
IRVINE, CA – The second International Yoga Day was celebrated at Lakeview Senior Center here on June 25. It was a free, family-friendly event filled with yoga classes, workshops, kids activities, healthy food and a lot more. Aroud 350 yoga enthusiastic participated from a broad cross section of Indian-Americans.
Dr. Nagendra, Padmashri and shared some insight into the inner workings of the first International Day of Yoga Committee. His focal message was that in order to solve the multidimensional human problems, health or otherwise, a uni-dimensional approach that deals with physicality alone will not do. All the five layers of human personality contribute to a state of health and they need to be acknowledged and addressed. The physical, pranic, emotional, intellectual and capacity-for-bliss states, should all be harnessed for positive health to bring about recovery and recuperation.
Swami Sarvapriyananda reminded the audience that we must thank Swami Vivekananda for his first bold foray into bringing yoga to the western world in 1893. He reiterated that the Swami at that time talked of the choice of paths we had to yoga or union with one’s divine nature - through action (Karma Yoga), love (Bhakthi Yoga), knowledge (Jnana Yoga) or meditation (Dhyana or Raja Yoga).