Aerial view of the Indian capital New Delhi: Thousands of people in white robes sit in lotus positions on the floor and meditate. Meanwhile, in Times Square in New York, hundreds in leggings head into Downward Dog. At the same time, techno beats rumble through a yoga studio in Berlin, where sweaty course participants flow synchronously through a sequence of movements . June 21st is not only the summer solstice and thus the longest day of the year, but also World Yoga Day. The Indian doctrine has long had millions of followers all over the world. In Germany alone, ten million people regularly roll out the mat.
There are numerous events every year for World Yoga Day – at least in times before Corona. They range from taster courses to midnight yoga and breathing workshops. The offers are just as numerous as the styles that have developed over the years from Indian teaching. For the subcontinent, the day of action is an opportunity to raise public awareness annually as the country of origin of yoga. This applies both to other countries and to India itself. For the government, the doctrine anchored in Hinduism is also a political instrument.
In late 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed a World Yoga Day to the United Nations. 175 countries support his initiative. The head of state described the spiritual teaching as a “priceless gift”. “This is a program for human well-being, for a tension-free world and to spread the message of goodwill,” the Austrian radio quoted the politician as saying at the time. The World Yoga Day should herald a “new era of peace”. The UN resolution states that yoga contributes to the long-term development goal of global health. Because one has recognized “that yoga offers a holistic approach to health and well-being”. Therefore, spreading information about the benefits of yoga is conducive to the health of the world’s population.
On the first World Yoga Day in 2015, Indian embassies in over 190 countries organized events. Prime Minister Modi himself practiced in Delhi with 36,000 other yoga enthusiasts. Three years later, the northern Indian city of Kota set the world record for the most participants in yoga classes. More than 100,000 people came together to practice together. Modi presents himself as an avid yoga fan, describing the practice as a “priceless gift”. Referring to the first World Yoga Day, he said: “It embodies the unity of mind and body, thought and action, restraint and fulfillment, harmony between man and nature, a holistic approach to health and well-being.” Officially, the events on June 21st focus on the health aspect of yoga.
It is now scientifically proven that yoga actually has a positive effect on body and mind. Doctors and psychotherapists have been investigating the healing effects of regular practice for decades. Again and again they found that the combination of movement, meditation and breathing techniques improves both their physical well-being and their mental state.
Nevertheless, there is a political move behind World Yoga Day, as the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” and “Deutschlandfunk” have analyzed. Since Modi took office in 2014, Modi’s Hindu nationalist party Bharatiya Janata (BPJ) has been strongly committed to the national and international popularization of yoga. According to “Deutschlandfunk”, the intention behind this is to strengthen Hinduism.
As a tradition rooted in religion, yoga has therefore gained even more importance under Modi’s leadership. According to the journal Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte, the right-wing conservative BJP is trying to fundamentally change Indian society. Political scientist Pierre Gottschlich writes: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attempting to shape India into a Hindu state less in terms of political institutions and more in terms of social and cultural aspects.”
Among other things, the head of state seems to be using the spread of yoga for this purpose. According to the “Neuer Zürcher Zeitung”, Modi wants to use World Yoga Day to strengthen his country’s “soft power”. What is meant by this is the exercise of power by a state over its cultural attractiveness. Yoga as a “hit export,” as described by Nancy Krüger, author of Practical Yoga Philosophy, falls into this category. A cultural asset that draws international attention to India and casts a positive light on the state. In addition, there is the economic factor on which a large part of the BJP’s party program is based. In order to realize the “Hindu state”, according to Gottschlich, the conservative politicians are less concerned with promoting a religious identity, but want to gain popularity through economic reforms. According to the political scientist, this would have helped the party to win the 2014 election.
Following on from this, Narendra Modi founded his own ministry for traditional Indian medicine, called “AYUSH” for short, in the same year. Since then, a minister has been specifically concerned with promoting ancient practices such as yoga and Ayurveda. Two years later, UNESCO recognized yoga as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The responsible commission once again emphasized the health aspect. “Based on the union of body, mind and spirit, yoga aims for mental, spiritual and physical well-being,” the statement said. Mention is also made of the high status that yoga has in Indian society, “for example in the fields of health, medicine, education and the arts.”
These developments have raised concerns on the part of religious minorities. As the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation reported in 2015, Muslim groups, who have repeatedly been victims of human rights violations in India, criticized World Yoga Day as Hindu propaganda. Political scientist Gottschlich points out that the BJP is pursuing a “politics of fear” and in particular is deliberately fueling the fear of an “Islamization” of society. Mahadev Sadashivrao Golwalkar, longtime leader of the RSS, a cadre Hindu nationalist organization, stressed that non-Hindus need to assimilate to Hindu culture. “If not, they can only stay in our country if they completely submit to the Hindu nation,” says his writing on the Indian nation.
However, while the origins of World Yoga Day are politically motivated and the story behind the day of action points to worrying developments in the Indian state, the purpose of the day of action as set out by the UN should not be lost sight of: health and well-being. According to a UN resolution, June 21 should help people “make health-promoting decisions and lead healthy lifestyles” with the help of traditional yoga teachings.
In addition to movement and relaxation, the original goal of the Indian practice is enlightenment, which one is supposed to achieve through processes of awareness and self-reflection – in other words: Yoga should help to lead a more mindful life. Even Prime Minister Modi emphasizes this: “It’s not about movement, it’s about discovering the feeling of unity with yourself, the world and nature.” Yoga can help to change one’s lifestyle and create awareness. An awareness that should not exclude negative aspects of yoga.
Sources: AFP, “Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte”, “Deutschlandfunk”, German Press Agency, German Commission for UNESCO, “Die Welt”, “Foundation Teacher Training. An Introduction to Yoga”, “Guinness World Records”, “Neue Zürcher Newspaper”, Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, “Spektrum”, “Statista”, United Nations, “Yoga Me Home” (I), “Yoga Me Home” (II)
