Messages 

These few years have been quite a yogic experience, more so since the Executive Council selected me as its President after Padma Vibhushan Late Pujya Dr. BKS Iyengar and Sri OP Tiwari had already borne the responsibility previously. If anything, I hope I have borne the responsibility of this task to the best of my ability, with all your prayers and blessings.

First of all, I thank our team of EC Members including Maa Hansaji, Dr. SP Mishra, Sri Subodh Tiwari, Smt Kamlesh Barwal, Dr. Jaideep Arya, Sri Ravi Tumuluri and Sri PC Kapoor.

Under the Directorship of Ram Kumar Rathi, we could continue our membership drive. I am glad to state our memberships have increased manifold and we are now a nearly 10000-members-strong Association.

Many Academic and Accreditation activities were started under the direction of Swami Atmapriyananda. We started new IYA Certification Protocols, helped develop Yoga Skilling Job Roles under the MSME, and helped develop the standard protocol, Yoga for Old Age, under MSJE.

We could start the Research activities of the Association. We took the Niyanthrit Madumeha Bharat Abhiyaan, now popularly termed as the NMB project. As its PI, Dr. R Nagaratna, put the entire IYA community into action, resulting in the publication of 35 research papers. We also received the prestigious Vivian Fonseca and Nagendran Family Diabetes Research Award.

Under Haresh Bhai Trivedi, our Legal and Standards Committee, we have successfully filed change reports twice and applied for an IYA trademark.

Under Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani’s and Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati’s directorship, we held the International Day of Yoga every June 21st, Yog Kumbh @ Prayagraj, the first AYURYOG World Assembly of Yoga, Ayurveda, and Naturopathy, and a signed series of MOUs.

I wish the very best to the new office bearers. I wish the members, both individual and institutional – you should continue to support this movement wholeheartedly.

Dr HR Nagendra, President,

Indian Yoga Association

I am glad to write this today, especially as Yogavani completes two years of publication. The magazine has endured two very difficult years. Persistence, as they say, is the only guarantee for success.

The pandemic has been difficult if not outright challenging for all of us. Yogavani has worked relentlessly to spread the message and the healing touch of Yoga. It has touched the many who desperately needed hope. As friend, philosopher and guide Yogavani has mentored people in the process of taking charge of their life. It has served them life-lessons on living healthy and addressing challenges.

Yoga, I thus feel, should be part of every human life; for its capacity to support humanity is immense. But more importantly it addresses the fundamental question of, “How to live a peaceful life?”

“Dharma. Do your Dharma”, is the unchanging Yogic answer.

And so let us all do our dharma, our duty, our responsibility with the path of yoga. So live a life where the world, all humanity is your family. Don’t just live for yourself. Dissolve the distance between you and the other. Without distance, without separation your life will transform into a source of bliss, beauty and happiness. You will see in the happiness of others a chance for your own joy. In their successes you will find the seeds of your new opportunity. This entwinement is the balance of yoga, the magic of yoga and the joy of yoga.

With best wishes for Yogavani on its way forward.

Dr. Hansaji Yogendra,
Governing Council, Indian Yoga Association

Yogavani has grown in strength of content and reachability in last two years. It connects the various stake holders in the world of Yoga. I wish the editorial team all the best for futuristic progress to reach to larger audience. It has the potential to become the voice of the United Yoga Fraternity largest of its kind, globally.

Shri Subodh Tiwari, Vice President,
Indian Yoga Association

योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ||

Yoga is about maintaining equilibrium while being in union with the universe. It teaches us to strike a balance between our body, mind and soul and just perform our duties without expecting results. Similarly, IYA is not merely an association. It is a movement that brings all the yoga paramparas together for benefit of the mankind. IYA in its true sense follows and promotes Yoga. Yogavani- The mouthpiece of IYA is an extension of the association’s mission and vision. I would like to congratulate everyone on its second anniversary.
Contributing as the Secretary General to IYA has been a great experience for me.

I am grateful for the blessings of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji and the revered Masters of IYA Governing Council. I extend my heartfelt thanks to Guruji Dr HR Nagendra, President, IYA for his blessings and guidance.

I also take this opportunity to thank my team at the secretariat office, the office bearers of EC especially the Joint Secretaries Shri Dr Jaideep Arya and Shri Ravi Tumuluri who stood up with me always and made time for furthering activities of IYA

Smt. Kamlesh Barwal
Secretary General, Indian Yoga Association

Yoga is both the highest state of unitive oneness as well as the methodology that enables us to attain such wholesomeness (Purnam). Yogavani has been a magnificent tool of integration of the entire Indian Yoga family through its activities over the past two years. Every issue has strived to serve the cause of Yoga in his w-holistic perspective and every tradition of Yoga has been respected and highlighted through its pages. The loving and constructive feedback from our Governing Council, our Executive Council, leaders of various traditions and institutions as well as all of our engaged readers has enabled us to become a better version of ourselves through each issue. We hope that Yogavani will continue to be a bright light enabling the entire humanity to understand the true spirit of Yoga as envisioned by Sanathana Dharma. I congratulate each and every member of my Yogavani team who has done their best to bring out each and every issue in a splendid manner through their dedication and determination. May we all be blessed by our Divine Mother Yoga herself.

-Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani Standing Publicity, Publication and
Public Relations Committee (SPPPRC)

The Indian Yoga Association’s mission of uniting the various yoga paramparas and elevating the traditional teachings of yoga on the world stage is a noble one. At the close of its second year, we have seen a growth of interest in the yoga teachings around the world and, most notably their important application at this time for those recovering from Covid and wishing to maintain good mental and physical health.

I offer congratulations to the Yogavani publishing team for offering a voice to the IYA and its various members and for striving to promote the purity of the traditional teachings of yoga as well as sharing new approaches and research in the field of yoga. May we all strive to embody the teachings of yoga and to shine this light and positivity to all those in need of healing.

Shri P.C. Kapoor, Treasurer,
Indian Yoga Association

It is a matter of joy that the Indian Yoga Association’s Journal Yogavani is completing its 2nd year of publication and that Yogavani has been receiving a wonderful response from all corners from the Yoga practitioners. Now that Yoga has become highly popular all over the world, there is the lurking danger of dilution of its pristine purity. The way to guard against this danger is by keeping a clear focus on the ancient Yoga tradition strictly following the Acharyas of the past and the present, while at the same time presenting it in the modern idiom. In the modern age, Swami Vivekananda attempted such a stupendous task which is best described in his words wherein he defines his “life’s work”:

“To put the Hindu ideas into English and then make out of dry philosophy and intricate mythology and queer startling psychology, a religion which shall be easy, simple, popular, and at the same time meet the requirement of the highest minds—is a task only those can understand who have attempted it. The dry, abstract Advaita must become living—poetic—in everyday life; out of hopelessly intricate mythology must come concrete moral forms; and out of bewildering Yogi-ism must come the most scientific and practical psychology—and all this must be put in a form so that a child may grasp it. That is my life’s work.” (from a letter written on 17 February 1896 to Alasinga Perumal—Swami Vivekananda’s Complete Works, 5.104).

May Yogavani continue to serve humanity by spreading the message of Yoga, both its philosophy and practice, authentically is the earnest prayer of

Swami Atmapriyananda,
Director, Standing Academic & Accreditation Committee,
Indian Yoga Association

I really appreciate the efforts put in by Editor and editorial board for YOGVANI. You are doing a fabulous task of promoting and spreading yoga culture. The topics covered and the areas included are really made it very informative. The Yogvani captured and focused on everything from science, culture, spirituality, divinity, tradition yoga. It is much needed to take Yoga to each and every corner of the country.

Yoga is unique combination of Spirituality and science. IYA is doing a great job; I must say I really loved reading Yogavani every month. Promotion and advancement of Yoga and its applications. Maintaining and promoting the different Indian Yoga traditions.

In last year great job of Accreditation and affiliation of Yoga Institutions has been done. Different courses for imparting education and training in Yoga; have been defined and the prescribe syllabus and curriculum for various Yoga education, Yoga therapy and Yoga training courses and programmed have been done. Webinars are very well organized and Yoga Gurus have enlightened all viewers and yoga lovers.

Ministry of AYUSH and IYA jointly organized a wonderful celebration of Makar Sakranti and the event of Surya Namaskar.

I suggest that after pandemics we should focus on offline Conferences, Seminars, Workshops to spread information and knowledge of Yoga, its various techniques and practice in various parts of India as well as abroad.

I wish you all the best and congratulate on the Anniversary of YOGAVANI.
My best wishes and support will be always with you.

Ramkumar Rathi
Director, Standing Finance Committee,
Indian Yoga Association

It has been a great experience for me ever since I have been involved in the Indian Yoga Association, thanks to Guruji! I hope I have contributed positively to what has become a movement.

I am positive that under the new President Maa Dr Hansa Yogendra ji, the IYA movement will continue to grow.

My best wishes to all members, both individual and institutional – you should continue to support this movement wholeheartedly.

Shri Ravi Tumulur
Joint Secretary, Indian Yoga Association

I am so happy to hear that Yogavini, the IYA Monthly, has completed its second year. Congratulations! This is wonderful! I am so inspired by the great work you are doing, to share and spread the important teachings of Yoga, with people from all over the country and all over the world.

Yoga is not just what we do, Yoga is who we are. Yoga is a noun, not a verb. It is that state of “being” in divine union. Yoga means living in union, in that union of the Self to the Divine. Yoga leads to that full, sacred awareness of our Oneness with the Divine, and also therefore, our oneness with all of Creation.

We have so many beautiful multifaceted ways of attaining that experience of Yoga, as given to us by sage Patanjali and the Yogis of these sacred Himalayas. This timeless wisdom of Yoga has been passed down for thousands of years, and is given to us as a gift, for us to study and practice in our own life. It is an eternal guide for us to awaken to our own experience of union with the Divine.

Now that Covid restrictions have ended and everything is open, we look forward to welcoming you all to Parmarth Niketan Ashram, in Rishikesh, India, on the holy banks of Mother Ganga, in the lap of the Himalayas, in the birthplace of Yoga and the world capital of Yoga.

With love and peace from the holy banks of Mother Ganga,
In His seva,

Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati
Honorary Director, Standing Publicity,
Publication & P.R. Committe, Indian Yoga Association

It gives me great pleasure to congratulate the yoga team for marching ahead to spread this bharateeya wisdom to a large community connected with IYA through ‘Yogavani’.

We have just started feeling good that we could win the war against the covid pandemic as one global family helping each other. We thought that COVID was a blessing in disguise to bring this satva to entire humanity. But we realize that we have a long way to go as we see escalated war in Europe. Alas, we seem to have a long way to go to prevent violence, be it by the perverted minds of terrorists or by the so called highly socialistic minded countries who are supposed to bring harmony, comfort, and gentleness. We, as yoga proponents, shall become front liners to change the rajasic mindset of humanity. Just like we could become corona warriors, we shall take this vow today and remember the words from Upanishads “arise, awake, stop not till the goal is reached” that was echoed by swami Vivekananda. We join hands to make the whole world become yogis to achieve harmony and happiness, the motto of the international day of yoga as proposed by our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji.

Dr R Nagarathna, Director,
Standing Research Committee,
Indian Yoga Association