Foreign delegates stand testimony to yoga at meet

It helps create good human beings, says Korean expert

The very basic meaning of yoga is integration. Yoga literally bound the people of different nationalities in oneness during the three-day International conference on ‘Yoga  therapy for stress disorders’ organised by the Department of Human Consciousness & Yogic Sciences and Dharmanidhi Yoga Peetha of Mangalore University in Mangalagangothri.

Delegates from foreign countries met under a single roof and spoke on the various aspects of yoga, exploring wide possibilities of yoga in terms of heeling and research.

Wonkwang Digital University, South Korea, Pro-Chancellor Prof Seo Jeong Soon, who came with 17 students, said it was in 1965 when yoga was introduced to South Korea. Today, even people is small towns were aware of its benefits.

She said she came all the way from South Korea to India in 1985 to learn yoga. She gained knowledge in yoga, Sanskrit and Indian Philosophy from Banaras Hindu University. Also, she learnt Ayurveda and nature cure.

In her opinion, Yoga is a medium to make good human beings. It provides with a chance to one to reflect upon the self.

The department of yoga which started in 2004 in Wonkwang Digital University has as many as 1000 students today, who undergo four year course in yoga. The department and she personally, are making efforts towards propagating good qualities of yoga as mentioned in Patanjali yoga sutra.

The Sadhana or the expertise, brings peace and tranquility. She opined that  the spiritual aspect of yoga is known much to the practitioners of yoga in South Korea today. She said she  creates awareness on yoga among people even outside her university.

One of the 18 delegates from South Korea, Kim Kyung Hye, who retired from government service last year, said she underwent training under Prof Seo Jeong Soon since last July, found yoga very effective on her mind and body. Especially the chin mudra provides me great relief, she added.

Another student Shin Jeong Sion said yoga nidra which was part of yoga therapy was able to soothe body and mind. From the last five years, she practiced yoga for ten hours, daily.  One of the young students Kim Joung Eun, aged 17 said yoga was the medium to attain good prospects and reach high spiritual level, which she has experienced herself. She called yoga highly divine.

Meaning of life

Yoga Federation of Serbia President and Professor of Yoga in Alpha University, Serbia, Europe, Prof Predrag Nikic and Coordinator for International Cooperation, Yoga Federation of Serbia, Bosiljka Janjusevic said they met several professors of yoga at the conference so as to shed more light on the research on yoga at their country.

Prof Predrag said people who have been searching for the true meaning of life, have found the answer through yoga. Yoga is testimony to the existence of self. Way back in 1972, there were only 12 practitioners of Yoga in Serbia while today there are 12,000.

Also the government has been supporting yoga through the national ministry of yoga. Also, the international centre of research for yoga has been actively involving in the research aspect of yoga. He added that  yoga develops spirituality, good will among people and is an ideal of a contended person.

Yoga Therapy Specialist at Capital center for physiotherapy Chinese therapy, Bahrain, Fatma Almansoori  said that yoga transcends the barriers of religion. All religions have the aspect of yoga in their rituals and prayers. She said she had been through fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome after a serious head injury following an accident.

Even the doctors were pessimistic on her recovery. However hard she tried to fight it out, it became the worse. But, at a juncture of time, she had an enlightenment and surrendered herself. That is when she came to know about yoga.

She came down to Mangaluru and learnt yoga from Nayana Rao and Shraddha Rao under a short term course. With regular practice, in eight months, her health was restored and she found peace of mind. She also went through a short term course at the yogic science department in Mangalore University in 2013.

She underwent more training in Bengaluru to be an accredited yoga therapist. Today, in Bahrain, she treats patients with chronic illness. Fatma added that yoga is quite popular in Bahrain and people are well convinced of the benefits of yoga.