Yoga for Modern Women 

-YogaRathna Dr. T. Gargi Urmila, Life Member

The statement “If you educate a man, you educate an individual; but if you educate a woman, you educate a whole nation” is often attributed to various sources, including the Vedas, although it’s not a direct quote from any specific Vedic text. It is also quoted by Pandit Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru often in many meetings. It reflects the recognition of the profound impact women’s education can have on society, fostering progress and development.

Knowing this and for a society to progress, female education is very important and for women to be equal to men she must be educated. Therefore, the Government of Tamil Nadu has launched the Muvalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Memorial Higher Education assurance scheme called “Pudhumai Pen” on 05.09.2022 across Tamil Nadu. The scheme aims to help 6 lakh women annually and has a budget allocation of Rs 698 crore. Bharati believed absolutely, not only in the equality, but also, the superiority of the female over the male. Women needed many special privileges to guarantee the new equality. What are they?

Let us see this from his Tamil Poems:
The Government should protect the welfare rights of mother and child by standing like an iron gate.
The Government assistance should be liberally available to large families with many children.
Maternity leave should be available to women with full pay.

All arrangements should be made to spring up mother-child welfare centers and child rearing centers across the country.

It is only in the context of guaranteeing the equal rights and individual rights that it is highlighted above that the new equality of women has the potential to flourish. This is the perspective of the ‘innovative woman’, and this is also the perspective of Samadharmis (equal rights) all over the world. When the opportunities and facilities of the above, the ones left behind, the ones known and the ones to be known are fully available, the various talents and creativity of women will multiply and develop. In various branches of social, economic, political and cultural fields, the skills and energy of women will be bound together with men. On that day, women will contribute their full contribution to human life. This earth will bloom and smell like gold. The following Poem from Bharati’s Pudumai PeNN explains this.

“That women should go to foreign countries even if required to learn the latest practices, techniques of everyday life”. This also shows interest towards Yogic culture, thus becoming pioneers and mentors of the next generation.

Let’s look at the special characteristics of women. According to the saying that “before the person rises, the person who stands still goes far” today’s lifestyle is a rat race, very hectic and need solution at very second, it can be called sedentary lifestyle, where there is no physical work, the habit of always sitting is not correct, the incorrect diet and habits, artificial lifestyle. All this causes a lot of stress leading to many diseases, affecting the health.

In the middle of this is a ‘woman’ called “SHE, the aspect of Shakti, Yaatumaagi Nirphaval Penn: She is very perceptive, sociable woman, and there is no doubt that these women are good at saving, a spiritual sense.

For example, Mother Sharadhadevi was a spiritual woman from childhood. She was born with a spirit of service to the world. She also looked after and protected the poor people. She has helped parents and co-borns a lot. No matter how much suffering she faced, she handled it calmly and patiently and became a pure soul. She motivated woman in education and took them to the spiritual power to the world. So she is the ‘Holy Mother’, ‘Mother of The World’, called Sharadhadevi.

Even in Academies, (where women’s knowledge of such power is nurtured), they are overwhelmingly women. Because they are the ones who have more patience naturally, they are selected by the educational administration and they are successful. There are many successful women across all sectors with smiling faces like nurses, doctors, flight attendants. This is because nature, science and environment have given women an indomitable energy. Women can be anything. They can overcome any obstacles in life. (Motherhood nature)

In Ramayana, when Rama’s mother Kausalya advised Lord Rama before he left for the forest,

“Follow the path of Dharma, according to the law and that will only will protect you.”

Sage Thiruvalluvar’s Kural 69, says,

The mother who hears her son called “a wise man” will rejoice more than she did at his birth. The most important point to note is that where, Thiruvalluvar says about how the mother is happy and does not expect anything in return from her child, a father has certain duty to educate his children and in return expects them to be scholarly. Kural 67,70 says so.

In Kural 70,

What a son should do to his father. “by what great penance did his father beget him,” is the benefit which a son should render to his father. The expects the favour, to be returned and the son to return the father. But, for the mother does not say so.

The selfless motherly nature described above, however, in the hectic environment of life, working women and housewives find it a challenge to take care of themselves. Yoga is a great boon for them, especially for their genital problems. Due to hormonal imbalances in women, including the uterus, the thyroid gland undergoes drastic changes and even if those changes are not regularized immediately, then in long run it becomes chronic diseases to them.

Yoga is an art that aids in the development and balance of mind, body, (intellect, consciousness and spirituality). Yoga is both art and science of life. It works as a cure for some diseases and as an antidote for some other. Serotonin is a hormone that regulates mood, attention, sleep, and pain. Daily Yoga and meditation increases the production of serotonin hormone. This will reduce stress and experience positive mood changes.

Everyone can improve their quality of life by regulating their diet, regulating their sleep, regulating their routines, and improving their recreational activities. Practicing Yogasana daily without fail, practicing without any interruptions has the power to make one strong in body and mind and look youthful even in old age.

Sage Patanjali says this in his Yoga Sutra in the first chapter in sloka 1.14

स तु धीर्घकालनैरन्तर्यसत्कारासेवितो दृढभूमिः(1.14)

sa tu dhīrghakālanairantaryasatkārāsēvitō dr̥ḍhabhūmiḥ

Practice becomes firmly established when it has been cultivated uninterruptedly and with devotion over a prolonged period of time.

Thus, Yoga can be beneficial for modern woman to manage stress, improve flexibility, and enhance overall well-being