By OUR STAFF REPORTER
RISHIKESH, 10 Mar: The vibrant first day of the 37th International Yoga Festival at Parmarth Niketan Ashram, here, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and blessed by Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Jaya Kishori alongside over 1000 participants from 50 nations, 75 yoga teachers from 25 countries on 9 March. The inauguration concluded with a beautiful Ganga Aarti and the special bhakti filled evening kirtan by Gaura Vani and his team of musicians and artists.
The second day of the Yoga Festival began today with an early morning Sadhana filled with diverse offerings that included sacred music, raagas, yoga, ayurveda and wellness sessions by presenters.
The day concluded with the evening Ganga Aarti. Participants danced late into the evening beneath the new moon to the vibrant and ecstatic beats of MC YOGI, internationally renowned recording artist.
“Yoga isn’t what we do; it’s who we are,” said Swami Chidanand Saraswati. “It’s what we practice not only on the mat, but off the mat. It’s what we practice every day of life. We are in the world capital of yoga, where we were all given keys freely, with no copyrights. Take the keys wherever you are and use them to open the locks so that light may shine onto millions and millions on earth. Yoga is union. That starts with you. You are the key, you must look into yourself. We give great gratitude to that the saints and rishis and sages of Rishikesh who gave mantras to this entire world. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, that is India’s message to the world. The World is one family.”
“Yoga is that which is the answer to everything that ails our planet today,” said Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati. “Every day in the news is another opportunity to pick sides. We have conflicts based on race, skin colour, political party, sexual orientation, gender. If I feel separate from other people, from the planet, I bring suffering to others and the earth. Yoga isn’t the union of the nose to the knees. It’s the union of the self to the divine, and the divine in all.”
Some of the brightest minds on the mind-body connection gathered for an insightful plenary on “Inner Alchemy- transforming pain into purpose,” which featured Gauranga Das Prabhu, and other guests, emphasising how to shift one’s perspective on suffering, using it as a catalyst for growth, resilience, and meaningful change.
Gauranga Das Prabhu said, “The mind creates and generates expectations and the gap between expectation and reality causes the pain. Krishna says if there is pain, you have to understand there is a purpose behind that pain.”
Brandon Bays gave a scientific explanation, “I was guided to find a way for all of us to go inside of our body and get access to something called cell emery. When we feel a strong emotion and we suppress it, it releases a qualifying biochemistry into the blood stream that will go to certain cell receptors and block them and if, over time, illness happens, it happens in the part of body where the cells are blocked. When emotions are felt freely, our cell receptors remain open.”
Dr N Ganesh Rao, the founder of ACT Yoga who holds a PhD in Philosophy as well as multiple diplomas in Naturopathy and Yoga Education and is a Yoga Chikatsa Acharya, led a powerful session on exploring how the sound of Om can bring peace, clarity, and balance to one’s life.
“The first sutra of the Patanjali Yoga Sutra essentially means that Yoga is of the now – Yoga can only take place in the present moment. Om is the primordial sound that takes us back home to ourselves. There is great significance of Om in Yoga so it is essential for participants across the world to understand the roots and tradition of Yoga,” Dr Rao added.
Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, the disciple of Yogi Bhajan who founded Yogi Bhajan’s first yoga centre in the United States, led an ecstatic cleansing of the inner self class after sunrise, providing a sacred space for healing and self-reflection, helping each participant to connect more deeply to their true essence, encouraging them to release any negativity and embrace their highest potential.
Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa shared, “How much thunder you have in you, how much power you have in you, comes from the heart. The only way I’ve found to heal oneself and to heal the world is through love. Love has become overused in the West. Love isn’t always sweet. Sometimes it’s tough love. Sometimes you have to speak your truth. This comes from the navel, then it goes to your heart. Don’t be too quick to say, ‘love you, love you’. Pause and ask yourself, ‘do I mean it, can I feel love in my soul?’ If you do, that is the thunder power of love.”
Throughout the rest of the day, following a nourishing lunch, participants were immersed in a series of different inspiring yoga sessions led by esteemed teachers, Including Bhogi to Yogi, a journey of self-transformation, and an enlightening Yoga Therapy session by Mohan Bhandari, focusing on healing through mindful movement and breath; Rhythmic Vinyasa- collective Flow for all by Shiva Rea. Participants also delved into ancient healing practices with a Yin Chakra session, uncovering the deep secrets of restoration and balance. Additional classes explored themes of discovering oneness, healing through Vinyasa, and connecting to the throat chakra, as well as a profound session that opened the gateway to the soul. Each class offered a unique path to self-discovery, healing, and spiritual growth, especially the sound healing bath session with Astrid Slegten and Sandra Barnes.
This was followed by an evening Satsang, led by Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati. Participants were guided on a journey to dive deep into the divine truth within, experiencing a moment of profound connection to their higher selves.
Participants then gathered on the banks of Maa Ganga at the Parmarth Niketan along with Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, and renowned yogacharyas from across the world for the world famous Ganga Aarti and chanting.
After the Aarti, participants danced late into the evening beneath the new moon to the vibrant and ecstatic beats of MC YOGI, internationally renowned recording artist.
