In view of Gurudeva Sri Sri Paramahansa Yoganandaji’s pivotal role in the spread of yoga worldwide, Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS) organised various programmes to commemorate this 4th International Day of Yoga (IDY). 

Certainly, Paramahansaji would be very pleased to learn that the world will now be paying homage annually to the philosophy and science of Yoga, as his life was dedicated to introducing all truth seekers to the time-honored techniques of yoga meditation. 

Several events were also organised by YSS Dakshineswar Ashram at various places in and around Kolkata to celebrate IDY in West Bengal. These included guided meditation and open house sessions by YSS sannyasis for introducing the Yoga meditation teachings of Gurudeva to all interested persons and general public. 

Dakshineswar 

On June 17, guided meditation and satsanga were conducted by Brahamachari Achyutanandaji at YSS Dakshineswar Ashram. Starting with a brief introduction about the importance of IDY, Brahmachariji dwelt briefly upon the life and teachings of Gurudeva Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda in order to introduce Guruji and YSS teachings to the newcomers. 

This was followed by singing of Cosmic Chants, a period of guided meditation, and the practice of visualization techniques. This spiritual session was concluded with the practice of healing techniques as given by Gurudeva.  

At the end, prasad packets were distributed to all. 

Nearly 176 people, including many newcomers, attended this morning programme – four persons enrolled themselves as new lesson members of YSS and a few others picked up lesson application forms after the event. 

Dihika 

On the morning of June 17, 2018, IDY was celebrated at Yogoda Satsanga Dhyana Kendra, Dihika with a special programme. It was attended by 162 persons which included around 60 students (of Class XI and XII) and staff of a nearby school - Dhakeswari High School. Other than the students and staff, around 13 others - who were completely new to YSS and Guruji’s teachings - attended the event.

Swami Amaranandaji conducted the open house and guided meditation sessions inside the meditation hall. There were nearly 90 devotees from nearby places - Durgapur, Kulti, Alladi, Chittaranjan, Asansol, Dhanbad and Damodar - at the event. The translation of the satsanga was delivered by one of the YSS devotees, Sri Milan Bose.

Through the programme, the attendees were introduced to the Yoga meditation teachings of Gurudeva Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda. Several of them showed a keen interest to know more about YSS and four of them eventually enrolled for the YSS lessons.

Owing to the warm weather condition, lemonade was served to the participants ahead of the programme; and a prasad of fried-rice, dal, sabzi, chutney, papad and mango was served at the end.

To accomodate the large number of participants and to protect devotees from the scorching sun, a make-shift arrangement of a pandal was also made in front of the meditation hall verandah. Separate stalls were set up for books sales and lessons subscription. A special discount of 25 per cent was given on book sales during the programme.

Payradanga 

IDY celebrations by Paramahansa Yogananda Dhyana Mandir, Payradanga took place at 'Antardisha (Inner Vision) Chartibale Trust' run by some devotees of YSS. Brahmachari Shreyanandaji conducted the programme at the venue on June 17.  

Beginning with a brief introductory talk on the relevance of IDY and Guruji’s life and teachings, Brahamachariji conducted chanting, meditation, visualization and healing exercises. At the end of the programme, prasad packets were distributed to all. 

The open house and guided meditation sessions by Brahmachariji were attended by 60 people, many of whom were new to the Yoga teachings of Gurudeva Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda. Two of them enrolled as lesson members after the programme.  

In the evening, a video of a recorded TV interview of Swami Ishwaranandaji in Hindi was screened for the attendees. 

Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, Kolkata 

On the occasion of the 4th International Day of Yoga, Brahamachari Achyutanandaji from YSS gave a talk on 'Yoga – Union of Science and Religion' at the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum in Kolkata, West Bengal. 

To read more about this programme, click here.

Garpar 

At the Yogoda Satsanga Dhyana Kendra, Garpar, 100 persons registered for attending the IDY programme conducted by Swamis Amaranandaji and Nigamanandaji on June 24. Out of them 58 were first timers, and the rest were YSS lesson students. Most of the newcomers came from nearby areas, and several among the existing lesson students present for the open house and guided meditation by Swamiji had enrolled only recently. 

The programme evoked a tremendous response from the attendees. Information leaflets on YSS were distributed to all. 

Telary  

In keeping with the annual IDY tradition at Yogoda Satsanga Dhyana Kendra, Telary, the meditation centre hosted 14 schools of nearby localities for the IDY programme conducted by Brahamachari Swarupanandaji on June 24. 

An initial period of guided meditation was followed by a satsanga by Brahmachariji, in which he introduced the teachings of Gurudeva to those present. There were around 30 students among the 55 attendees who came for the satsanga despite heavy rains. While six participants showed interest in becoming YSS lesson members and collected lesson application forms, five of them eventually enrolled themselves on the spot.  

A joyous vibration was felt by the group and many of them went back specially charged with the divine blessings of God and Gurudeva.  

Serampore 

A special programme to celebrate IDY was held at Yogoda Satsanga Dhyana Kendra, Serampore on the evening of June 24 to introduce newcomers to Guruji’s Yoga meditation teachings.  

Nearly 75 persons attended the guided meditation and satsanga by Brahamachari Achyutanandaji at the premises of ‘Anandaloka,’ where Serampore Dhyana Kendra is now located.  

This building was the home of Guruji’s uncle Sri Sarada Ghosh which was later donated to YSS by his son Sri Prabhas Chandra Ghosh. As is well known, this house has been sanctified by divine memories of Gurudeva. The celebration of IDY within this sacred premise bears a special significance for YSS devotees and all others who are aware of the significance of this place.   

In this sacred setting, Brahamchariji led the group of attendees through a brief introduction followed by chanting of Cosmic Chants, guided meditation and practice of visualization as well as healing techniques of YSS. Towards the end of the programme, a video show of a recorded TV interview of Swami Ishwaranadaji in Hindi was screened for the audience. 

The response of the participants reflected their feeling of being greatly uplifted by attending the programme. Many of them showed a keen interest to know more about the science of Kriya Yoga and the sacred teachings of our beloved Gurudeva Sri Sri Parmahansa Yogananda. in an open house session, several persons came forward to pose their queries to Brahmachariji. Owing to a constraint of time, some of requests could not be accommodated. 

While two persons applied for new lessons, many others who expressed interest in the teachings were advised to go through Guruji’s Autobiography of a Yogi and then visit any of the YSS ashrams for further enquiry.  

At the close of the programme, prasad packets were given to all participants. 

To view images, click here.