Yoga Education- An Indian Perspective

This book titled, Yoga Education: An Indian Perspective" provides readers with an introductory overview of yoga and yoga day, Focus lies on a select overview of popular yoga typology. Focus also lies on the importance, tools and techniques of yoga education. The book also provides the required highlights on select government and other yoga institutions. Focus is on select famous yoga teachers and literature of India. An overview of a case study on sivananda yoga vedanta centreis presented in a broader Perspective with focus on points and paths of yoga. The book also reflects upon an analysis of the select degrees, diplomas and certificates in the field of Study with elaborate presentation. of various courses on yoga education and research Appendix, bibliography and index are given to facilitate future research on the said subject.

Dr. B. Ramaswamy is a well-known Social Scientist. He is Pro-vice Chancellor of A P Goyal Shimla University. He has obtained all his qualifications from the reputed institutions and universities such as Loyola College, Delhi School of Economics etc. Apart from his exemplary achievements in the field of Sociology academically and professionally. He holds a Doctorate in Sociology from Singhania University, Honorary Doctorate from Cosmopolitan University, USA & Inter- American University of Humanistic Studies, Florida, USA, in the field of Social Science. He was also awarded Honorary Doctorate on Humanities in Apostolic International University, Affiliated with and Accredited by International Institute of Church Management Inc. Florida, USA. He has guided M.Phil and Ph.D scholars ‘on his competent areas. He is a Visiting Fellow, Advisor, Member in several prestigious Institutions both in Government and.Private such as IIT Roorkee, YASHADA, Raj Bhawan, Pune and NIPCCD, Government of India, Delhi. He has published different articles both in National and International magazines of repute. He continues to write articles to leading magazines and newspapers. Being a renowned Social Scientist, he is an invited Speaker to deliver key note addresses and Chief Guest to various functions, seminars, national and international conferences, Convocations' and workshops. He holds important positions in-Government viz Member, Maintenance Tribunal—Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizen Act 2007. He also worked as Deputy Chief Warden- Civil Defence Corps, Delhi and as Director in very many Institutions and Private bodies."He was an acting Chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, Government of NCT, Delhi — A bench of Magistrates constituted under section 29 of Juvenile Justice, Being an expert Social Scientist and Educationist, he is interviewed regularly by the various electronic media, TV channels and Press. His passion is directed towards our Nation Building through Quality Education especially to those who are deprived of Quality education. He has so far produced more than over 1000 Civil Service officers in the country.

Yoga education can supplement school and university education. It can prepare the students physically and mentally for the integration of their physical, mental and spiritual faculties so that the students can become healthier, saner and more integrated members of the society and of the nation. Yoga education helps in self-discipline and self-control, leading to immense amount of awareness, concentration and higher level of consciousness. Briefly the aims and objectives of Yoga education are:

1. to enable the student to have good health.

2. to practice mental hygiene.

3. to possess emotional stability.

4. to integrate moral values.

5. to attain higher level of consciousness.

All these objectives could be dealt with in an integrated manner. Yoga education could help to equip oneself with basic knowledge about one’s personality, to learn to handle oneself well in all life situations, to learn techniques of gaining good health, to develop a discriminative mind capable of knowing the real from the unreal and to face the dualities of life with equanimity. Yoga education can start from standard II up to standard IX. This would require about 480 sessions. Yoga education can enhance all the activities of the students, be it academic or sport or social. Yoga techniques provide improved attention in studies, better stamina and co-ordination for sports and a heightened awareness and balanced attitude for social activity. Yoga education can be integrated in school education during the time set aside for P.T. but in a calm and quiet place creating the proper atmosphere for its proper study and practice. Clear concepts are necessary in teaching Yoga. Yoga practices can be built around concepts like conditioning (preparation), synchronization, concentration, relaxation, self-reliance. Yoga teaching/learning should be experience based, i.e. the student should gain direct experience of the subject taught. Here the skill and knowledge of the teacher come into full play. A dedicated and dynamic teacher can create an atmosphere for learning. The teacher should have a deep experience of the concept he is teaching. Moreover, he can teach only what he knows. The teacher should have good rapport with the students. The teacher should be trained and experienced in knowing the physical and psychological needs of the students in various age groups. As Yoga deals with life and learning, these concepts should be integrated into life situations through various methods available to the teacher. As the Yoga teacher gains experience, he may have to acquire skills of a counselor for the problems the student faces at the physical, psychological and spiritual levels of his personality. Counseling can be done during the time allotted for recreation. Teachers and parents should acquaint themselves with Yoga; they could attend a short introductory course on Yoga. This will help them to understand the special needs of a student practicing Yoga. The course of Yoga for the student should be well formulated in terms of contents, aptness and graded so that what is learnt earlier works hand in glove with what follows. Practices should be progressive — from easy to difficult; ideology should only be explained students of a later class who are mature to understand it. An ideal number for a Yoga class is 20 students; if there are more in number, one assistant would be useful. It is difficult to handle large numbers in a Yoga class — the teachers could lose contact with the students and the Yoga class in turn mechanical. As Yoga experience is subjective — any mechanical means of evaluation may not provide a good guideline. An experienced teacher can notice the progress of a Yoga student through his behavior and through his life activities. The Yoga Institute has worked on all aspects of Yoga education and through its pioneering efforts, it has provided the finest training for Yoga education teachers.

**Contents and Sample Pages**