Bend it in Delhi with Yoga

Art exhibitions, dance and music performances, as well as theatre shows and events like talks, meditation sessions and yoga workshops will be held across venues in the Capital between June 21 and 27 to celebrate the International Day of Yoga. June 21 was declared the International Day of Yoga by the UN General Assembly and the resolution was adopted by over 177 countries.

The “Yog Parv” aims to highlight the essence, philosophy and virtues of yoga for spiritual uplifting, healing and holistic developments that influences all aspects of life by taking participants beyond asanas and making them explore the world of visual and performance art that shares a strong connect.

The Lalit Kala Akademi, Sahitya Akademi, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and National Museum have joined hands for the event. Over 300 selected works of art, dance and music performances, workshops, and other presentations by 150 plus artists from across India and overseas that bring out the essence of the spirit of yoga will be showcased. Besides these, a collaborative effort with yoga schools and centres like Isha Foundation, Patanjali, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga have been curated to conduct workshops and yoga sessions along with showcasing different kinds of ayurvedic, herbal and organic products to visitors at the organic and wellness

haats .

Sushma. K. Bahl, curator of the cultural projects of the event, says the act of creating art itself is a yogic practice for the artists, and the

rasikas reflected in the vast corpus of visual arts. Encompassing traditions and modernity, some featuring idealised yogic bodies prepared, purified and adorned; and others in abstract meditative forms elucidate unity of the self with the absolute for harmony and peace.

The exhibitions, she says, will include antiquities selected and sourced from museums around the country as well as fresh commissions by contemporary artists.

Sangeet Natak Akademi secretary Helen Acharya says performing arts are understood in the context of yoga as

naad yoga,

asanas ,

mudras ,

pranayam ,

bandhas ,

kriyas and

dhyana . Both yoga and performance art is based on physical exercise that has meditative and spiritual pursuits to connect humanity.

The Yog Parva will be organised at Rabindra Bhavan here.