TV Channel

Yoga in Daily Life is a system of yoga and meditation designed for health and lifestyle management, based on four main principles: physical health, social health, mental health, and spiritual health. It is practiced by people from all walks of life, regardless of age or physical ability. Classes are held for the general public, in the corporate sector for stress management, in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, as well as for adults and children with special needs. Non-profit Yoga in Daily Life associations are established worldwide and are actively involved in local, national, and international community projects. On a local level, the Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life strongly supports humanitarian work. Volunteer instructors conduct classes for intellectually disabled adults at institutions, for senior citizens in aged care homes, for prison inmates, for the terminally ill in hospital palliative care units, and for children. On a national level, Yoga in Daily Life frequently collaborates with other Australian organisations to raise community awareness and funds for initiatives. These have included the Red Cross, the Cancer Council, Oxfam Community Aid Abroad, Amnesty International, the Australia Tibet Council, the WSPA, as well as various local and state governments. Yoga in Daily Life also supports Australia's rich multicultural diversity, frequently hosting cultural events to foster harmony and understanding between people of all nations. On an international level, the Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life was present at the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, launching its Type 2 initiative for desert rainwater harvesting. This grassroots project aims to address the urgent water crisis in the drought-stricken regions of Rajasthan, India. Other international projects actively supported by Yoga in Daily Life in Australia and abroad include the education of women and children in collaboration with the Rajasthan State Government of India. Residential seminars for women are held to empower them to act in an advisory capacity within their local community on matters of health, hygiene, and child development. In 1999, Yoga in Daily Life began addressing the issues of school education amongst poor communities with the philosophy that every child has an equal right to education. No child with a wish to study should be denied that wish due to their family’s financial or community status. The school project operating in the rural district of Pali is generously supported by Yoga in Daily Life sponsors in Europe, India, and Australia. The organization’s founder is Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Māheśvarānanda, simply known as Svāmījī. He is a gifted organizer and a tireless humanitarian worker. For the last 30 years, he has been initiating humanitarian aid projects to improve human welfare. He has addressed the United Nations on issues of peace and environmental protection and has taken the message of unity and tolerance to various world leaders. In recognition of his life’s work, he has received countless awards, most recently in July 2002 from President Messick of the Croatian government. In 2001, Yoga in Daily Life worldwide held candlelight peace vigils to raise people’s awareness and to unite them in their wish for world peace. At a recent address in Europe, Svāmījī’s words resounded a clear message: our world situation is not in balance. It is unfortunate that humanity continues to ignore the lessons of history. War arises out of greed for power or difference in religious beliefs. But no matter on what side of the wall someone dies, remember that a member of our human society has lost their life. Be without discrimination, for world peace is possible only when all people practice respect and recognition of other cultures and traditions. During Svāmījī’s 2002 World Peace Tour, the Yoga in Daily Life Associations initiated interfaith dialogues in Europe, Australia, South Africa, and India. In these historic meetings, religious and spiritual leaders discussed the critical need to foster tolerance and understanding and to bridge the gap between religions and cultures. In the meetings, there is always the mutual recognition that one God is worshipped in many forms and in many ways throughout the world. In July 2002, Svāmījī and the Dalai Lama met in Zagreb, Croatia. These two spiritual luminaries have dedicated their lives to easing the suffering of humanity. Their discussions shared a common concern for lasting world peace. On October 5, 2002, an international conference on world peace and the message of Mahātmā Gandhi was initiated by Svāmījī in Vienna, Austria, with 2,000 participants attending from 40 countries, including ambassadors from 25 countries and spiritual leaders from eight different faiths. This remarkable conference focused on human rights, ethics, and human values as the most valuable assets for world peace and sustainable development. Gandhījī said that Islam and Hinduism, these two are our two eyes. And now my question is this, dear brothers and sisters, which eye do you want, and which eye do you want to take out? None of them. We need both. We need both equally. We need tolerance in the world. Where there is no tolerance, especially in religion, then the country is suffering, and the whole world will suffer. I believe that only when we are open to each other are we truly liberated. Not by giving up, but by adding. The road of true dialogue is from tolerance to respect. Are we to respond to real or perceived threats from others or other nations with violence, or retribution, or aggression? Have we learned so little from the history of humanity and the appalling carnage of war? The survival of humanity itself is seen by many to be under threat at this time in world history. So we must not make the mistakes of the past. It has happened many times that the motive of military actions held without the approval of the United Nations organization was not always in the interest of humanity. The United Nations organization, the General Assembly, and the Security Council are most competent to decide what is good and what is bad in the world for mankind. The prophetic words and actions of Mahātmā Gandhi challenge us in the hypocrisy of the present age. We live in an age of so-called globalization. But the reality is that the rich are growing richer, and the poor are growing poorer. The values of village life are often dismissed. A fragile environment, polluted and desecrated in the name of development; family and community and religious values and traditions eroded or despised. We need to learn that sustainability and communication cannot only be solved by macro-economics or digital opportunities. Mahātmā Gandhi showed us the way with a simple lifestyle, an attitude of respect, and a sense of needing each other. If we are to pursue peace and safeguard it, we must listen to the voices of Gandhījī, of Martin Luther King, of Desmond Tutu, and many such others. Peace requires peace within the human heart. Peace also requires compassion, a sense of connectedness with other humans and with other species. Peace is the deeply felt wish that others may prosper with all their differences. If we have to handle September the 11th, healing of wounds is what we must learn: wounds of technology, of inequity, of increasing crime, and wounds relating to the loss of the sacred in our lives. A miracle has happened. It can only happen when we have people like Svāmījī with us, different people. We recognize the interconnectedness between the world of humans and the world of nature. Unless we care for the earth and one another, we risk, in the words of the Earth Charter, the destruction of ourselves and the diversity of life. We also recognize our interconnectedness despite our differences in religion, for dialogue is not a luxury. It is essential to achieve the goal of enduring peace: peace between individuals, peace between communities, and peace between different religions. With Gandhi, we must acknowledge unity in diversity.