| Description |
Yoga is a time honoured Indian holistic system of personal, physical, mental and spiritual wellness focused on all-round unification of body, mind and soul. Traditionally handed down over the centuries from teacher –Guru to disciple –Shishya, who after attaining mastery become a Guru to teach others. While Indian mythology traces the origin of yoga to the God Shiva as the first teacher its presence is well documented in Indian textual tradition from the Rigveda dated between c. 1500–1200 BCE to Satapatha Brahmana texts of 300 BCE to the philosophical treatises of the Upanishads – Mundaka and the Bhagvad Gita dated before fifth or fourth century BCE.
The sage Patanjali systematised the text in his treatise -Yogasutras dated 400 CE while many other great sages and Yoga masters contributed to the furtherance of the system and its practice through their writings. The practice of Yoga leads to the union of individual consciousness with universal consciousness to attain harmony between the elements. The aim of Yoga is to realize the inner self, to mitigate all kinds of sufferings and to pave way for attaining the state of liberation. Yoga practices include Yama or five abstentions, Niyama-five observances, Asana –postures, Pranayama -Suspending Breath, Pratyahara –Abstraction, Dharana –Concentration, Dhyana –Meditation, Samadhi - Full integrated consciousness, Bandhas –Lock, Mudras – Gestures, Shat-karmas - Cleansing practices, Yukta-ahara - Holistic food, Yukta Karma -Right Action and MantraJapa -Chanting sacred words. Yogic practices have helped many millions learn to maintain a balanced way of life. |
| Social and cultural significance |
Yoga is a mind training system and hence helps its practitioners and learners to achieve physical, mental and spiritual wellness. Through sustained training, it improves concentration, enhances mind control and augments breath regulation thereby prevents one from various physical and psychical ailments. It allows one to be stress free and have a better control over one’s self.
The practice of Yoga is a personal search and a process and a journey of exploration that is deeply embedded, almost subconsciously in Indian society. Yoga is part of the Indian ethos and its practice is spread across society in some forms or the other. The practice entails the more evolved aspects or the most basic of asanas (postures) and breath control to the deeper more evolved forms. From everyday life to schools, from offices to universities, workers to housewives Yoga in some forms or the other is considered to be the way to lead a balanced life and obtain the benefits of physical and mental well being.
Yoga is a universal system of holistic wellness that is completely devoid of any intolerance of any kind, it has found unprecedented acceptance across the globe. Yoga is harmonious and compatible with all the existing human rights instruments. The practice of Yoga increase tolerance and enhances mutual respect among communities, groups and individuals. it leads to balanced and harmonious coexistence among communities, groups and individuals.
Yoga traverses the boundaries of class, creed, religion, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, culture, nationality and language. It caters to and is applicable to entire humanity. It is because of the universal values that it represents as inherent in its very practice that the United Nations has declared 21 June as the international day of Yoga to be celebrated hereafter across the world. The resolution was passed with a record 175 nations cosponsoring it in the UN General Assembly.
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in his statement on International Day of Yoga in New York 21 June 2015 said: “It can bring communities together in an inclusive manner that generates respect... Yoga is already immensely popular around the world. It is good for your health. It is good for the spirit. And yoga does not discriminate: to varying degrees, all people can practice, regardless of their strength, age or ability” |
| Transmission method |
The knowledge and skills related to the element is being transmitted by a multitude of routes. There is the continuation of the age-old system of transferring knowledge and teaching through the Guru-Shishya (Teacher-Disciple/Pupil) tradition that is still widely practiced across India.
There is teaching and practice of the precepts of Yoga through the study of ancient manuscripts and scriptures in vernacular languages, the study of literature and commentaries on Yoga that is again taught either through the Guru-Shishya tradition or in Yoga schools and centres across the country.
Yoga Ashrams or hermitages teach yoga through sustained practice in all its forms. Contemporary forms of Yoga are taught and transmitted through prolific literature written by Yoga Gurus and experts in a number of Indian languages. Yoga is also transmitted through popular television channels and social media. Departments in Universities with specialized studies on Yoga, classes in schools, technical schools of Yoga all teach the practice of Yoga. Yoga Workshop, Camps and programs are a common occurrence across the country. Short-term and long-term programs are available through the year all over the country.
Conferences and Seminars are frequently held on Yoga. Medical practitioners and research scholars continue to publish their research on Yoga. There is a proliferation of books available on the subject. Whether in community centres, or public gardens, in housing estates and homes, institutions, corporate houses, villages and rural communities even in the high Himalayas Yoga is taught and its knowledge transmitted. |
| Community |
Presently Yoga is practiced across the length and breadth of India. Being a process it involves active participation of the Guru-Teacher and Shishya-Pupil who comprise a wide spectrum of individuals, general public groups, members of societies and communities, educational institutions, from schools to universities and any others interested without any restrictions of gender, age, nationality, class or religious dispositions.
Traditionally Yoga Gurus were the custodians of this ancient knowledge system of India. Presently also Acharyas, Gurus, teachers, guides, practitioners within the families, different monasteries/hermitages, educational centres, Yoga practitioners and individual citizens following different living traditions of Yoga are the bearers of the element. Further a vast corpus of literature, instruction and guidance are available which may be customized to suit the objectives of each student and learner. Individual Yoga experts, Yoga institutions and colleges, Yoga Departments of various universities and performing arts institutions are imparting theoretical and practical knowledge of Yoga to interested learners. There are various schools of tradition that have evolved their methodologies on certain exclusive aspects of Yoga practice. Such practitioners consolidate their practice by training their students in the discipline of the specific tradition. Yoga teachers and practitioners bear responsibility towards their students and towards the practice of Yoga itself they need to be equipped with the theoretical knowledge of Yoga so as to preserve and protect this ancient system of wellness for posterity. |
| Type of UNESCO List |
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List |
2016 |
