Thiya Belaku - June 2015

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At the outset let me congratulate to all our Thiya students who
topped this year too in the board examinations. You childrens
makes us feel proud.
The last month was filled with the aroma of Mother's
unconditional love n unconditiinal care. Even as this editorial is
being written to backed Mother India's call to observe International
Yoga Day. About 130 countries, including the USA, Canada and
China, have signed for a co-sponsorship of a draft resolution which
India's UN mission is preparing for declaring June 21st as the
International Day of Yoga.
Ah, the joys of physical education. Most students are able to
look back fondly on days spent running around the track, climbing
on malkaam bars and playing football with their friends. Some
schools even go out of their way to provide students with exposure
to obscure niche sports like volley ball, badminton and basket ball.
But one activity that has remained absent from schools for far too
long is also one of the most significant and beneficial—the art of
Yoga.
‘Yoga’ is a term that encompasses a wide range of techniques
including breathing exercises, meditation and the mastery of
specific bodily poses. These practices, when combined, form a
discipline that is intensely physical, spiritual and mentally stimulating.
Unfortunately, yoga is often-times thought of more as a punch line
than as a legitimate exercise. It frequently gets written off as just
another example of new-age quackery, and this could not be
further from the truth. On the contrary, yoga is actually one of the
oldest and most storied practices in human history.
Yoga is believed to have originated in the Indus River Valley,
around four or five thousand years ago. In the centuries that
followed, the art would grow to become a central part of Vedic
culture, the primary inhabitants of India at the time, before spreading
to nearby regions like China and Vietnam. Religions of the area like
Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism began using yoga in their
religious ceremonies and rituals, because they believed it to be a
tool for achieving enlightenment.
Yoga’s association with religion has actually been one of the
major roadblocks it has faced in being introduced to public schools.
In California, a 2013 lawsuit by the National Center for Law & Policy
attempted to bar yoga from being practiced in a local elementary
school, claiming that it was an unlawful crossover between church
and state. By practicing yoga, they asserted, children were being
forced to learn about and adhere to Eastern religions. The lawsuit
failed after the school was able to successfully argue that yoga was
being practiced solely for its physical benefits, but only after they
had eliminated several Hindu elements from its practice, including
the discontinuance of several poses said to represent the worship
of Hindu deities, as well as the removal of several posters containing
Sanskrit, the holy language of Hinduism.
However, it should be of little surprise that they were able to
argue yoga’s health benefits, due to the sheer number of them.
Scientific studies have revealed countless other obscure health
benefits, including, but not limited to: boosting your immune
system, aiding in weight-loss, strengthening bones, increasing
blood flow, and reducing the risk of diabetes and cancer. For an art
that emphasizes remaining calm and relaxed throughout its practice,
it can actually be incredibly strenuous—holding and transitioning
between poses requires an immense amount of coordination,
flexibility, and muscular strength, in a way that students may not be
used to.
The art is just as much mental as it is physical. Yoga requires
practitioners to remain calm and focused throughout its practice,
even while holding complex and physically demanding positions.
Relaxation is also a major focus of the art, and part of the reason
why it is such an effective stress reliever. For students feeling
overwhelmed by homework and other responsibilities, yoga can be
extremely useful in helping them cope.
All in all, there are many reasons for schools to include yoga in
their physical education programs. It is accessible to students of all
fitness levels, and its practice will help them build muscular
strength, improve flexibility, reduce stress, along with countless
other benefits to their health. And contrary to popular belief, its
practice does not require a religious element to be effective. While
it’s a good sign that yoga is already being included as part of
existing aerobics and weight-training classes.
It is clearly the cultural impact of Indian life that has led to the
eco-friendly habits of the Indians. This in turn has to be related to
the core yoga values that form the Indian cultural and social lifenamely
moderation in consumption and self-reliance rather than
looking for external sources.
I really do hope to see yoga with a class of its own difference.
- Sridhar S. Suvarna
Editor-in-Chief
THIYA BELAKU
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