019. I urge you all to make Yoga an integral part of your life and also inspire others to do the same. The benefits of Yoga are tremendous. Here is a video on Trikonasana. pic.twitter.com/YDB6T3rw1d — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 5, 2019 × "I urge you all to make Yoga an integral part of your life and also inspire others to do the same. The benefits of Yoga are tremendous," his tweet read. Trikonasana is one of the easiest poses that beginners could start with and incorporate in their daily routine. Apart from calming the body and working on the excess fat around the waistline, regular practice of the posture aids weight loss, enhances flexibility, alleviates lower back pain and strengthens muscles around the back as well as the thighs. During his last term, PM Modi was seen propagating the benefits of Yoga. He took the age-old practice and placed it at the global pedestal by getting a day dedicated as the Yoga Day. Every year, starting from the year 2015, Yoga Day is celebrated on June 21. People from across the world enthusiastically observe the day, taking part in mass yoga events.

Its benefits are temendous! Ahead of Yoga Day, PM Modi tweets out animated video on Trikonasana 

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Blog: Yoga fever grips the world and the credit goes to Narendra Modi

Amit Shah credits PM Narendra Modi for taking yoga to the world

Special arrangements for 5th International Yoga Day in Ranchi, Jharkhand

Its benefits are temendous! Ahead of Yoga Day, PM Modi tweets out animated video on Trikonasana