PAGE 12 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2017

BY SESHADRI KUMARAs yoga became the trending topic all over the

world last week, about 500 Houstonians gathered at Midtown Park to celebrate the 4th Internation-al Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 21. The abundance of international communities among the partici-pants elevated the Indian-origin yoga to an inter-national discipline.

The spectacle of young and old and differ-ent ethnicities performing the yogic exercises spelled success to the mission of the IDY, pro-moting Yoga and spreading the message about the rewards of its regular practice.

The United Nations proclaimed 21 June as the International Day of Yoga, an initiative of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The first IDY

Above, Three generations join the yoga fest. Right, Demonstration of difficult yoga postures by Austin Dunn, Reggie Ahmad, Lindsey Law and Nicklous Dutcher.

Organizers: Olivia Keller (yoga Instructor), Sharad Amin, Al Jameson, Saumil Manek, John Tran, Neeta Shukla, Hetal Varia, Lindsey Law, Mallik Putcha, Ramesh Shah, Raju Velamuundi; Second row from left: Vijay Pallod, Robert Boustany, Roger Rippy, Vishwarupa, Gitesh Desai, Pankaj Desai, Jay Parakash Agrawal, Rakesh Banati, Saeed Pathan, Anant Samdani, Rad-hakrishna Manam, Govind Agrawal, and Partha Krishnaswamy.

Rathnakumar’s Anjali School of Dance students perform “Shambu Natanam.”

Eye catching Yogasanas at the IDY in Houston.Photos by VIJAY PALLOD, JOHN TRAN & SESHADRI KUMAR

Houston hosts International Day of Yoga

About 500 Houstonians gathered at Midtown Park to celebrate the 4th International Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 21. The abundance of international communities among the participants elevated the Indian-origin yoga to an international discipline. The United Nations proclaimed 21 June as the International Day of Yoga, an initiative of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The first IDY was celebrated in 2015. See Page 9.

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was celebrated in 2015.The theme for the 2018 celebration, organized by the Permanent

Mission of India to the United Nations, was ‘Yoga for Peace.’The Indian Consulate in Houston, as always, took the lead in

organizing the IDY, with active participation by a number of yoga institutions, organizations committed to yoga, and leading yoga teachers.

Former President of Hindus of Greater Houston and Event Co-ordinator in Houston, Sharad Amin kicked off the program by in-viting four yoga practitioners to the stage. Austin Dunn, Nicklous Dutcher, Lindsey Law, and Reggie Ahmad set the tone for the en-suing yoga session by demonstrating difficult postures in yoga.

Amin, then introduced representatives of various volunteer or-ganizations participating in the event. President of Patanjali Yog-peeth USA and yoga teacher, Shekhar Agrawal was the master of ceremonies.

YOUniverSOUL Fest, with the Consulate was the co-sponsor. Other supporting organizations included Art of Living, Arya Samaj of Greater Houston, Brahma Kumaris, Ekal Vidyalaya, Pralay Yoga, Hindus of Greater Houston, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Hindu Temple of The Woodlands, Aga Khan Council for South West USA, Bhagavatam Aani Mutyalu, Indian Muslims Associa-tion of Greater Houston, India House, Isha Foundation, Patanjali Yogpeeth, USA, Sewa International, SVYASA and the Gujarati Samaj of Houston.

A. J. Gallagher and Piping Products & Technology were among the major donors. An audio message by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented where he stated “Yoga is one of the most precious gifts given by the ancient Indian sages to hu-mankind. Free from illness, a path to wellness — that is the path of yoga....it teaches us to see others the same as ourselves, yoga makes us better individuals in thought, action, knowledge and devotion.”

Students of Rathna Kumar’s Anjali Center for Performing Arts, presented a “Shambu” dance, a perfect fit for the occasion.

The lyrics of “Shambu”, created by Sage Patanjali has exclusive characteristics. Patanjali, the original yoga guru, was believed to be a human face with the body of a snake and a snake used the same organ to hear and see. Patanjali’s Shambu describes Lord Shiva’s

cosmic dance and how one could perceive (see and hear) the dance with one organ. (The alphabet used in the lyrics are like “San serif”, letters that do not have extending features at the end of strokes.)

After the scintillating dance, Vishwarupa Nanjundappa, director of SVYASA and Olivia Keller of Black Swan Yoga School led the audience through some common yoga positions. This was followed by Roger Rippy’s relaxation techniques to the accompaniment of Soumil Manik’s soothing music. Robert Boustany of Pralay Yoga guided the pranayama (breathing) exercises.

The successful conclusion of the Yoga Day was celebrated with colors, like the typical festival of colors or Holi in India.

Earlier in the day, India House held a Yoga session marking the International Day of Yoga.

The International Day of Yoga clearly showed the world that the practice is free and it brings people together from across the world. At the same time, yoga has become a commercial success with many organizations offering their own brand of yoga training for a fee.

According to a 2016 Yoga Journal report, 36.7 million people practice yoga in the US, up from 20.4 million in 2012. The yoga market is now worth $16 billion in the U.S.