Yoga: Don't exercise religion

The stirring response worldwide to the first International Yoga Day in 2015 has gathered further momentum in a year. The second annual event is likely only to reaffirm the popularity of a set of ancient physical exercises. The government is throwing its weight behind the mass movement, with 57 of its ministers to be in attendance at various events Tuesday to celebrate Yoga Day. The Prime Minister’s delight at the movement reviving in the modern age is understandable.

His averring that yoga is much more than a physical exercise has its votaries and its critics. The movement has 30 million practitioners in the US where the PM joked that India had not yet applied for intellectual property rights.   Yoga goes far beyond the asanas (exercises poses). In its holistic form, particularly when combined with meditation, yoga’s benefits extend beyond a flexible body and weight control. As with any ancient regimen, like those taught in many Chinese practices combing physical and breathing exercises, there are clear advantages to be derived towards tackling the stress and strain on the body and spirit that modern life imposes.

Its value as an equilibrium finder is inestimable in these times when stress is the professional’s worst enemy. It is the universal form of yoga, promising a sense of body and mind balance, that draws people. There can be no complaint if the government promotion of yoga leads to healthier people, but let’s keep religion out of this temporal matter even if India is very spiritual.