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Motivation Mondays: International Day Of Yoga #Yoga4SDGs #YogaDay

20/06/2016
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“This year’s observance of the International Day of Yoga highlights the important role healthy living plays in the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted last year by all 193 United Nations Member States.” Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General

Motivation Mondays: International Day Of Yoga #Yoga4SDGs #YogaDay

Motivation Mondays: International Day Of Yoga #Yoga4SDGs #YogaDay


A Brief History of Yoga | Art Of Living

The United Nations proclamation of 21 June as the International Day of Yoga.
Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness.
Today it is practiced in various forms around the world and continues to grow in popularity.
Recognizing its universal appeal, on 11 December 2014, the United Nations proclaimed 21 June as International Yoga Day by resolution 69/131. International Yoga Day aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga. UN.Org

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA: This morning, as I sipped my cup of peppermint tea, I took another look at the tag on the teabag and it said:  May this day bring you peace, tranquility, and harmony. It was/is an auspicious message and start to the day; especially because today is the summer solstice and world refugee day, and tomorrow will mark the second official anniversary of  International Day of Yoga. On December 11, 2014, the United Nations recognized the universal appeal of Yoga and declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga. Last year, for the first time,  we celebrated the impact of Yoga, with the UN as an official endorser, and 175 nations signed on to confirm that its global appeal can’t be overlooked. As more people become aware of its depth and benefits, my hope is that we will become motivated to apply aspects of it to our lives.

How can we apply its benefits to our lives? I’ve been a yoga practitioner for many years and have benefited from it in many ways.  While some folks try to dismiss Yoga as a religious practice, its holistic benefits can be and have been enjoyed by people from all walks of life. It is a great restorative balm for the body, mind, and spirit; it helps us become steady and calm;  it can help with weight loss; it keeps the body supple and increases flexibility; it can provide some relief to back pain and joint pain; it can help spur our creativity and for those who lack focus, a walking or sitting meditation can offer great help. As the video above explains, there are many forms of yoga and you can choose how to apply its benefits to your life based on your temperament and interests. You can practice yoga through service to others, healing arts, study, exercise, and many other ways. When I think of Motivation Monday today, I think of finding new ways to motivate me/you/us to expand our horizons and open our minds to new ways of viewing this beautiful planet we call home.

 

“Yoga is the cessation of the movements of the mind. Then there is abiding in the Seer’s own form.” Patañjali, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Motivation Mondays: International Day Of Yoga #Yoga4SDGs #YogaDay

Motivation Mondays: International Day Of Yoga #Yoga4SDGs #YogaDay

Motivation Mondays: International Day Of Yoga #Yoga4SDGs #YogaDay

Motivation Mondays: International Day Of Yoga #Yoga4SDGs #YogaDay

Motivation Mondays: International Day Of Yoga #Yoga4SDGs #YogaDay

Motivation Mondays: International Day Of Yoga #Yoga4SDGs #YogaDay


Sun Never Sets On Yoga – A 24-hour Journey of Sun Salutations Around the Globe

“Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. This tradition is 5000 years old. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; 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 the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help in well being . Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.” Honorable Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi address to UN General Assembly on September 27, 2014 idayogyoga.com

What motivates you to improve your overall sense of well-being? As the revered yoga teacher B. K. S. Iyengar, once said, “Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one’s actions.” You can even start a simple practice today and build on it; Yoga is not just the reserve of avid practitioners and pundits. When I started my practice, I was a naive college student who thought it was strictly hatha yoga/physical activity but as I delved deeper into the study of yoga, it expanded my worldview and opened my eyes to the mental and creative benefits.

My exposure to the writings of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, a text of 196 aphorisms considered the foundation of this 5,000-year-old physical, mental and spiritual practice, gave me a practical insight into how the wisdom of yoga permeates the daily functions of our lives. Its applications are filled with common sense advice on maintaining balance, community, love of self and others, and respect for creation. So I hope that in honor of this special practice, you will take a moment to enjoy the videos and learn a bit more on the subject.

The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for  May and June 2016 are:

MAY
05/02 – 1 May Day, 4 Star Wars Day, 5 Cinco de Mayo, 6 National Teacher’s Day, 8 Mother’s Day, 8 VE Day, WW II
05/09 – 13 Friday the 13th
05/16 – 20 Armed Forces Day
05/23 – 24 Victoria Day (Canada)
05/30 – 30 Memorial Day

JUNE
06/06 – 6 D Day, WWII, 6 Ramadan begins
06/13 – 14 Flag Day, 14-15, The United State of Women Summit, 19 Father’s Day – third Sunday, 19 Juneteenth Day
06/20 – 20 Summer Solstice (The longest day of the year!), 20 World Refugee Day, 21 International Yoga Day, 23 Int’l. Widows’ Day
06/27 –  26 Day against Drug Abuse/Illicit Trafficking

Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2016?

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“Let us do our best to gather together with other devotees, friends and family and practice some yoga together for the sake of world peace and Mother Nature.” Amma

Motivation Mondays: International Day Of Yoga #Yoga4SDGs #YogaDay

Motivation Mondays: International Day Of Yoga #Yoga4SDGs #YogaDay


Weight Loss & Sculpting Yoga Routine: Chisel Away (open level)

THE IDY LOGO: Folding of both hands in the logo Symbolise Yoga, the union, which reflects the union of individual Consciousness with that of universal Consciousness, a perfect harmony between mind & body, man & nature; a holistic approach to health & well being.
The brown leaves symbolise the Earth element, the green leaves symbolise the Nature, blue symbolises the Water element, brightness symbolises the Fire element and the Sun symbolise the source of energy and inspiration. The logo reflects harmony and peace for humanity, which is the essence of Yoga. idayofyoga.org

Amma, who is head of the Mata Amritanandamayi Centers (M.A. Centers) of North America has always been an influential figure in international peace efforts, and her participation, as an advocate for the UN declaration on Yoga, was helpful to the creation of this great celebratory day.  As she said above: “It is such a great step the United Nations has taken to acknowledge the value of the ancient practice of Yoga. Let us do our best to gather together with other devotees, friends, and family and practice some yoga together for the sake of world peace and Mother Nature.”  Each of us can use this time of increasing global discontent, and random acts of hate to practice some yoga and spread peace.

Tomorrow for International Yoga Day try these tips from Amma: 12 minutes of singing/a chant, 7 minutes of Sun Salutation, 8 minutes of 4 simple yoga postures/asanas, 2 minutes of rest/Shavasana pose, a Nature walk with our children, a 10 minutes discussion on how body, mind, and nature are connected and a conversation about how important it is to keep a focused mind in all we do. Give it a try or do your own variation on the same and enjoy the company of your loved ones. Whether you feel motivated to honor this special day tomorrow or not, please make peace an important motivating factor in your life. We all deserve it. May this day bring you peace, tranquility, and harmony.

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Positive Motivation Tip: Celebrate all that is good and uplifting in your life and then honor the same in others.

Motivation Mondays is open to anyone who wishes to share a motivational quote, photo, personal challenge or a post that encourages others to start the week on an upbeat note.
Basic Instructions: Each week, I will have a motivation word to help us create a response. (See listed words for the months above/below)
Email address: You may email or share your post as a comment and I will add it to the round-up of related posts. email it to: contact(@)mirthandmotivation(.)com
Category tag: – Share your post using Motivation Mondays
Twitter hashtag: – Use this on Twitter #MotvnM
Dedicated Page: There is a dedicated page for Motivation Mondays. It has the same instructions and will include other helpful tools and a link to the round-up
Facebook Page: MotivationOnMondays Join our page and add your post and/or any motivational piece you think will be helpful to others.
Facebook Community: We have a Facebook community forum to compliment the page. It serves as another way to share uplifting posts and thoughts. Please join in and add your voice.

Badge: – I created a fun badge using PicMonkey’s free photo editing tools. You can create your own, use WordPress’s integrated tool on your blog or you are welcome to use mine. (see dedicated page)
Tag: – Motivation Mondays
Hashtag: – #MotvnM
Related Posts

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS:All Photos –  Yoga teacher training  via Wikipedia and  Yoga Poses via Pixabay 

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet

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from → Global Events, Motivation Mondays, Positive Advice, Posts & Photos 2016
40 Comments leave one →
  1. mskathykenny permalink
    26/06/2016 4:08 am

    I tried this once and I never did it again. I found it so hard. I guess I’m not meant for yoga.

    Reply
  2. lalaine permalink
    26/06/2016 12:05 pm

    I love a few friends who are into yoga but I haven’t personally tried it. They swear it helps not only flexibility but also with anxiety or stress management. I guess I need to give it a go.

    Reply
  3. lalainemanalo permalink
    26/06/2016 12:06 pm

    A few of my friends are into yoga but I haven’t tried it myself. They swear it helps not only with flexibility but also with stress and anxiety management. I guess I need to give it a go.

    Reply
  4. Teresa Martinez permalink
    26/06/2016 12:25 pm

    I have been thinking about practicing yoga but never really got around to doing it. I really hope I can do that soon enough.

    Reply
  5. Teresa Martinez permalink
    26/06/2016 12:26 pm

    I have been thinking of practicing yoga for quite some time but have never really gotten around to doing it. I am hoping the opportunity will come soon enough.

    Reply
  6. Jenny J permalink
    26/06/2016 1:09 pm

    I am learning to love yoga this year!! It is amazing how much it relaxes you and leaves you feeling great!

    Reply
  7. Michelle Solee (@michisolee) permalink
    26/06/2016 4:36 pm

    I hate to admit but I haven’t tried yoga yet. I hope I can try this too in the near future.

    Reply
  8. Crystal Bowley Reagan permalink
    26/06/2016 6:34 pm

    Yoga sounds like it would be a great benefit to me. I could use some additional relaxation and stress relief.

    Reply
  9. Mayen permalink
    26/06/2016 9:07 pm

    I also love to practice yoga. I feel relaxed, rejuvenated and happy after a session.

    Reply

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