On the 4th Day of the 28th annual world famous International Yoga Festival, after the early morning Kundalini Sadhana with Gurushabd Singh Khalsa, the morning classes began with a class of Meditation from hand by David Wei, Existential Bliss – Awakening Ananda by Anand Mehrotra, Traditional Hatha Yoga Asana with Sun Salutations and mantras by Indu Sharma, Vinyasa Meditation Flow: Connect with the Pure expression of Body Intelligence by Akira Watamoto and Sunrise Nada yoga by Anandra George before breakfast.
Chandanni Miglino, from Iran explained, “We’ve traveled here from all corners of the earth to come together in celebration of Life, of truth of Unity. What better way than to bow together towards our heart in recognition of the tie that binds, our Divine Breath. We are here together in one of the greatest gatherings of Unity and peace on earth at the International Yoga Festival at the beautiful and sacred Parmarth Niketan Ashram. “
After breakfast, classes included Yogi Yoga: Therapy for the spine with Mohan Bhandari, Ayusha yoga with Parmanand Aggarwal and Shilpa Joshi, Jivamukti Yoga by Sharon Gannon, and Indea Yoga by Bharath Shetty of Mysore, Marma Chikitsa by C M Bhandari & Charat Singh and Atma yoga by Saul Daivd Raye.
Bharath Shetty of Mysore, explained: “Nā hathath, nā bhalath’ (no force, no pressure). Connect every movement of your asana with your breathing…. Feel the yogic energy around you at Parmarth and connect yourself with the bliss of Himalayas and the flow of Ganga. Later in the morning, the intensive classes included Kundalini yoga inspired class on Self expression: Throat center, seat of expression & creativity with Kia Miller and Gloria Latham, Heart opening set to release fear and build trust, Yuva Yoga by Yuva Dayalan of Hong Kong and T.K. Krishnan and Hips blooming flow by Francesca Cassia. Francesca Cassia said “Coming back to The International Yoga Festival always opens my heart and my soul. It makes me ponder about the miracle of life and the power of transforming our life into a living blessing. Here on the banks of Mother Ganga we soak in the sacred source of our souls and we create, all together, a better world. A world made of positive vibrations and vibrant transformations and a world where we can be our best Selves. Inspired by the ever flowing, Ganga, humbled by the presence of so many Acharyas, we step into our journey to empowerment. The journey may be arduous but it is an important step in the road to becoming your best self. Enjoy the festival. It is a wonderful medium that combines physically calming exercises while opening a channel for motivation and deep understanding. Here you will find: opportunities to grow, a reason to stay; inspirational people, people to connect with who are dedicated, diverse, and multi-talented.
Afternoon sessions included a special talk by Dr. Radhika Nagrath, a reputed, scholar and author on Yoga & Stress Management, Reiki with Maa Gyaan Suveera, Yoga Nidra: Shivohum with Sadhvi Abha Saraswati, Kundalini Core concepts: Attributes of awakened consciousness, Kundalini Shakti by Sukhmandir, an American Sikh from California, USA and Buddihist meditation by Ven Bhikku Sanghasena.
This was followed by another beautiful, deep, inquisitive and thoughtful satsang question-answer session with Pujya Shri Mooji after which everyone took part in the sacred Ganga Aarti.
For the evening program, our Rishikumars entertained the audience with their graceful yoga poses as well as with their beautiful and creative spiritual and cultural dances.
Quotations from participants:
Mario Batries from Spain: “It’s wonderful to see people from all parts of the world brought together by the most sacred river in the world with the intention of love and unity”.
.
Ronha Hashemi. – Berkeley, USA “This festival is everything for me. The memories, these relationships will last forever. This place is love, it’s everything”Dana Zawadzki – New York, USA : “I thought I was coming only to practice yoga, but instead I have also discovered my purpose in life!”
