Every month we round up all the most exciting happenings in the yoga community that you should know about or ought not to miss.
International Day of Yoga Prep
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What’s new in this year’s International Yoga Day? The 2016 edition will feature a two-day conference, the Prime Minister will lead a yoga session for a full hour (rather than just 35 minutes), and new protocols brought in assuring time is given to pranayama and meditation.
- Have you always wanted a BA in Yoga Science? New legislation by the University Grants Commission has moved to allow yoga training in degree programs at certain universities in preparation for the International Day of Yoga.
- Pre-International Day of Yoga festival to be held in the IDY host city of Chandigarh to spread awareness of yoga amongst the residents. According to one official: “This event is not directly linked to the June 21 event but it will be beneficial because awareness will be created.”
- The wife of Indian Vice President spoke up, saying “Nothing wrong in saying ‘OM’, don’t you say ‘Allah’ or God or ‘Rab’? What is the difference,” in response to controversy about using the mantra during International Day of Yoga celebrations.
Regulating Yoga Education
- The pressure behind the long-standing conversation about regulating yoga and ayurveda trainings just got higher as the World Health Organisation joins the conversation.
- Venezuela-born Rina Jakubowicz is committing to breaking down social barriers and making yoga accessible to the Spanish-speaking population of America by providing yoga teacher training in Spanish — an especially powerful move in today’s political climate.
- The National Council for the Promotion of Urdu Language in New Delhi has instructed their educational centres to include yoga as part of their programming. The religious institutions, aiming to include Urdu-speakers in the Indian workforce, are concerned that chanting Om could spark controversy.
More Yoga News
- Six year old boy, Ishwar Vishwanath, started practising yoga last year to help improve his studies and concentration. This month he became the UK champion for under-11s — but what lesson are we teaching children competing in yoga at that age?
- Do yoga and baseball go together? The Philadelphia Phillies think so! The baseball team piloted a new initiative where you could sign up for a yoga class on the pitch before watching the big game! Seems far-fetched to you? Over 1000 people signed up!
- A Harvard study announces yoga is as healthy for the heart as cycling, with some cases showing the yoga did more for the subject’s health than prescription pills! Important research considering coronary heart disease and other heart problems claims 70,000 lives annually in the UK.
- After the success of training members of the Indian military to be yoga teachers, yoga classes are now being made mandatory for officers in all Delhi police stations. Can you imagine if it was mandatory for the Metropolitan Police in London?
- An Indian journalist was jailed over a report he wrote that said a government policy banned Muslims from being yoga teachers. The charges include “cheating, forgery and promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race.”
