16th Annual International Yoga Festival

Day 7 – 16th Annual International Yoga Festival 2015

Day 6 – 16th Annual International Yoga Festival 2015

Day 5 – 16th Annual International Yoga Festival 2015

Day 4 – 16th Annual International Yoga Festival 2015

Day 3 – 16th Annual International Yoga Festival 2015

Day 2 – 16th Annual International Yoga Festival 2015

I am super happy to be here at IYF2015. I am here because I believe in the purpose, importance and the significance of this extraordinary festival and gathering of goodness to help protect our beautiful planet which has been so abused by minds that are imbalanced. And we are here to join together to inspire each other to be courageous and clear; together we can shine the magnificent light for all of us.

In particular, I am sharing Lila Yoga, which is a beautiful practice in the lineage of krishnamacharya. The style of Lila yoga fuses together the physical practices of Hatha yoga (which includes the asana, pranayama, mudra and meditation) with Raja Yoga, the philosophies and psychology of yoga, the royal path.

While we practice the asanas or the pranayama, we do not isolate it as a physical practice instead we integrate it with Raja Yoga and put a lot of emphasis on the relationship of an individual to the cosmic energy. How we live inside our mind use the energy within.

Day 1 – 16th Annual International Yoga Festival 2015

Osho Style Dynamic Meditation

Chris Migilino took a fine session of ‘Osho Style Dynamic Meditation’. He says ‘Its about letting it go. Its about letting go of your negative thoughts and experiences. It’s where you connect with your surroundings’.

The technique is for everyone. People from every age group and section should be able to do it. In the initial days, it is advised to be done in the presence of an instructor.Chris teaches at the Osho Centre of Yoga in Pune.

Padmashri Bharat Bhushan took a session on the ‘Surya Pranayam’. The ‘Experiences with the rising Sun as mentioned in the Vedas and sun meditation’ session was all about how to absorb the energy that radiates from the Sun. The Surya Namaskar has 16 stages and it has deep nuances related to the breathing. Every step is connected to the breath.

Participants in the Yoga Festival

Padmashri Bharat Bhushan says, “Sun doesn’t discriminate. It radiates energy for all. It’s for us to absorb. But people cease to experience the energy as they, mostly, remain in bed at the time of sunrise.”

The session concluded with a dose of laughter. People laughed with utter joy and felt a renewed vigor towards life.Bharat Bhushan ji inaugurated the Yoga week way back in 1990 and has been an ardent propagator of Yogic knowledge.

Picture Credits: Neel Kamal Pandey, OneWorldNews.

16th Annual International Yoga Festival 2015 Starts

One World News brings to you the 16th Annual International Yoga Festival 2015, which kick starts from 1st of March 2015 at the banks of River Ganges, Parmath Niketan, Rishikesh, India.

Swami Chidanand Saraswati offering to the Yajna.

In an age where stress is the most fearful enemy, Yoga comes as the only answer. The festival is a treat for the soul. An opportunity to rejuvenate oneself by learning the age-old and the newly innovated forms of Yoga, practiced all over the world. This seven day event aspires to imbibe the ancient nectar of Yoga and also gives a platform to present the various Yogic techniques, all under one roof.

Registration line.

Nestled in the serene hills of Majestic Himalayas, Parmarth Niketan, will witness the presence of Yogic Gurus and Yoga Practitioners coming together for this extraordinary event. Swami Chidanand Saraswati, under whose leadership the festival has attained this voluminous stature, shall be playing the host to famous spiritual leaders from across the Nation and the global.

“Yoga is union. It is not just union of our heads to our knees or our hands to the floor. It is union of the self to the Divine. Here during this week, don’t focus only on making your bodies strong and flexible, but focus on making your inner self strong and flexible. Uttarakhand is the birth place of yoga and you are all the chosen ones to be back here to imbibe the divine science” says, Swami Chidanand Saraswati Ji. Swami Ramdev, Swami Avdheshanand Girji, H.H Pujya Mooji, Dr Vandana Shiva along with other leaders will be gracing the occasion.

Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati Ji, on the eve of the 16th International Yoga Festival annouced, “This year we have more than 800 registrants and will have at least 1000 participants from more than 55 countries! These people have all been called here to India, to Uttarakhand, to the holy banks of Mother Ganga for a special reason. This is not like a yoga conference in London or Paris or New York or Sydney. In this sacred land of Rishikesh, they not only receive teachings but they also receive the divine touch and divine transformation. The sage Patanjali described eight limbs of yoga, beginning with the yamas and niyamas and ending with samadhi or divine ecstasy. Here at this unique festival, we aim to provide classes and programs that give teachings and experiences of the first seven limbs. The eighth, samadhi, happens by the grace of Mother Ganga.”

I have been coming since the beginning and thus the transition that I have seen from a few participants and teachers to a voluminous thousand people now. The gradual increase of having people from all the countries around the world is inspiring for us.

My classes have always been related to healing and energy. I have been taking afternoon sessions where we have therapies that support the practice of yoga. We have programs on diet and Ayurveda, on holistic healing modalities. I have primarily been teaching Reiki since beginning, although there are also many other things that I teach. During this festival, on popular demand, there are students who have been coming here, year after year for learning Reiki.

I also conduct the morning meditation session, which is based on the Cosmic Intelligence style. It is called the Ci Plus meditation. This is related to the path that I practice and teach, it is called the Cosmic Intelligence Evolutionary path. It primarily builds the seeker holistically, from all perspectives. Beginners who are quest born, they either take on to yoga, meditation or any one practice and once they get passionate about it and as they head towards the Zenith, the pinnacle, they realize that something in their practice is becoming lopsided. Cosmic Intelligence Evolutionary path tells you from the beginning to take our pillars of practice, which would be incorporating meditation, healing, service and some form of chanting, together. This path builds up the sadhak in an all round way. It ensures that the student get a spiritual clarity, more than anything else.

It is as important for the beginners to understand the fundamentals of yogic psychology because it is on that you can build any edifice of practice

The registrations have started in full force with people pouring from around the world.

The Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Niketan

This year, the 16th International Yoga festival will have more than 50 countries and 900 people. The sessions will start from 4:00 in the morning and will go on till 9:30 at night, with more than twenty sessions of different techniques everyday, the festival indeed proves out to be one of the best.

The workshops will include Ashtanga Yoga, Raj Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Iyenger Yoga, among other Yoga practices. The festival will celebrate International Women’s day on March 8, 2015 as well.

The banks of RIver Ganges

The fact that March 21st has been announced as the International Yoga Day, itself is a proof of the importance that Yoga holds, globally, thanks to the initiative taken by our esteemed Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, during his last UN visit.

Parmarth Niketan was established in the year 1942 and since then has been dedicatedly working towards facilitating and promoting the practice and lifestyle of complete health based on yoga.

16th Annual International Yoga Festival

Yoga literally means “Union” – a union of breath with body, union of mind with muscles, and most importantly the union of self with the divine.

But in this day and age, this union is unmanageable and hence, is all the more important. In order to achieve this union, come rejuvenate at the International Yoga Festival from March 1st – 7th in Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh.

The International Yoga Festival explores the eight limbs of Yoga and how they apply to our lives whether we consider ourselves Yoga students or not.

The 16th year of the festival is aimed at celebrating Yoga, grounded in its authentic origin, by learning from and practicing with masters of well known yoga schools and styles from India and across the world.

This year, the festival will be graced by and blessed with the presence and teachings of a galaxy of revered saints and spiritual masters from within India, including H.H. Pujya Shankaracharya Swami Divyanand Teerthji, H.H. Pujya Swami Dayanandaji, H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, H.H. Pujya Swami Ramdevji, H.H. Dr. Pranav Pandyaji, H.H. Pujya Mooji,, H.H. Radhanath Swamiji and H.H. Pujya Prem Babaji and more than 50 renowned yogis and expert teachers from around the world.

During this one-week Festival, attendees have the opportunity to participate in over 70 hours of Yoga classes from world-class Yoga teachers mastered in multiple styles of Yoga including Kundalini Yoga, Power Vinyasa Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, KriyaYoga, Pranayama, Meditation, Reiki, as well as lectures on Yoga, Vedanta, ancient Indian philosophy and Ayurveda. Over time, the festival has become truly renowned internationally, such that last year we had 600 participants from 51 countries from all over the world.The festival was also featured in the TIME magazine and other reputed international publication

For more information log on to www.internationalyogafestival.com and stay tuned with One World News as we bring to you almost live coverage (ALC) from the festival featuring timely updates, interviews and visuals.