guided meditation on unity for international yoga day

Yoga, now widely practiced all around the world, is not a religion but a way of living that promotes a balanced development of the body, mind and spirit. Unlike other physical exercises that focus primarily on physical well-being, yoga takes a comprehensive approach and helps in our spiritual development as well.

Yoga is a practice that elevates the life force within. It helps us feel energized and rejuvenated and bestows upon us the power to have better control over our body and our mind.

The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj’ which means to connect, join or balance. Yoga is generally defined as union: union between the limited self and the Divine Self. The ultimate goal of yoga is to help us realize our identity with the Divine Self and attain enlightenment. It makes us aware of our intrinsic nature and helps us get in tune with it. As the Bhagavad Gita teaches us: “A person is said to have achieved yoga, the union with the Self, when the perfectly disciplined mind gets freedom from all desires, and becomes absorbed in the Self alone.” Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev calls yoga “an expression of life.” He points out, “Yoga essentially means finding the keys to the nature of the existence.”

In September 2014, while addressing the 69th session of UN General Assembly, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi urged the world community to celebrate today, i.e. June 21, the summer solstice and the longest day of the year, as International Yoga Day. In his address, he stated: “Yoga is an invaluable gift of our ancient tradition. Yoga 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 the nature.”

This Yoga Day, let’s meditate on unity, on the notion of mutual interdependence and interconnectivity.