Why the initial inclusion in Sunday’s programme of a series of Yoga postures-Surya Namaskar in particular drew most fire from Muslim groups, as, they say, Islam forbids believers from worshipping anything but Allah? However, Historian Rizwan Qauser, former director of the Centre for Competitive Religion and Civilization at Jamlia Millia University, laughs at these misplaced notions of clerics and says “In Islam there is only one god, and no other god—including the sun god”. Novelist and filmmaker Solail Hashmi shares the concerns about the anti-minority remarks from the Hindu right but doesn’t have a problem with Surya Namaskar . “Yoga is universal”, he says, adding “this is a very good method of cleaning up your body and toning it up. If you don’t like OM, chant Allah instead”. Noted writer, Sobbha Dey, who practices yoga herself, says there is nothing subversive in an International Yoga day.

What is, after all, Surya Namaskar? It is done facing the sun at dawn because the sun’s rays are very good for human body. And all the practices of Yoga, asana, Prayanayama are just tools to bring us to the state of Yoga; in other words, the state of harmony.

There are mad men, like Adityanath, BJP MP, who calls himself a Yogi, but his utterances are un-Yogic. “Those opposing Surya Namaskar should leave Hindustan or drown themselves in the ocean”. Those, like Adityanath, are biggest enemy of Yoga and create unnecessary suspicion in the Minority community. External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, wisely disowned the remark, saying government is not using Yoga to impose Hinduism or coercing any community to participate in Yoga exercises. Regrettably to avoid further controversy the Union Government has dropped Surya Namaskar” from it’s the agenda. Yoga is nothing but exercise which tones up mind and body.

Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an RSS initiative published a book, entitled Yoga and Islam. Its main thrust is to bring home the point that Yoga does not have anything to do with religion. The book seeks to address apprehensions that minority communities have expressed over participation in the programmes. It draws parallels between some Yoga exercises and namaaz, stating that namaaz is one sort of yoga asana.

Yoga is an ancient set of practices that predates the Vedic civilization. Several sites discovered at the Indus Valley Civilization depict figures and positions resembling yoga meditation poses. The Rig Veda and various later Upnishads mentioned this term. The Katha Upnishad believed to be composed between the fourth and third centuries, describes Yoga as the steady control of the senses leading to a supreme state. The Buddhist Pali canons and earlier Jain texts also speak of meditative postures to liberate cognition.

There are Patanjali’s yoga sutras. The Bhagwat Geeta gives the descriptions of karma, bhakti and jnana Yogas. It is believed that there is an energy lying dormant in every human body-- Kundalini (which means coiled like a snake).The aim of yoga is to arouse this energy lying at the bottom of the spine to reach the brain, leading to spiritual liberation. The exercises prescribed to achieve this state were broadly believed to be yoga postures.

Yoga is to be practiced for improving the quality of life. Indeed, many find it useful. It is marketed in the West, particularly in the US, as a cardio exercise supplement. Pranayam and body stretches to ensure the flow of oxygen to all cells could be as ancient a practice as human existence itself. An unknown yoga teacher once drew an analogy with a dog immediately after awakening, stretching its entire body to activate itself. Today’s yoga postures may have emerged from our ancients.

Whatever may be the implications of all these, Yoga exercises are universally recognized as ensuring a healthier existence. (IPA Service)