'Yoga' should be Looking at Olympics Very Soon

With yoga evolving into a sport along with healthcare, can it be taken to the Olympics? India should think about this.

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Today, 'soft power' is an important concept in international relations. Everyone is aware that yoga is a huge soft power for India. That is why we must make full use of this 'yoga' power to strengthen India's international relations. The concept of 'International Yoga Day' has come to be accepted all over the world. The journey of the Indian way of life, 'Yoga', to 'Yoga' has strengthened India as a nation. Despite the many socio-political contexts behind it, these new changes should be viewed positively. Today, while yoga is evolving as a sport along with healthcare, can it be taken to the Olympics? India should think about this.

Everyone knows the steps taken by the NDA government to spread yoga in India and abroad. The entire industry, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, seems to be standing behind the campaign. This is a great opportunity for the 'yoga' field. India as a country will take full advantage of this opportunity, but if this vision of life is accepted, it will benefit the whole world.

Today, there is a huge demand for learning yoga in response to the growing stress around the world. As there is demand, it is natural for the supply trade to emerge from it. Today, Western countries are ahead of India in this trade. The commercial value of yoga in the United States alone is. 16.8 billion . Yoga is developing as an important component of the healthcare sector in many countries around the world, including the United States. Leading countries are South Africa, Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Along with yoga camps, yoga classes, the market for items required for yogasanas (for example mats, clothes, books, food) seems to be expanding exponentially.

The Indian people have a large share in yoga-related institutions abroad, but India does not benefit much from it. Because the origin of those institutions is not Indian. Swami Vivekananda, K. Pattabhi Joyce, b. K. S. India has a rich tradition of yoga gurus like Iyengar. These yoga gurus traveled all over the world to promote and propagate yoga. He made his disciples all over the world and taught them yoga, but did not start profitable institutions in his name all over the world. It is natural for those yogis who follow the spiritual path not to expect material benefits. But in the 20th century, India needs to reap the political and economic benefits of yoga. This is easily possible for India because yoga was born in our own India and the Yoga Sutras were developed by the sage Pantanjali in India.

Known as a popular yoga guru, Baba Ramdev started Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd. in 2006. Started a company called. In 2016-17, the company had a turnover of Rs 10,561 crore . Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd. Baba Ramdev took advantage of Yoga's reputation to spread the company. Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd. The success of the company makes us realize the potential of yoga in the healthcare business.

India is known worldwide as a culturally rich country. However, India's name is not in the 'Soft Power 30' report released in 2018 . The top three countries in the report are the United Kingdom, France and Germany, respectively. The United States ranks fourth. The first three countries were colonial states and their empires were spread over many countries. Although all of these countries are now independent sovereign nations, the cultural and educational institutions of those countries have been influenced by the former colonial empire. India was also part of the British Empire before independence. Now India is in competition with many such nations. So if India wants to win this tournament, they have to recognize the potential of their soft power. For this, 'Yoga' is the most effective tool in the hands of India.

In 2014, the Ministry of AYUSH was formed to study and research Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy. The Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) was established by the AYUSH Department in 1998 . The aim of this organization is to revive the yoga culture and spread the yoga philosophy across the country. The institution has various courses for learning yoga, pranayama and meditation. Instructor courses are also available. Instructors who have completed instructor studies can work for the propagation of yoga. Although yoga training is not yet mandatory in schools, yoga has been included in the physical education curriculum in many schools.

Yoga was given the status of a sport in 2016 under the Sport Authority of India and all the responsibility of yoga was handed over to the Ministry of Sports. Yoga was also included in the priority list. To include any sport in the priority list, it has to be part of the Olympic or Asian Games. But, yoga was an exception to this rule. Yogasana competitions are organized at the state and national level in India. But these competitions are not taking place at the international level yet. This change would have encouraged more and more athletes to participate in yoga competitions at the international level. However, 14 months after the announcement, the decision was reversed and the responsibility of yoga was again handed over to the Ministry of AYUSH. Here, however, the government missed an opportunity to raise the international profile of yoga.

A scheme can also be implemented under the Ministry of AYUSH. India's 'cultural ambassadors' have been sent to 100 different countries. Some ambassadors have been specially appointed as 'Yoga-Doots'. His primary function is to spread Yoga, Vedas and Indian philosophy by organizing workshops and lectures. If the Ministry of AYUSH, in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), builds well-equipped yoga centers in countries around the world with the votes of these yoga ambassadors, it will be easier to spread the 'Indian brand' of yoga through these yoga centers. Teaching yoga that costs thousands of dollars in private yoga centers can be made available in these yoga centers. Yogasana competitions can also be held in these countries, and if all goes according to plan, the goal of one day including yoga in the Olympics can be achieved.

In order to be included in the Yoga Olympics, of course, all it has to do is establish its organization at the national and international level, set rules, popularize it as a sport. But considering the stage at which India has taken the popularity of yoga today, it does not seem difficult to do so. If India does this, India will be known as a soft power, but the world will also find the key to health by laughing.