The International Yoga Day is a festival ( Yoga Utsav ) that has been added to the calendar of events by the incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Yoga has been part of the Indian tradition for centuries. The success of this idea is universal. Therefore it has become important to celebrate. June 21 happens to be the International Yoga Day. Yoga Gurus from around the world are keen to celebrate it. India is really a lucky country. It has been the beehive of numerous philosophical and cultural activities for a long time. A number of teachers have taught Yoga Asanas to millions.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali have become universally popular. Yoga is the gift of India to the world. It is a gift of the Hindus who have been living in India since time immemorial. The Hindu society has added to the wealth of philosophy. They have helped people to identify the goals of life - Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. The ancient practitioners of Yoga fixed these goals for themselves. Therefore they were able to keep themselves mentally and physically fit. The married amongst them led a happy matrimonial life. The exercise called Yoga was not just physical. It was a tool to keep the mind healthy.

Breathing exercises, concentration and body flexibility were part of Yoga. Everything was done in a formatted way. Yoga had its own SOP ( Standard Operating Procedure ) from the word go. We are today about standards, ISO certification, BIS certification and many other kinds of things. Yoga has been associated with this kind of ' certification ' for a long time. Now, let us try to celebrate World Yoga Day. First of all, we need to buy a new Yoga mat. The practitioner can also buy books connected with Yoga. Of course a new Yoga outfit will be necessary.

Celebrating the International Yoga Day will have to be done in a disciplined manner. One has to sleep well and eat Satvik food before the prescribed day. Cleaning up the Yoga quarter of the residence and decorating it with fragrant flowers can be part of the celebrations. The cow is the Universal Mother and therefore we need to sprinkle a bit of Gomutra within the premises. Agarbatti, Sambrani and camphor will be part of the ceremony. The portraits within the premises will have to be decorated with flowers. Portraits of Patanjali, Ganesha, Hanuman, the personal Yoga Guru will have to be placed in the room.

Yoga Institutes can follow the same process. It can be Thanksgiving day for them. The required Pooja items will have to be kept ready. A plate containing a bell, some bowls with turmeric, kumkumam, sandalwood paste and a panchapatra with an Uthrani ( ritual cup and spoon made aesthetically ). Flowers, the apparatus required for giving the sambrani and camphor will have be kept ready. Betel leaves, betel nuts and some home made sweets need to be kept ready. The Yoga practitioner will have to get up early in the morning and have a bath. The Pooja will have great sanctity if is performed in the Brahma Muhurtham.

The Pooja will have to begin with the mixing of powdered turmeric and water. A cone like Ganesh will have to be made. He will have to be anointed with some kumkumam and a flower can be placed on him. Thereafter the devotees can recite the Ganesha Ashtothram ( 108 names of Ganesha ). A prayer to Patanjali and personal Yoga Guru will have to be done in succession. Flowers will have to be placed near all the portraits. Offering of fruits, sweets and the coconut will have to be done. The coconut will have to be broken into two pieces and then the water from it will have to be offered to the deities.

The Arati will have to be done after offering the Naivedyam. Laddoos made of nuts and strengthened with powdered jaggery can be sweet. Jaggery can be the bonding agent. It is important to use organically made items for the Yoga Festival. The company Vilvah makes mats for this purpose and they can be used. Additionally a nice sweet pongal can be offered. This can be made with rice from a store like Vilvah. They have numerous varieties of rice and are keen to preserve rice diversity in India. The students and the teachers can then offer the camphor Arati and Sambrani thereafter.

http://www.vilvahstore.com is the place for the items required. The promoters have left no stone unturned in order to do the needful in the interest of our biodiversity. Once the pooja is over, an atma pradakshinam needs to be offered and the person has to prostrate in front of the deities and the Guru. The sadaka can now joyfully do the asanas as usual. He or she should offer something to the Guru or the institution connected with him / her. The sadaka should also pledge to teach one person free of cost. Not everyone may be able to afford a Yoga teacher and therefore this pledge becomes important.

The day should be spent by reading theory connected with Yoga and also by trying to do a bit of research on Yoga. Exchange of ideas and thoughts connected with Yoga can also be done. Symposiums, lec dems etc., can keep the day occupied. Yoga Utsav will also trigger cultural commerce in a big way. The ' Kite Festival ' in Gujarat was made effective by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The turnover connected with the Kite Festival grew in an astonishing manner. Prof Kanagasabapathi from Coimbatore had worked on this programme those days. People from the minority community were among the biggest beneficiaries in Gujarat. A person with the Sangh background had made people from all quarters of the society to reap dividends. Similarly, the Yoga Utsav will also add to cultural commerce. Cultural Commerce will take our economy on a smooth ride. The ones who are part of the ' Cultural Commerce World ' will forever see good days.

Thus the International World Yoga Day will have to be celebrated with ' Trikarana Suddhi ' ( purity of thought, word and action ). Celebration of the Yoga Utsav will add to the health and happiness of the Sadaka and his or her family

The Yoga Utsav will usher in good health and prosperity simultaneously.