International Yoga Day is on June
21, the day when Jean-Paul Sartre was born in Paris.
It may be a coincident but a day
to celebrate the ancient Indian tradition that has become a global 'good health
element' with time, is also a day when the world remembers the most influential
mind behind 'Existentialism'.
Yoga in India goes beyond its
'routine physical exercise' nature - the practice that took it to the western
countries, starting with Swami Vivekananda in 1890s.
Yoga in India, and in some
countries where beliefs born in India spread, especially Buddhism, is seen as
complete discipline and is primarily associated with spirituality and
meditation. It emphasizes on the holistic balance in every walk of life and is
aimed at ensuring a sound mind in a healthy body.
Yoga is a discipline with a philosophy
that builds individuals who are self-aware and at the same time are in harmony
with their surroundings, maintaining spontaneously balanced relations with
nature and living beings.
Existentialism, though with
different definitions, concurs that man is free and 'is responsible' to
determine what becomes of him - in the
sense that he sees and interprets his life and events in his life - based on circumstances
- for the quest to lead a life that is as per his 'understanding' - that
corresponds to his definitions of morality and different circumstances of life
- the definitions that are within the norms for a healthy mind and body - the
definitions that take different hues with time.
Yoga can help an individual
develop a healthy 'existentialist' perspective based on his 'philosophy of
necessity'. Yoga can help find that 'missing element' in every life.
And June 21 is around the corner.
