Baba Ramadev Yoga Pranayama Meditation Spirituality Yoga postures Patanjali Yogasutras

Ever wondered if anything or anyone could give tough competition to Bollywood and cricket? Well, however unbelievable it may sound, these days, it’s Yoga, courtesy Baba Ramdev. While people have always practiced Yoga individually or under the directions of a guru, it was never as popular among the masses as it is at present. Baba Ramdev’s Yoga camps are popular not only among the elite in the metropolis, but also among the masses in small districts and villages. Baba Ramdev, who was embroiled in a controversy recently for using animal fat in his Divya Jyoti Laboratory for making Ayurvedic medicines but came out clean soon after, has done a lot to make Pranayama (control of Prana or vital breath) popular among people. He has also made people conscious of keeping themselves healthy. However controversial Baba Ramdev and his programmes may appear to some, the fact remains that his Pranayama has helped people to bring down sugar levels considerably, reduce stress levels and improve overall health. Many, who attended his Yoga camps or watched his programmes on television, stopped consuming soft drinks and switched to healthier drinks. Fortunately, his success in popularising Yoga has found positive response not only in India but in many foreign countries too. Even countries like Pakistan have shown keen interest in his Yoga sessions. Surprisingly enough, a survey conducted by a Pakistani daily rated him as the most popular Indian celebrity there, leaving behind even Bollywood king Amitabh Bachchan. Baba Ramdev is all set to conduct Yoga camps in Pakistan, the US, the UK and other many other countries. Baba Ramdev is taking Yoga the world over, however, he is neither alone nor the first to do so. Much before he arrived on the scene, gurus like Sivananda Saraswati and others took Yoga (and meditation) to Western countries. Their success remained limited probably due to the non-availability of powerful global media. Even today, there are many gurus and Yoga experts who are popularising it all over the world. Indian born Bikram Choudhary’s Hot Yoga (practiced in rooms that are heated to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit) has achieved unmatched success in the US and is gaining huge success in Japan too. Yoga, which is growing at a higher pace in foreign countries than its place of origin, has become a highly lucrative business, especially in the United States. According to US-based ‘Yoga Journal’, more than 12 million Americans practice Yoga at least once a week. The industry is estimated to be worth over 3 billion dollars in the US alone. No doubt, Yoga accessories including clothes, equipment, reading materials and videos are selling like hot cakes and multinational companies are trying to venture into this business. Though commercialised now, Yoga was intended for a much higher goal when it was discovered thousands of years ago. Its main purpose was to bring people closer to God. The word “Yoga” derives from the Sanskrit root Yuj (“to yoke”); which is cognate to English “yoke”-meaning “to join” or “unite”. There are various forms of Yoga which can be practiced to achieve this goal- Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jyana Yoga and Raja Yoga. The most popular, however, has been Patanjali’s Raja Yoga, which involves eight elements: Yama (abstentions-violence, lying, theft, sex and possessions); Niyama (observances-purity, contentment, austerities, study and surrender to God); Asana (the postures); Pranayama (the control of breath); Pratyahara (abstraction); Dharana (concentration or fixing the attention on a single object); Dhyana (meditation); and Samadhi (the super-conscious state or trance). To date thousands of research efforts conducted on Yoga have proved that by practicing Yoga one can control blood pressure, heart beat, brain waves, body temperature and can basically keep one healthy. Some research findings also show that the more one practices Yoga, the less is the instinct to smoke and drink. In simple language, it not only helps in keeping one healthy, but also helps in developing the virtues of balance, internal strength and control of basic instincts. Realising its potential, Kiran Bedi introduced the practice of Vipassana Meditation in Tihar Central Prison, with others following suit. Occasionally, Yoga sessions are organised for para-military forces, police, even call centre employees to relieve them of the highly stressful nature of their jobs. Recently even the Dubai women’s prison initiated Yoga sessions for its inmates. Clearly, the whole world is recognising its potential and its innumerable benefits over working out at gymnasium, aerobics and other modern day methods of keeping oneself fit. In India many NGOs and organisations like Vivekanada Kendra have been working to promote Yoga without giving it a communal outlook. Indian schools, except a few like Maharishi Vidya Mandir, have shown little interest in making Yoga a part of the students’ co-curricular activities. According to researches, a mere 20-minute practice of Yoga a day can keep one healthy. Wouldn’t it then be right to make use of our own age-old art whose potential the whole world has started recognising? No harm in giving it a try, is there?



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