June
21 was declared as the International Yoga Day by the United Nations
General Assembly. The declaration came after the call by Indian Prime
Minister - Shri Narendra Modi. The proposal was supported by the record
number of voices - 175 countries.
UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement - " Yoga is a sport
that can contribute to development and peace. Yoga can even help people
in emergency situations to find relief from stress", he also added -
" Yoga can contribute to resilience against non-communicable diseases
and can bring communities together in an inclusive manner that generates
respect"
Following
the many nations that took up the call to promote Yoga, a two-day
International Yoga Festival took place on June 20-21, 2015 in St
Petersburg, Russia. The scope of the First International Festival of
this type was unparalleled: 20 yoga schools, 31 teachers, 52 classes, 15
traditions, 5 teaching halls, 200 participants, averaging 12 hrs each
day. Master-classes organised by teachers of various schools of human
development from India, USA, Europe (Czech, Romania, Italy), Russia and
Ukraine.
The vision for the Festival, as given by Swami Advaitananda, was to expand the frontiers of Yoga and go beyond solely physical practice, incorporating humanitarian and spiritual aspects. To stretch the boundaries of Yoga to accommodate various wisdom traditions and indicate the one goal through many paths.
The opening ceremony communicated this mission by offering collective prayers from Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Teachers
from different traditions, styles and types of Yoga came together to
expand the scope of Yoga practice beyond the physical.
Among
the wide spectrum of classes, Hatha Yoga was presented by Vinay Siddiah
from Bangalore, South India, as well as Adhiyoga - a detailed study of
Yoga sutras by Neel Kulkarni form Pune, western India. Various
dimensions of Hatha Yoga were presented by Andrei Lobanov from Nizhni
Novgorod, Russia. Kundalini Yoga was presented by by Anton Sharaev and
Dhyana Yoga & working with Prana sessions by Yogeshvar Karthik.
Workshops
on Yoga included 'Nada Yoga & Mantra Yoga' by TV Ramprasad from
Chennai, South India. 'Natya Yoga' - Yoga for dancers and Dance as a
form of Yoga, was presented by Indira Kadambi from Chennai. Tibetan
singing bowls (Alla Nomerova), Qi-Gong
(Aleksey Soshenko), Hakim massage technique and Gurjiev dances
(Aleksandr Svyatkin), couples Yoga (Svetlana Lobanova) and Yoga for
women (Rina Vaisman), tea ceremony (Dmitri Zolotorevski) and
aromatherapy (Svetlana Kulikova).
Expanding
the theme, following topics were offered: Wisdom of yoga, covering
lectures on Yoga philosophy, origins of Yoga, evolution of yoga,
psychological dimensions of yoga, yoga in modern context, as well as
demystifying misconceptions in the purpose of Yoga.
Spiritual
practices included Meditation in Advaita Vedanta (Swami Advaitananda)
and Dzogchen Buddhist tradition (presented by Chongtul Rinpoche from New
York, USA), introduction into meditation and guidance (presented by
Evelina Lotte from New York, USA)
Cultural
program has also been introduced showcasing various dance schools, fire
show, poetry, art exhibit and fusion musical performances.
St
Petersburg has been a historical bridge between Western and Eastern
Europe and Russia as a cultural capital and is an ideal place to house a
unique Festival of this type. It has demonstrated hospitality, openness
and welcoming spirit during and after the event.
The
overall experience was amplified by a weather phenomenon of "White
Nights", where the daylight extends into the night hours. Located
outside of city centre, participants were also able to experience nature
and enjoy lush forests and lakes around.
Closing
ceremony has brought together the unique features of the event by
offering a wide range of performances and welcomed Consul General of
India in SPB, Mr Arun Kumar Sharma, as a guest of honour, accompanied by
Specialist/Interpreter Alla Doroshenko. Award ceremony was conducted to
recognise teachers, volunteers and participants with prizes and
souvenirs.
