International Yoga Day on June 21
5 Yoga Asanas To Curb Stress, Depression, And Anxiety
International Yoga Day on June 21: Cat and cow, butterfly pose, camel pose are some of the yoga asanas that can help in relaxing your mind and body.
Published: June 17, 2021, 12:49 PM IST
By India.com Lifestyle StaffEmail
Edited by Anjali ThakurEmail
International Yoga Day on June 21: 5 Yoga Asanas To Curb Stress, Depression, And Anxiety
The International Yoga Day will be celebrated on June 21, globally. This day is observed to highlight the importance of yoga and how it helps lead a healthier life. The day is marked to raise awareness about yoga and its benefits. This year, the theme of International Yoga Day 2021 is “Yoga for well-being.” This theme is relevant in today’s time, as the world is still reeling from the significant upheaval of the Coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has not just impacted us physically, but it has affected us mentally too. Also Read – 5 Easy Yoga Asanas For a Healthy Body And Mind Balance
People are now complaining about suffering from depression, anxiety, and mental health issues. Yoga, on the other hand, can help people deal with such crises. The United Nations, in a statement, said, “A growing trend of people around the world embracing Yoga to stay healthy and rejuvenated and to fight social isolation and depression has been witnessed during the pandemic. Yoga also plays a significant role in the psycho-social care and rehabilitation of Covid-19 patients in quarantine and isolation. It is beneficial in decreasing their fears and anxiety.” Also Read – Pooja Batra Performs Floating Camel Asana With Effortless Ease in New Yoga Post
According to a study, Yoga can be more effective in managing generalized anxiety disorder than traditional education on stress management. Breathing exercises, meditation, and relaxation exercises can help improve symptoms of the condition. Also Read – Sameera Reddy Makes Perfect Post About Body Positivity With Imperfect Back Flabs And Arms
Yoga Asanas that can help in curbing stress, depression, and anxiety:
Rashtra Asana or Camel Pose
Ustarasana or camel pose can help in relieving stress and improve blood circulation too. Better blood circulation helps in the supply of oxygen which can be healing for your mind and body.
Bridge Pose
Setu bandhasana
Bridge pose or Setu bandhasana helps in improving blood circulation in the body. It can open the spine and heart, which will calm your mind and reduce stress levels.
Butterfly pose
Butterfly pose
This simple yoga asana can help in stretching your inner thighs and groin. It will calm your mind and relieve stress levels.
Cat-Cow Pose
Cow pose (Bitilasana)
Cat pose (Marjaryasana)
This asana combines the Cat pose (Marjaryasana) and Cow pose (Bitilasana) to gently stretch the body, warm it up to relieve stress, and massage the spine and stomach organs. This yoga will improve your flexibility and calm your mind.
Child’s Pose
Child’s Pose
Balasana or a child’s pose is the most relaxing asana. It can help you feel rejuvenated and can relieve back pain and neck pain.
Yoga asanas Yoga
International Yoga Day 2021
asanas for anxiety
asanas for anxiety
The idea of an International Day of Yoga was first proposed by the current Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on 27 September 2014. He stated:
Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world, and spirit. Changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness can help in well-being. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.
— Narendra Modi, UN General Assembly
Following this initial Marriage, they held on the draft resolution, entitled Day of Yoga”, in 2014. The delegation of India convened the consultations. In 2015 Reserve Bank of India issued a 10 rupees commemorative coin to mark the International Day of Yoga. In April 2017, UN Postal Administration (UNPA) issued ten stamps on Asanas on a single sheet to celebrate the International Day of Yoga.
UN Declaration
On 11 December 2014, India’s Permanent Representative Asoke Mukherji introduced the draft resolution in the United Nations General Assembly. The draft text received broad support from 177 Member States who sponsored the text, adopted it without a vote. This initiative found support from many global leaders. A total of 177 nations co-sponsored the resolution, which is the highest number of co-sponsors ever for any UNGA Resolution of such nature.
When proposing 21 June as the date, Modi said that the date was the longest day of the year in the mass northern hemisphere (shortest in the southern hemisphere), having particular significance in many parts of the world. From the perspective of yoga, the summer solstice marks the transition to Dakshinayana.
The second full moon after the summer solstice is known as Guru Poornima. Shiva, the first yogi (Adi Yogi), is said to have begun imparting the knowledge of yoga to the rest of humanity on this day and became the first guru (Adi Guru).
Following the adoption of the UN resolution, several leaders of the spiritual movement in India voiced their support for the initiative. The founder of Isha Foundation, Sadhguru, stated, “this could be a kind of a foundation stone to make scientific approach to the inner well-being of the human being, a worldwide thing… It’s a tremendous step for the world.”
The founder of Art of Living, Ravi Shankar, lauded the efforts of Modi, saying, “It is tough for any philosophy, religion or culture to survive without state patronage. Yoga has existed so far, almost like an orphan. Now, official recognition by the UN would further spread the benefit of yoga to the entire world.”
Yoga in practice
List of International Days of Yoga
International Yoga Day in New Delhi
International Yoga Day in New York City, United States
International Yoga Day in Vladivostok, Russia
The first International Day of Yoga was observed around the world on 21 June 2015. The Ministry of AYUSH made the necessary arrangements in India. Thirty-five thousand nine hundred eighty-five people, including PM Modi and dignitaries from 84 nations, performed 21 asanas (yoga postures) for 35 minutes at Rajpath in New Delhi, becoming the most prominent yoga class ever held, and with the most significant number—84—of participating nations. Similar days have been held in cities in India and around the world each year since then. Reception
An Associated Press report in 2015 noted that the first “International Yoga Day” involved “millions of yoga enthusiasts” who “stretched and twisted,” as well as Modi and members of his cabinet. It stated that the main road in Delhi had become an exercise area for the occasion and reported that while Modi was speaking of “peace and harmony,” some people in India thought the promotion of yoga was a partisan Hindu operation.
It said that a sequence of Surya Namaskar (sun salutations) was dropped because Muslims objected to the implication that the sun was the Hindu god of the sun, Surya; the chanting of the Hindu sacred syllable “Om” was also dropped. Others considered that the money spent on the event might have been better spent on cleaning Delhi’s streets.
The Christian Science Monitor wrote in 2016 that the 2014 United Nations resolution had been “wildly popular” but noted that yoga had a “meditative component” and had become known as a form of physical exercise and mental and spiritual practice.
It gave as evidence the 2015 sermon by Pope Francis cautioning Roman Catholics about the idea that yoga could be a path to God; it noted, too, that Modi had replied to the charge that the Day was intended to promote Hinduism with the words “Yoga is not about the other life. Therefore, it is not a religious practice”.
The Week started in 2015 that the government of India’s purpose in holding International Days of Yoga was to have yoga recognized around the world as “India’s cultural property,” citing India’s minister of yoga, Shripad Yesso Naik, as stating, “We’re trying to establish to the world that it’s ours.” The Week wrote that this was not likely to succeed, not least because many types of yoga were already being practiced in the Western world.
The article noted that Christian evangelicals agreed with the Indian government that yoga was “primarily a Hindu spiritual practice” but quoted the scholar of religion Ann Gleig as saying that most Western yoga was markedly changed by being in the West and was devoid of religious content; the “ironically” agreeing views of strongly religious Hindus and Christians were “historically flawed.”
You can also learn yoga at https://www.yogaavatar.org.
