Preparations for International Yoga Day begin, ‘Yoga Ke Pehle Dhara Yoga’ campaign launched on the banks of Ganga

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.”On the occasion of the 12th International Yoga Day, preparations have started on a large scale in Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh. This year’s preparations were started not only with the practice of Yoga, but also with the inspirational message of “Earth Yoga before Yoga”, while discharging our responsibilities towards nature and environment. Rishikumars, students, volunteers of Parmarth Niketan and seekers from India and abroad conducted a special cleanliness campaign on the banks and ghats of Mother Ganga and gave the message that the basis of a healthy body and a healthy society is clean nature and clean environment.

“Swami Chidanand Saraswati” of Parmarth Peethadhishwar, Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh said that Yoga is not only a medium to keep the body healthy, but is a divine practice to make the entire life balanced, harmonious and aware. He said that if our land, our rivers and our environment are polluted, then human life also cannot remain healthy. Therefore, the real beginning of Yoga should be from sensitivity towards nature and environmental protection. To spread this sentiment to the common people, the campaign “Yoga before Yoga” was launched.

Pujya Swami Ji said that today the world is adopting Yoga, but the basic philosophy of Yoga gives us the message that we are connected not only to our body but to the entire creation. When we keep the earth clean, conserve water sources and respect nature, only then the real practice of Yoga is complete. Yoga makes us journey from ‘I’ to ‘We’ and this feeling is the basis of world welfare.

During the cleanliness campaign, all the participants collected plastic, garbage and other waste materials spread on the banks and ghats of Ganga and made arrangements for their proper disposal. All the people present also took a pledge not to use single-use plastic, conserve water and keep the environment around them clean.

On this occasion, Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati Ji said that Yoga is not just an hour spent on the mat, but is an art of living. If our behavior is not responsible towards nature, our yoga is incomplete. He said that the earth is our mother and serving her is the true spiritual practice. Cleaning Ganga is not just a campaign, but our cultural, spiritual and human responsibility.

He said that the objective of International Yoga Day is not just to do yoga asanas, but to inculcate the basic life values ​​of yoga – compassion, balance, discipline, service and respect for nature. When we keep the environment around us clean, then we experience positivity, purity and energy within ourselves.

Many seekers from India and abroad participated enthusiastically in this campaign organized by Parmarth Niketan. People were inspired to protect the environment through motivational slogans like “Clean Ganga, Healthy India”, “Yoga before Yoga”, “Only if the earth remains clean, life will be healthy”, “Clean Ganga, Green Earth” and “Healthy Planet, Healthy People”.

Ambassadors, representatives and diplomats from many countries of the world will participate in the ‘Common Yoga Protocol’ organized at Parmarth Niketan on the occasion of ’12th International Yoga Day’. In the holy presence of Swami Chidanand Saraswati and Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati Ji, hundreds of seekers, tourists, yoga seekers, Yogacharyas and Rishikumar Parmarth of Parmarth Gurukul from different states of India will collectively practice the Common Yoga Protocol on the banks of Ganga. After that, we will offer our sacrifices for world peace.

This message of “Yoga before Dhara Yoga” is not limited only to International Yoga Day, but the main objective of this initiative is to make it a resolution in the daily life of every person. Only when the earth will be healthy, humans will be healthy and only then the real form of Yoga can be established in the world.