When Tara Guber first approached a public school to teach yoga in United States, the Hindu roots of Yoga was opposed by Christian fundamentalists and secularists. She removed chanting and translated Sanskrit words in yoga into English to allay the fears of those who opposed it on religious lines.
Today more than 100 schools in 26 States have adopted Yoga. Teachers say it helps children with attention-deficit disorder and reduce obesity.
Rachel Konrad, an Associated Press Writer, has written in detail about Yoga in public schools and you can read it here.
The Sages who invented yoga never talked about Hinduism. Because the very word Hinduism was coined hundreds of years later. The sages only wanted to help humanity with their knowledge. And if it is helping humanity even after thousands of years it is the greatness of their knowledge and the way of life they led.
2 comments:
Nice to know that Yoga is being started in schools there, but at the cost of certain omissions. Chanting of some Sanskrit words are removed !! Very sad.
That brings to discussion on a similar interesting topic :
Several Sanskrit slogams and mantras are all designed/created in such a way that when they are recited, they go with the breathing, and the sounds create a sort of vibration and soothing. I heard about this from a few Sanskrit scholars at my college.
So, translating some very old Sanskrit mantras and slogans to other languages were received with doubt. But now these translated neo verses are quickly becoming popular. Another direction leading to the destruction of Sanskrit. But at the least happy to know more (Sanskrit) ignorant people are able to recite and appreciate those translated ones.
It is true that Sanskrit slogas and mantras are created in such a way that when they are recited, they go with the breathing, and the sounds create a sort of vibration and soothing. But sadly the fundamentalists and secularists always identify Sanskrit with Hindutva and as something forced on people to make them follow Hindu Religion.
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