June 21, International Day of Yoga

Why Yoga?

It is no wonder that International Day of Yoga is observed on Summer Solstice, June 21, the longest day of the year in the Northern hemisphere, for the solstices—Summer, June 21, and Winter, December 22—are two of the most conducive days to bring balance within the human system. It is also no news that yoga, above all, facilitates achieving balance in the human mind and body apart from getting one’s health back on track and what most people associate yoga with—losing weight. Getting rid of one’s health problems and/or extra kilos is a mere side effect of what this great tradition of Yoga has to offer.

The primary purpose the science of Yoga serves is to bring the human system to such a state of balance that reaching one’s full potential is a natural consequence. To achieve this balance, the nadis, Ida and Pingala, the left side and the right side of the body, or in more abstract terms, the feminine and the masculine energies in the system, have to be brought to an equilibrium. Now, what is a Nadi? They are not nerves; if you cut open the body, you will not see the nadis. Nadi is a channel or a pathway through which the energy moves in the system. There are 72000 nadis in a human body. Now attempting to balance all 72000 is a daunting task, even to think about it! So, we aim at balancing the two main nadis through which all the others originate– the Ida and the Pingala.

As we said, yoga is not done only to lose weight, likewise, yoga is not some body-bending business either. The balance we spoke of can be achieved without assuming impossible postures too. And anything that helps you achieve that is yoga. Pranayama, a set of certain breathing techniques, is also yoga. If you simply sit with your eyes closed—observing the movement of your breath, and feel the system coming to a sense of ease and balance—that also is yoga. Now, this is not to discourage you to learn or practice yogasanas. This is not to talk you out of wanting to lose weight either. This is just to say that the system can be made to relax and brought to that innate sense of balance without getting into some unachievable asanas.

Now, why is this balance that we’ve been harping about so important? To understand this, think about riding a bicycle for a moment. Would you enjoy your ride more when the cycle is absolutely balanced, or when it is skewed to one side? If it is balanced, you can do many things while riding your cycle– you can text, you can wave at your friend passing by, you can blow a kiss, you can even ride with your hands in the air! Our system is just like the bicycle—if it is balanced, it’ll allow us to do many things in life without any sense of discomfort. On the other hand, if it is not in the natural state of balance that it should be in, there’s only so much you can do. Your very body and mind, which are supposed to be your greatest faculties, will become a hindrance in whatever you wish to achieve or do in your life. Also, by experience, you would know, that you function best when you feel balanced within, and not when you’re feeling troubled or disturbed.

So, if you choose to give life your best, and achieve the best you can, choose health, choose balance, choose Yoga. BigBoxx Professional Academy wishes you the best this International Day of Yoga—balancing your career, backing your aspirations!