YOGA enthusiasts from all over the world gathered in Rishikesh, northern India, for a week-long spiritual retreat in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Parmarth Niketan Ashram has hosted the International Yoga Festival since 1999, and this year there were nearly 800 participants from 50 countries.
A variety of yoga classes were on offer, including Kundalini yoga, Iyengar yoga, Sukshma yoga, Jivamukti yoga, Vinyasa yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Yoga Nidra, Kriya yoga, Sivananda yoga and Bharat Yoga. There were at least 30 yogacharyas from the US, China, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Germany and Australia.
Head of the Parmarth Niketan, His Holiness Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji (HH Pujya Muniji) led a discussion with participants about spiritual philosophy, yoga as well as the Kumbh mela, which recently concluded in nearby Allahabad.
He said, “In Kumbh mostly we are camping, you leave behind the comforts, convenience and possessions of your home. But without all of these things, people find true peace. That is because Kumbh teaches us that life is not about having more, but rather life is about being more. In the Kumbh we learn to BE more.”
HH Pujya Muniji also explained the significance of Lord Shiva drinking poison that emerged during the ritual churning of the ocean, following which he went to the Himalayas where he meditated in what has now become the Neelkanth Mahadev temple.
HH Pujya Muniji said, “Most of us just keep spitting our poison out on everyone around us. But through this story, Bhagawan Shiva teaches us that the answer is not to spit poison on those around us, but to meditate instead so that the poison dissolves.”
Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswatiji, Shri Mooji of Jamaica, Padmashri Bharat Bhushan and from the US, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Andrew Cohen and Bhava Ram (Hal Willis) all held spiritual discourses at the festival that ran from March 1-7.
There was a special performance by Indian drummer Sivamani as well as other song and dance programmes.
On the final day, Indian dignitaries, among them ministers from Uttarakhand, joined participants in and pledged to work to keep the rivers of the world clean. In the evening, prayers were held for the River Ganges, with people from different countries, culture, religion and language taking part in the Ganga aarti.
