Know About the First Yoga Institute in India

the First Yoga Institute in India

India has introduced the world to Yoga. Yoga is a wonderful practice that helps you to balance your fitness, flexibility, focus, and spirituality. In ancient Indian literature, Yoga is regarded as a way of connecting humans to the one higher self. It is a way of being in union with higher consciousness. 

However, today the world sees Yoga as a very unique method of fitness & exercise. But to whom should we give credit for this achievement? 

Do you know about the first-ever Yoga Institute in India? If not, read this blog to get the very insights into the world’s first Yoga Institute. 

The Yoga Institute India:

In 1918, Sri Yogendra established the first ever organized Yoga training center in the world. Sri Yogendra is famous for his recognized works in reviving the old Yoga in the modern world. The Institute is the oldest Yoga training center in the world and is situated at Santacruz in Mumbai. 

The Yoga Institute has come through living a long journey of 104 years now. We will talk about the history and its growth with time in later sections of this blog. Currently, the Yoga Institute is one of its kind in the whole world. The institute conducts a number of workshops & therapeutic health camps. 

The institute has adopted several BMC schools, conducts Yoga classes for teachers & students, and organizes camps for juvenile homes, women’s shelters, and extra. 

Currently, the institute is active in several countries. These are India, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, South America, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, and the UK. The Director of The Yoga Institute is Hansa Yogendra. She is also serving as the President of the International Board of Yoga.  

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History of the Yoga Institute:

In 1918, The Yoga Institute was established at ‘The Sands’. The Sands was the residence of Dadabhai Naoroji. It was near Versova beach near Bombay. Sri Yogendra Ji who founded this institute made Yoga freely available to all men, women, and children regardless of their class, caste, race, and color. 

In 1919, Sri Yogendra Ji established its branch in America at Bear Mountain. Until 1927, Yogendra Ji traveled to spread Yoga to several corners of the world. Till his marriage in 1927, he gathered ancient manuscripts on Hatha Yoga and Yoga Mudras. In 1933, he published his first journal on Yoga. 

Later in the year 1948, after independence, The Yoga Institute got its permanent place at Santacruz. The Government of India made its first documentary film on Yoga under the supervision of The Yoga Institute only. 

In 1957, the institute started working with the Government on a survey of Yoga. In 1970, the Government established its center in several countries mentioned above. 

In 1997, The Institute hosted the international Yoga conference. Note that the great Dalai Lama presided over this program. 

The Yoga Institute launched its own Yoga Museum in December 2008. This is one of its kind in the whole world. The museum shows you many paintings, literature, and old devices to showcase the rich heritage of Yoga. Note that the history of Yoga leads you back 5000 years back. 

Research of the Yoga Institute:

The Yoga Institute became more than just a Yoga training center in the world. The Indian Government started research on Yoga with the help of Sri Yogendra Ji. In 1924, Yogendra Ji conducted research on ‘Prana’ with an orientalist Surendranath Dasgupta. Surendranath was also a scholar of Sanskrit & philosophy. 

The institute researched Khechari Mudra and Sutra Neti kriya in its X-Rays research. The Union of the Ministry of Health gave Rs. 35 Lakh to The Yoga Institute to research exam stress management in parents & children. 

In 2004, the institute researched and proved that heart diseases can be reversed through Yoga practices in its research project Caring Heart. This was published & proved in The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India.

Recognition & Award:

The Yoga Institute has won many recognitions and awards in its name. Below are some of them. 

– The Central Government of India recognized The Yoga Institute as a special Yoga training center & research institute. 

– In 2016, the Ministry of Ayush certified it as the first authorized Yoga school to conduct government-certified courses. 

– In 2018, The Yoga Institute won the Prime Minister’s Award for outstanding contribution to the promotion & development of Yoga. 

Conclusion:

The Yoga Institute is 104 years old. In all these years, the institute has greatly benefitted Yoga by spreading it in different parts of the world. This institute also has developed it with modern technologies to bring it to the international health practices list.  In a manner, we can say that without the institute, we can’t imagine the prosperous journey of our precious inheritance- Yoga.  

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