Yogayatra 2018 (A Report of Yogayatras Conducted in India and Europe Between January and June 2018)

ABOUT THE BOOK Yogayatra 2018 represents the vision of Swami Niranjanananda, the dedication of 6 months, a celebration of 360 shivics and an offering to 36,000 yoga aspirants across the Indian subcontinent. Thousands of sevaks made the yatra become a reality. Their goodwill, motivation and selfless contribution were the solid foundation of the Yogayatra 2018. India was witness to a silent revolution of bringing yoga as yoga vidya to the people of India.

A summary of the Know Yourself Yogotsav Bharat Yogo Yatra 2018, which were held in major cities around the country, are included as well as the seminars conducted in Europe introducing the concepts, aims and practical application of yoga ecology. All are part of the 2nd Chapter of Yoga of the Bihar School of Yoga.

INTRODUCTION In 2013, the Bihar School of Yoga celebrated its Golden jubilee and the celebrations culminated with a World Yoga Convention in the month of October in Munger. It was a momentous occasion, intended to commemorate the achievements of the last fifty years of yoga propagation. More importantly though, it created a roadmap for the future: direction of yoga vidya, the science of yoga. In the closing session of the convention, Swami Niranjanananda announced:

Following this convention, a new chapter of yoga begins in which new generations will have to take up the challenge, the responsibility and the duty, slowly and steadily, to carry forward the torch of yoga. The light of yoga has gone everywhere in the last fifty years and the next mandate for all of us is to live yoga with seriousness, with sincerity and with commitment, and to bring this gift to the entire humanity.

In 2014, Swamiji took up the task of 'bringing this gift to the entire humanity in right earnest. He taught, guided and inspired the development of tools, techniques and systems to pave the way for the unfolding of the second chapter. At the same time, he embarked on a Bharat Yoga Yatra, a series of nationwide programs titled 'Know Yourself-Find Divinity in Life'. His message to all sincere yoga aspirants during these yatras was succinct and clear: As the outcome the World Yoga Convention, many old systems and methods will be replaced, and within a few years you will see the new systems and methods that will be put in place. Those people who follow this system and tradition will have to ensure that the sanctity and purity of the tradition is not diluted. In the coming years, a new direction and motivation will be given to all yoga aspirants, teachers and students, who will witness the development of something much. more sustainable, substantial, intense and powerful to touch the lives of people.

Since then, both the development and application of the second chapter went hand in hand, culminating in the year 2018, which according to Swamiji is a watershed year in the history of yoga. The teaching of the second chapter is aimed at inspiring aspirants to deepen their experience of yoga and adopt it not merely as a physical practice but as a progressive sadhana, a harmonious lifestyle and a holistic, humanitarian culture. A glimpse of the new teachings has been offered to yoga aspirants in countless shivirs, between January and July 2018.

As Swamiji's vision began to manifest, it was touching and transforming the lives of thousands of people. From one-day shivirs in remote villages to large programs for hundreds in towns, from corporate seminars in cosmopolitan cities of India to weekend ecology retreats in Europe, the message and theme of the next phase of voga began to reach and inspire people of all walks of life. This book is an attempt to give a kaleidoscopic view of a wonderful offering from countless selfless teachers, organizers and volunteers who generously laid the foundation of the second chapter of Satyananda Yoga.

**Contents and Sample Pages**