International Yoga Symposium in Sevagram

Namaste friends and Yoga enthusiasts!! Once again Daniel and I made a trip to the land of Mahatma Gandhi, Sevagram, and this time for an International Yoga conference. Well, we had the fortune to escort our beloved Guru, our teacher, Hansaji, to Mahatma Gandhi's Ashram. It was a moment of deep contentment and joy for me! So, let me narrate to you that what happened in this trip.

Dr. Harinath and his team from Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram (Wardha) had organized a major event, an International Symposium on “YOGism for Happy & Healthy Living and Aging with C.M.E on Management of Lifestyle Health Problems of Global Importance through Yoga, Meditation and Naturopathy. We were privileged to attend this conference as delegates amongst many a learned and experienced spiritual leaders and Yoga scholars from India and across the Globe. This conference served as a common platform for Doctors and Yoga enthusiasts to share their views on inculcating Yoga in the lives of a common man, in order to live a fulfilling life.

Our Director of the Yoga Institute of Santacruz Smt. Hansaji Jayadev Yogendra was invited as the Guest of Honor. She stood as an inspiring spiritual speaker, speaking beautifully on Yoga for healthy and happy living. She emphasized on the importance of the steadiness of mind, the ‘Purusharthas’ or the four motivations of life and the ‘Bhavas’ or the attitudes and feelings.

She caught the audience's attention in her other 45 minutes speech, which was very empowering but yet simple to understand. She spoke on subjects like Duty for a householder, anger management through Yoga, Bhagavad Gita, efficiency in work and building interpersonal relationships. Many questions came from the audience, and, of course this showed that the audience that consisted of yoga enthusiasts and eminent doctors across the world had been highly motivated by the simple and effective remedies of Yoga given by Hansaji in order to live a cheerful and happy life.

There were many scholars present as guests and speakers such as Dr. Nagendra from SVYASA Bangalore, Dr. Ramesh Bijlani from Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Dr. Shirley Telles from the Patanjali Yogapeeth Haridwar.

Our teacher from the Yoga Institute Dr. Shantaram Shetty gave a very informative presentation on Yoga for Cardiovascular Diseases – Research, Facts and Program. Other interesting subjects like Integrating Yoga into Rehabilitation was put across by Ms. Matra Majmundar from Rehabilitation Stroke Research Centre of USA. Integrative Medicine Movement and Yoga Therapy in the US was a highly informative presentation by Dr. Arti Prasad from UNM School of Medicine, New Mexico, USA. Dr. T.S. Ramakrishna from ISVARA Hyderabad spoke on the Impact of Food and Lifestyle on Performance suggestions based on Gita and Patanjali Yoga Sutra.

The conference was very informative and a learning experience for us. Resolutions were formed such as emphasizing the practice of Yoga to the patients by the Allopathic doctors. In all, the conference lead to positive resolutions and was a success.

Hansaji also stayed at the lovely Aarogyadham center, the same place where we provide the accomodation to our participants too. This place is surrounded by nature, flowers, birds and Amla or gooseberry fields. It was a great opportunity for us to escort Hansaji to the beautiful sights of Sevagram. Daniel and I, along with Hansaji, Taraben, Dr. Shetty, Dolly and Sangeeta visited Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashram and the Museum, the exposition of Village handicrafts in Wardha and the Japanese Temple and the Buddhist Stupa. Sevagram and Wardha are places of beauty and immense knowledge and Hansaji was greatly in love with this place :-) Hansaji also visited the Pavnar Ashram of Vinoba Bhave.

To sum up, this has been a very enriching experience for us and we would like to give our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Harinath for organising such a conference.

Please note : We are again organising a 3 days Yoga, Spiritual and Organic awareness trip on 25th Jan 2011 to Mahatma Gandhi's Ashram. The accomodation will be on twin basis in the beautiful Aarogyadham Centre of Yoga and Naturopathy. Please contact me on +919821231306 for any further queries!

More on Sevagram

Sevagram has always been a special place to me. This is the place where Mahatma Gandhi built an Ashram and stayed for 10 years with Kasturba, Miraben and other followers. Till date the serene and the beautiful ashram is run by the followers of Bapu. You can visit the various Ashram huts which encase the belongings of Gandhiji and Kasturba. The huts still have plaques with Mahatma Gandhi's guidelines and instructions. A little away from Bapu's Kuti is Vinoba Bhave's Ashram situated on the bank of a river. He is also know as the walking saint of India. Since a few years I have been organising Yoga and educational trips to Sevagram in order to educate people with Indian history and to let them experience the significance Gandhiji's teaching like Ahimsa/Non-violence. It is altogether a different experience when you really visit the Ashram, see how Mahatma Gandhi lived, and when you contemplate on his life, you get to know that how powerfully and intensely he lived in a most practical, intelligent and an eco-friendly way. Daily at 6.30 in the evening the Ashram still continues to have prayers that Gandhiji used to recite, and till date they use kerosene lamps and diyas and no electricity at all! This is in a way a practice of non-violence.

Thank you and Namaskar! Jeenal