Understanding the International Day of Yoga in light of Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental Meditation for Women    Translate This Article
23 June 2015

International Day of Yoga

Founded by the United Nations
21 June 2015
International Yoga Day was proposed by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and major celebrations took place in New Delhi and other cities for India, for the United Nations in New York City, and many locations worldwide.

At this time, when Yoga is being celebrated worldwide, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's worldwide Transcendental Meditation organization takes joy in remembering the deeper reality of what Yoga (union) is—the unity of life that is available on every level of the body, mind, consciousness, society, and even world peace. 

This is in contrast to how Yoga is understood these days, which is mainly in terms of the body, physical postures, exercises, or asanas.

How Transcendental Meditation Creates the State of Yoga

Maharishi has brought to light that the process of unifying starts from the field of Unity, which is our own Self, silent and blissful, deep inside every one of us. Maharishi reminds us that the classic text of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras states that the eight limbs of Yoga all grow together on the basis of the experience of that inner wholeness—Transcendental Consciousness. This is scientifically verified by over 600 research studies on the Transcendental Meditation technique. The research shows benefits in every area of life:

∙ Reduced stress and anxiety
∙ Reduced heart disease
∙ Reduced diseases of all kinds
∙ Increased energy and efficiency
∙ Increased happiness
∙ Increased effectiveness at work

Yoga in the world today

The International Day of Yoga calls for an upsurge of unity in world consciousness, because the need of this time is for harmony, peace and progress to be enlivened in every country. On the world stage, large groups experiencing Transcendental Consciousness (Yoga) have been scientifically shown to reduce crime, accidents, and warfare, and increase peace. Only a new seed will yield a new crop. It is time for the seed of unity, Yoga, to be sown in every heart to bring peace in the world.

The experience of transcendental consciousness has been brought to millions of people around the world over the past 55 years by Maharishi.

In response to a question from the press about Yoga as it is commonly practiced today, Maharishi explained:

''The advice is to continue Yoga on the physical level, and start and continue Yoga on the mental level, and start to continue Yoga on the intellectual level, and live in daily life Yoga on the Self level. On all levels of life—physical, mental, intellectual, and on the level of Transcendental Being—on all levels, Yoga will help you to progress in every way, in every field of life.

''Yoga means Unity. Unity means that we are bringing unified wholeness more and more into the field of diversity. One of the Yoga sayings is that 'Yoga is superior action.' When you want a better quality of action, then you practice Yoga—and Yoga on all levels.

''Transcendental Meditation is all Yoga. I had to call it Transcendental Meditation—a new name—because I felt Yoga has been commonly understood in terms of physical exercises. That is also a Yoga, but it is on a level of its own. Then, there is mental Yoga, intellectual Yoga, and then the Self-Referral Yoga—Self-Referral Consciousness, the Unified field of all the Laws of Nature, the field of Consciousness, Consciousness, which is more basic to all the physical levels.

''Yoga is a good word, but it should be properly understood and practiced, and the result will be holistic evolution of life.''

Yoga Day will no doubt become a milestone in human history, particularly if understood as the day of Unity. Yoga in its ultimate form, Transcendental Meditation, allows every individual to transcend all differences. Maharishi has brought to light that the process of unifying starts from the field of Unity, which is our own transcendental Self, silent and blissful. It is a science and technology of health, balance, peace, and supreme unity in diversity.

On this first International Day of Yoga, the Transcendental Meditation Program for Women wished everyone ''a profound state of unity.''

See related articles:
∙ A different take on Ashtanga Yoga
∙ Transcendental experiences during meditation: Paper published in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences



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