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Yoga in Education, Health and Governance

“The yogi who perceives the essential oneness everywhere naturally feels the pleasure or pain of others as his or her own.” – Swami Satchidananda

On an individual level, yoga is undoubtedly beneficial to our bodies, minds, and souls. But what about the benefits of yoga on a grander scale? Can they be applied? Of course. While the modern education system puts emphasis on technology and science, where material progress is achieved, instilling ethical, moral, and spiritual values and promotion of a healthy lifestyle are neglected. In this context, we must integrate yoga in the modern education system to make a comprehensive development relating to body, mind, and soul and thereby prevent the deterioration of human values.

By integrating yoga in the present education system, we can endorse human values to reform attitude and behavior, relieve students from pain and stress, help them form a healthy lifestyle, shape their moral character, and build more refined personalities. That is why we need to recognize the importance of yoga in education, introduce it as a discipline, and focus on integration in the curriculum. Why? Because practicing yoga can help students achieve the highest goals: the self-realization of the infinite potential within them.

  • Some of the benefits of yoga in education are:
  • Physical health;
  • Balanced both hemispheres of the brain;
  • Sharp memory;
  • Developed values:
  • Healthy emotional development;
  • Academic performance, and more.

By incorporating yoga in education, we are also working on improving the health of our young generations. Health is a primary need for a better quality of life, and this doesn’t apply only to physical health. The body, mind, and spirit have to be in harmony. With just half an hour of yoga practice, their whole systems can be rejuvenated. If students regularly practice yoga and meditation, they can:

  • Have higher IQ level;
  • Lower stress;
  • Get over depression or addiction;
  • Develop confidence;
  • Increase brain functioning and their efficiency;
  • Be happier; and
  • Appreciate life.

Yoga can also be applied in the global political arena. Since good governance and administration require various skills, yoga is the perfect practice to bring them into action. It is no wonder since kings have practiced yoga (particularly Raja Yoga) since ancient days. The Bhagavad Gita revolves around politics and yoga, while Gandhi himself has used the teachings of yoga as the basis for his nonviolent resistance.

We make choices all the time regarding what we eat, how we talk with our friends and family, where we spend money, or who we vote for. As such, we have an additional burden of responsibility in our practice – to apply the yoga teachings in every aspect of our daily lives, including politics. Yoga asks us to reflect on how we create a reality with our personal beliefs and the shared reality that we all are experiencing.

We need to develop compassion, wellness, and other yoga practices into a foundation for global political reform. We must confront negative political actions worldwide in order to gain awareness and find a resolution. Yoga can teach us how to become more mindful and stop ignoring injustices that are happening every day.

By integrating the teachings of yoga in politics, we can dismantle prejudices and privileges, help those in need, become less divided and more conscious and mindful. Today, people are in need of alternative political solutions to myriads of problems, and yoga can be a pathway to that.

Why Yoga is the Path to Happytalism and a New System of Human Progress

Amid the fear and frenzy enveloping much of the world today, a new paradigm of human flourishing is emerging. At the core of this primal human need is to be happy. Yoga teaches us that we achieve happiness through self-realization and self-development. Without the essential role of self-development, human progress can’t be realized.
Happytalism, inspired by yogic principles, creates an ecosystem where people are conscious and free enough to achieve their personal happiness and have the capability, means, and motivation to help others do the same. Our goal is to help build a more humane civilization through the service of enlightened people. As Swami Vivekananda teaches us, every action we take in the right spirit can manifest our innate divinity and brings us closer to our sublime nature, which acts in the common good. This is the path of yoga. This is the path of Happytalism. Feel free to join us on our journey.

Read part 1 of the Series – The “Yoga” path to freedom, consciousness, and happiness.

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