IDY 2023 with Yoga in Daily Life – Part 2

The 9th International Day of Yoga was commemorated in the week of 21st of June and Yoga in Daily Life centres, ashrams, teachers and students celebrated again this year, offering and taking part in free yoga classes, events and public programs in many countries around the world for this special occasion.

Here in Part 2 you can see how Yoga in Daily Life was celebrated in Czechia, Georgia and Hungary.

See Part 1 for an introduction to IDY and reports from other countries, and also Part 3 and Part 4.

Czechia

Bílovec

On 21 June, the YIDL Bílovec centre celebrated the International Day of Yoga with a program that lasted over two hours, with the participation of 30 people. The program started at the yoga centre at Tkalcovská 101, Bílovec. The program was led by experienced teacher Jana Richterová. A demonstration of a yoga lesson was shown: relaxation, asanas, pranayama, mantras. After the practice, vegetarian snacks were offered. The celebration was dignified, and people practised with interest and joy.

KARLOVY VARY

In Karlovy Vary on Sunday 24 June, the 9th International Day of Yoga was celebrated with a group event at the Rolava leisure complex. New and existing yoga enthusiasts participated in the yoga program, where asanas, pranayama and meditation were led. The exercise was aimed at beginners and advanced participants. The program focused on maintaining a healthy back. A total of 31 people of different ages took part in the four-hour program.

PRAGUE

OLOMOUC

On Tuesday 20 June, we had a joint event in the yoga centre, with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Vishwaguruji in Czechia and the International Day of Yoga.

Lectures from the great Prague celebration of 50 years of Vishwaguruji's work were displayed on a screen, a live demonstration of classical Indian dance was performed, and Bari Khatu Pranam exercises were shown with a description and explanation of the effects on the body.

A special guest, Swami Mantrapuri from Brno, came and spoke beautifully about yoga and Vishwaguruji.

PRACHATICE

Two events took place in Prachatice on the occasion of IDY, one for children of preschool and school-age on Wednesday 21 June, and then on Friday 23 June a celebration with families and children under 3 years old. A total of 25 participants took part in the events.

On Monday, 26 June there were yoga free yoga classes in the morning for adults and specifically for seniors, and in the evening again for adults.

BRNO

On 21 June, yoga enthusiasts had a pleasant day at the Yoga in Daily Life centre in Brno. Participants had the possibility to choose from several classes, such as Yoga for a Healthy Back and Yoga for Beginners. The morning and afternoon exercises took place in a calm atmosphere.

KOPRIVNICE

The Kopřivnice YIDL centre offered a week of free classes for everyone who wants to come and exercise without obligation and perhaps awaken the desire to start yoga.

KUTNA HORA CASLAV

The celebration of International Day of Yoga took place on 20 June in Kutná Hora Caslav from 5pm, in the pleasant shade of the Diakonie Čáslav garden in fine weather. Ten people from the regular classes and 2 teachers participated, so a total of 12 people came. After the yoga exercise, practitioners sang a few mantras together and at the end they enjoyed a vegan treat with yogi tea and mint lemonade.

OSTRAVA

The International Yoga Day celebration in Ostrava was on Sunday 25 June, with a variety of yoga classes:

• Yoga for Parents and Children – 12 people (7 children, 4 adults and a teacher)
• Yoga for Everyone – 17 people (16 participants and a teacher)
• Breath Exercise and Meditation – 16 people (15 participants and teacher)
• Program for Children – 7 children and a teacher

A total of 29 individuals participated in the entire event.

KYJOV

At a meeting in a Kyjov teahouse, over a cup of delicious tea, Sadhvi Parvati gave a lecture – 'Sadhana, how to improve your life through exercise.'

This was followed by a demonstration of the Bari Khatu Pranam sequence with an explanation of the effects on different levels of a person – physically, mentally and spiritually. In the end, there was free discussion about vegetarianism as a way of healthy eating and enjoyment of delicacies prepared by an expert on healthy food, Eliška Škvařilová. Despite the difficult weather conditions, about 20 people attended.

STRILKY

The International Day of Yoga was celebrated at the Mahaprabhudip Ashram in Střílky on Saturday 24 June with an Open Day that was organised with a rich program for visitors.

The event was planned for the afternoon between 2 - 6pm, but soon after lunch the first people arrived. At the entrance, they were greeted with a warm welcome, familiarisation with the program and other necessary information, where everything is located. Next, people went to the Kailash Hall where they could choose from several drinks on offer. Jana Jyotí Kazmirská took on the role of speaker. She welcomed everyone, including the mayor of Střílky, Mr Viktor Ganjuškin. She mentioned the reason for this event, the tradition of celebrating IDY, and she talked about Yoga in Daily Life and Vishwaguruji's work in the Czech Republic and especially in Střílky.

The mayor then spoke about the good relations between the citizens of Střílky and the Ashram and wished us all the best in our future work. This was followed by a guided tour of the castle building with additional historical and architectural facts and a walk in the park. People were curious and were very interested in this. After that, they were invited to practise a demonstration yoga lesson under the guidance of Ing. Milan Vivekpurí Sudický.

Exercises for children were led by Jana Jyotí Kazmirská. Women and children in particular liked visiting the henna painting table and enjoyed beautifying themselves. Using natural henna dye, they created small works of art on their hands and feet.

There was a buzz in the ashram kitchen, with a very popular chapati making class taking place here. From the prepared dough, visitors could roll out and bake their flatbread, spread it with clarified butter and eat it. They took home the recipe, a lot of advice and information, and most importantly the experience that they can prepare chapatis themselves.

As usual, Mr Jaroslav Škvařil, an expert on healthy vegetarian food, came to give a lecture. It was called, 'What can be considered healthy food today?'  This was followed by a tasting of food provided by the Tilak restaurant – a vegan form of goulash with dumplings and two types of cakes. Chatting in pleasant company and with good food stretched into the evening hours.

Georgia

At the Yoga in Daily Life ashram in Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, people celebrated the International Day of Yoga with three days of free classes and free lectures on the topic of wellness and a healthy way of life. The outdoor events were not possible due to a whole week of heavy rains in Tbilisi, so 75 people participated in the free yoga classes and 45 people attended the free lectures inside the YIDL centre.

Hungary

The Yoga in Daily Life Youth Club organised a fundraiser event for Ukrainian yoga friends.

There was an online Yoga in Daily Life event on 21 June and 1,000 Euros were raised for the Ukraine Yoga in Daily Life Society. The donation will be spent on buying dietary supplements and vitamins, as recommended by an expert chemist.

YIDL Hungary organised an 11-day online event called 'Sparkling 11 Days', leading up to the International Day of Yoga.

This included four 30-minute online yoga classes every day, morning, lunchtime, early evening and a late evening meditation. The exercise program had two basic topics: coping with stressful situations and how we can get the most out of ourselves under increased stress. The main focus was on helping young people, such as students in exam situations. The program was introduced by an online panel discussion of experts. This online series was a huge success, with more than 250 participants.

SZEGED

The Yoga in Daily Life Association organised a six-day series of events to celebrate International Yoga Day. Almost all programmes took place at the Szeged Yoga Centre.

• Friday, 16 June: the Yoga Club (satsang) held with the topic of Self-realisation. For this topic, the teachings of Vishwaguruji were watched on video and discussed. The event was held in person and people could also join online.

• Saturday 17 June: the main focus was on practice and those present were introduced to the Sarav Hita Asanas, the beginning level of the Yoga in Daily Life system.

• Sunday 18 June: a group hiked along the Tisza river to where it joins the Mureș river. At the confluence of the two rivers, we did standing yoga exercises.

• Monday 19 June: participants had another online/offline program, Yoga for Back Pain.

• Tuesday 20 June: students practised Bari Khatu Pranam.

• Wednesday 21 June, International Yoga Day: the YIDL Centre was full for the last session. After the practices, those present were treated to a vegetarian/vegan treat.

A total of 104 people participated in the six-day program, 27 of them online.

NYIREGYHAZA

The International Yoga Day activities were organised for the ninth time in Nyíregyháza (SE Hungary), and once again was hosted by the University of Nyíregyháza. Due to wet weather, the previously announced outdoor program was postponed to 25 June, which resulted in relatively fewer participants being able to join. Those who attended ranged from teenagers to the over-60 age group. Fourteen participants gathered in a friendly atmosphere among the shady trees of the campus and performed the body and breathing exercises of the Yoga in Daily Life System under the guidance of Sándor Szabó Narayan. The main focus of the exercise was to release stress and achieve peace of mind.

DEBRECEN

For the occasion of the International Day of Yoga, Swami Gopalpuri from Australia was asked to lead the group practice in his home town, Debrecen. It was a great pleasure for us to be able to celebrate this important day with the guidance of a person living a monastic life, who was able to impart knowledge to us in our own mother tongue, on the topic 'Practice and desirelessness in yoga'.

Practitioners gathered together in the ashram and Swami Gopalpuri joined the group via Zoom. Based on feedback from participants, this hybrid method is an excellent solution.
It was extremely inspiring that Swami Gopalpuri gave many practical examples during his lecture from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which can help even an ordinary person get closer to yoga and practise more persistently. The lecture was followed by a thematic yoga practice, in which what was said at the lecture was connected to the asanas. Physical yoga practice was followed by pranayama and meditation. After eating a refreshing and tasty vegetarian lunch, the program ended with satsang and prayer.

The participants were very enthusiastic, the program received a lot of positive feedback and everyone returned home relaxed, balanced and satisfied.

GYOR

The Széchenyi István University Győr held an International Day of Yoga event in cooperation with the Embassy of India. H.E. Partha Satpathyji, India's Ambassador to Hungary, said that yoga is much more than a set of practices.

"Although yoga is fashionable, it is not just a fashion, it is also a lifestyle. It is a state of mind that can help us find mental peace. Yoga helps to reduce anxiety and relieve stress. Through movement, it tells us how to become one with nature. It also teaches us humility and respect for our fellow human beings. Not only can we become more flexible and shapely through yoga, not only can we live longer, but we can also become happier. Yoga actually helps us adapt to the challenges of modern life," said the ambassador.

Dr. Eszter Lukács, Hemvati, Vice President for International Affairs and Strategic Relations at Széchenyi István University, who is a long-time disciple of Vishwaguruji, compered the event.