St. Petersburg, Russia: A series of events dedicated to the International Day of Yoga
A series of events dedicated to the International Day of Yoga in St. Petersburg, Russia
21-26 June, 2016
“Raja Yoga is not about tough physical exercises or religious practices. Rather it is a lifestyle based on understanding our inner self as a sentient, thinking entity and directing our thoughts towards the Supreme for developing the powers of purity, peace and love”, said BK Raju, national coordinator of the Rural Development Wing (Brahma Kumaris HQ, Mount Abu), speaking at a seminar in St. Petersburg, Russia, on the occasion of the International Day of Yoga (IDY).
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It’s for the second time already that the Yoga Day is being celebrated in Russia as well as worldwide. This year the series of festive events organized on this occasion by St. Petersburg Brahma Kumaris Centre were graced with the presence of our respected BK Atam Prakash, editor-in-chief of “Gyan Amrit” and “World Renewal” magazines, a yogi with almost 60 years of meditation experience, and BK Raju, who has been doing tireless service in Madhuban, the Brahma Kumaris Headquarters, since early 1970s. All the regular BK students of St. Petersburg as well as 70 BKs from 14 cities of Russia and Belarus took part in the celebrations.
The series of events dedicated to IDY introduced a wide range of aspects required for a healthy and harmonious life: physical and mental fitness, healthy diet, balanced lifestyle and an attitude of gratitude towards our mother nature.
Outdoor Exercises. For almost a week, white-clad yogis of every age group from little children to 80-year old great-grandmothers would gather in the Brahma Kumaris Peace Park early in the morning to spread the wave of positivity and freshness in the atmosphere of the predominantly bedroom neighbourhood, the majority of residents of which were still in their beds! Light physical exercises with elements of dance and a round of jogging to variety of beautiful musical tunes were sending the message of waking up mentally and physically and enjoying the life. And even rainy weather could not become a hindrance for the enthusiastic yogis. Practicing the Surya Namaskar (the posture of revering the Sun) under the drizzling rain was a scene truly worth seeing!
Healthy Food Festival. The Day of Yoga was marked with a session “The Gift of Nature” dedicated to the impact of what we eat on what we think, decide and do. The topic of the importance of pure vegetarian diet for our spiritual, physical and social health was introduced in a creative and entertaining way. A short comedy drama “Nightmare with a Happy Ending” made everyone think of a situation unique, yet not quite impossible: two cannibals having read a bestselling book on why meat is so important for man’s diet, decide to eat – – – the author of the book! Luckily for him, he wakes up from his scary dream to rethink his idea of healthy food habits. The audience enjoyed songs, dances and video recipes shown to them by BK students. And surely there were not just virtual video recipes there! A Taste Test of delicious vegetarian dishes (or rather a feast!) became the culmination of the event.
Yogic Farming. A seminar on “Sustainable Yogic Farming” held in Lighthouse, the BK Centre in St. Petersburg, became a friendly and informative dialogue of scientists, science reporters, environmentalists and farmers. It was a joined project of the BKs and St. Petersburg State Agricultural University so the students and teachers of this educational institution also took part in the session. “I have always had deep love for India. I am sure that meditation and yoga are among those paths that will enable the humanity to survive amidst this global crisis”, said Mr. Oleg Mukhin, vice-president of the Russian Astronautic Federation addressing the audience. Br. Raju described how in the “Sustainable Yogic Farming” project carried out by the BK Rural Development Wing in co-operation with several state universities of India, soil fertility and nutritional qualities of the crop were increased by using the physical energy of organic fertilizers (compost, manure etc) and the metaphysical energy of Raja Yoga meditation.
