A word quite foreign to many and a concept well induced in the foreign world, Yoga has taken a dominant place in our lives. Varying from trending celebrities on their Instagram posing in positions that might give many of us a hernia, to new styles coming up every time you google ‘Yoga’, like this one amazing lady, who turned the pain of her break up into a money making trend, “Rage Yoga”.

Upon asking various people, we could say that this word has distinctive significance for all of them. For some it’s a thing they’ve avoided since their gym class in school, for some a way to beat stress and feel energized. We even met people who were so into it, their day and lives revolved around this discipline and also people who religiously believed in the concept of “Shavansana”.

Apart from its general fascination, Yoga is a concept that gains attention for its acceptance in the western world. An attraction to the concept of “meditating” and being at peace, a sense of tranquility has made yoga a hit in the hippie culture. We also have Beatles to thank for playing a brooding part in this. But all that aside, the benefits are widely conspicuous. You cannot avoid the fact that yoga is helpful and a healthy exercise to pick up. There’s yoga for everyone, regardless of how old you are or how much you weigh. There isn’t a need to blindly follow a certain style just cause it’s in. It’s all about how you perceive it, to know your body and mind and take up what suits you best. If having the perfect Yoga pants and bending it like Beckham works for you, go ahead, and if it’s something you need to slowly adapt, work your way through, then that’s how you go by it.

As the International Yoga Day approaches, there’s this energy all around, even Surat seems to gear up and take in the vibe. One of the events happening on 21st June is iYOG – Yoga the Iyengar Way. The Iyengar Yoga Group Surat is hosting the event on this day, creating awareness about Iyengar Yoga and it’s benefits. Breaking myths about what being a Yogi is and how different things can be used to make Yoga an interesting experience.

Now, even if your goal is not moksha, there’s so much more to this discipline than just ultimate liberation. We urge each one of you to take this up, even if for a few minutes of your day, it surely enhances your life and gives you time to introspect, to be with and understand your mind, body and soul. So let’s pledge this International Yoga Day to take a little time out of our lives each day and dedicate it to Yoga – or to yourself.