It was an overcast but warm and stuffy day in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday, June 23rd, 2018. Local volunteers of the Isha Foundation begin to gather at 1 PM to start setup at the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion to celebrate the 4th annual United Nations International Day of Yoga, a first for volunteers in this city. The parking lot fill with cars. Upstairs, check-in tables are set, the audio-visual is connected while a volunteer decorates the space.
Amid the flurry of activity, eager participants arrive early, yoga mats in hand. Many heard of the event through a local online posting or were invited by a relative or friend who also practices Isha yoga. In total, 42 people attended the event, the vast majority of whom were completely new to the Isha Foundation’s offerings.
Music plays and the session attendees unroll their mats and sit in anticipation of the video. The Yoga for Beginners session begins promptly at 2:00 PM with the local facilitator greeting the group on the mic. She shares her experience of practicing yoga has enhanced her life, including the ability to concentrate better at her job as a software engineer.
The diverse and multicultural attendees, with participants as young as 7 and as old as 70, follows along with the instructions to the rejuvenating Yoga Namaskar and balancing Nadi Shuddhi practices.
Each one of the participants who went through the workshop left with powerful tools of self-transformation that address physical and mental wellbeing for their lives.
Many participants shared that they felt “calm and peaceful” after the workshop and that they found the session to be:
“Rejuvenating and connects to your inner self.” Shreyoshi G.
“Good for my mind and body” Julia S.
“Encouraging to start yoga”
“Great initiative and good way for people to be relaxed and rejuvenated.”
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn simple yoga to incorporate into our daily life.”
This experience was shared many times over in similar Isha Foundation IDY sessions hosted throughout the United States and Canada.
In Philadelphia, the Isha Foundation volunteers celebrated IDY at Collegium Charter School, Exton. The group was one of several exhibitors at the event, attended by close to 100 people. All participating organizations also received a signed thank you message from Governor of PA. Multiple folks signed up for Sadhguru App in the booth. A few also expressed interest for the upcoming Inner Engineering Total with a teacher trained by Sadhguru in Exton, PA.
In Cleveland, OH, an 8-year-old participant totally involved herself in the yoga lesson. Her heartwarming feedback touched the hearts of local volunteers: “I loved the Upa Yoga class. It was really fun to do with you. I loved all of the steps. Thank you so much!”
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