- Monday, March 03, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
The International Yoga Festival (IYF) 2023 concluded on Tuesday (14) at Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand with sessions and activities apart from honouring the 100th day in the run-up to the International Day of Yoga on June 21.
The week-long festival was organised by the ‘niketan’ with the support of a number of ministries of the Indian government, including tourism, culture and AYUSH.
The day saw a special ‘surya namaskar’ offered at the feet of Lord Shiva on the banks of River Ganga at the ‘niketan’ in the presence of its president, His Holiness Swami Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, and Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, the director of the IYF.
The valedictory session took place in the evening where a number of dignitaries, including Indian minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Pujya Acharya Mahamandeleshwar Swami Avdheshanand Giriji of the Juna Akhara, Dr HR Nagendraji, Chancellor of SVASYA and Member of Indian Yoga Association, and others were present along with HH Pujya Swami Sidanand Saraswati and Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati. A special Ganga Aarti and LIVE concert by kirtaniyas were also held.
The concluding day of the event was also special since the 52nd birthday of Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati was also celebrated on the occasion. Prayers were offered in her honour and participants from around the globe recalled her glorious life journey and the impact she had on their lives.
A special ‘yajna’ was held in the morning in the honour of Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati where HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati said, “I am so proud to see how Pujya Sadhviji has dedicated her entire life like a sacred yajna in the selfless service of Bharat Mata. She is a guru and guides so many people across the world bringing light, love, peace and yoga to wherever she goes. Her journey from Hollywood to the Himalayas is a journey that inspires countless many to offer everything they have to the service of humanity. Her life is yoga in action and yoga in its truest essence.”
Among other dignitaries who were present on the occasion, Rev Michael Bernard Beckwith, Ira Trivedi and Gil Ron Shama paid tributes to Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati.
The session, titled ‘The Yoga of Abundance: The Dharma of Prosperity’, was moderated by Ganga Nandini of Parmarth Niketan and director of Projects & Communication for the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance. The session focused on establishing a healthy relationship with money and wealth and utilising it with dharma and balance.
The final day of the IYF also included a session on Vedic chanting by Sadhvi Abha Saraswatiji of Parmarth Niketan. This was followed by “in Silence! Lila Yoga Sun Salutations in Precious Nada” by Erica Kaufman who is a yogini and a contact Improviser.
Dr Indu Sharma of Rishikesh took up a session on “Hatha Yoga – Chakra Alignment” where she covered topics on flow, balancing and unblocking of the 7 chakras using Hatha Yoga asanas.
At the yoga tent, Sensei Sandeep Desai, who is an internationally known master of T’ai Chi, yoga and martial arts, taught participants to learn T’ai Chi dance.
Also, a Sunrise Nāda Yoga was conducted by Anandra, Gumi & Arindam on the river bank.
After breakfast, a kirtan workshop and Mantra Alchemy by Kirtaniyas, a musical band based in India, was held. Dr Radhika Nagrath, who has been associated with Patanjali Yogpeeth for the past 25 years, took a session on mind-body balance through yoga.
Yogrishi Vishvaketu, founder of the Akhanda Yoga Institute, took the participants on a journey to learn about the history and practice of classical sun salutations.
A session titled “Tuning into a Grateful Heart” by Anand Mehrotra talked about the value of humility and satisfaction in one’s life.
The lunch was followed by an informative session by María Alejandra Avcharian, a well-known Ayurvedic medicine therapist who talked about ‘agni’ and digestion.
Dr Devaki Madhav from Mysuru in the southern state of Karnataka, who has taken the practice of ‘pranayama’ to international level, conducted a masterclass on the art of breathing and ‘pranayama’ titled “Scientific Pranayama for Total Wellness’ .
In the final spiritual plenary session of the IYF, Ken Honda from Japan, who is a best-selling author of self development books, including his most popular one “Happy Money,” was joined by the likes of Swami Svatmananda, ordained monk and teacher of the Vedas, and Gurushabd Singh Khalsa, co-founder of Golden Bridge Yoga.
