Mumbai: The honorable President of India, Shri. Ram Nath Kovind and Shri. Kamlesh Patel (Daaji) Guide of Heartfulness and President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission unveiled ‘Yoga for Unity and Well-being’ initiative, with an aim to unite people across the world by practicing yoga & meditation for 100 days for a healthier and happier life.  Yoga rishi Baba Ramdev of Patanjali Yogpeeth,Shri Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary Ministry of Ayush, Dr. H. R. Nagendra, Founder Chancellor and Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA) were present to show their commitment to this initiative.

People around the world can tune in every morning into a virtual session to learn asanas by instructors of leading Yoga institutes possessing a legacy of hundreds of years, all under the unifying banner of the ‘Yoga for Unity and Well-being’. Additionally, attendees can listen in to the lecture series on every Wednesdays and Saturday evenings. Daaji will conduct special meditation sessions for seekers to experience transformation through Transmission (life energy). The series will come to an end on the much-celebrated International Yoga day.

In his message the President of India, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind said, “I want to convey my deep appreciation to Swami Ramdev Ji, Dr. H R Nagendra, Shri Kamlesh Patel (Daaji) and other yoga gurus who will be helping the participants with their exceptional effectiveness.” He further added, “The world moves to attain progress through science and technology, there is a need to restore the balance between human beings and nature through sustainable methods. The concept of health according to yoga goes beyond physical wellbeing. Yoga is an approach to holistic wellbeing which includes physical and mental fitness. Its benefits lead to freedom from psychological stress and bodily ailments. It results in a high level of positive energy. It is also a path to spiritual calmness. It is not associated with any religion, region, or people but belongs to the entire world and all of humanity.”

Daaji, the Guide of Heartfulness said, “India is home to a multitude of practices to explore one’s purpose in life. I am proud that the Heartfulness Institute has facilitated the united effort of organisations from across the Globe for people to easily learn yoga & meditation. I urge everyone to take the time to attend these sessions, which are free of charge, from the comfort of their homes to metamorphose their lives.”

Earlier, during the International Yoga Conference at Mysore in November 2019, Daaji had given a clarion call for all spiritual organisations to work together for the upliftment of humanity. Since then, Heartfulness Institute has been playing a unifying role in bringing together various spiritual, yoga & meditation organizations along with key government bodies towards the cause of spreading yoga to many more. The message from Daaji was simple – every yoga or spiritual institute individually has tremendous influence and is making a difference in the lives of people, collectively the impact of working together can transform humanity at an accelerated pace.

Yogrishi Swami Ramdev, President, Patanjali Yogpeeth, spoke on the transformative initiative and said, “It is the beginning of a new-era for yoga and meditation in a post-pandemic world. While many have started practicing yoga and its asanas, they are unaware of its full potential to expand our collective consciousness. This series will not only unify practitioners for the goal of collective well-being but also enable them to explore the full potential of a yogic lifestyle and access to wider base of yoga institutes that have perfected and continue the traditional and authentic methodologies.”  

Vaidhya Shri Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, India said, “Ministry of Ayush is also working in close collaboration with various reputed leading Yoga Institutions for making IDY a true mass movement. The Ministry is supporting a major IDY-2021 related initiative from Shri Ram Chandra Mission/Heartfulness Institute under the theme ‘Yoga for Unity and Well-being’.”

Dr. H. R. Nagendra, Founder Chancellor, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA), said, “We are thankful to the Shri Ram Chandra Mission for unifying authentic traditional schools of yoga and enabling an interactive experience with a global audience. These 100 days of practice will create an immersive experience for participants to make yoga and meditation an integral part of their daily lives.”

Last month, Prime Minister Modi speaking at celebration of the completion of 75 years of Heartfulness practice said that “The world is battling the evils like pandemic, depression and even terrorism arising out of a fast-paced life. In such situation, Sahaj Marg and Heartfulness program along with Yoga are like the beacon of hope for the world.” The “Yoga for Unity and Well-being” program is another step by Heartfulness Institute to unify everyone for achieving the highest goal through interconnectedness amongst ourselves without any barriers.

Yoga for Unity and Well-being: March 15^th – Jun 21^st, 2021

Through this series, Heartfulness Institute is uniting the leading traditional yoga schools and bringing their practices onto a single platform for the benefit of humanity. The entire series is free-of-cost for participants. 75+ Yoga practice sessions from different lineages, 30+ weekly lectures by Yoga experts, and weekend masterclasses with Daaji will be conducted, starting from 15th March for the next 100 days on the Heartfulness YouTube channel and social media platforms. Participants can register on https://heartfulness.org/en/yoga4unity/ for free access to all the sessions.

The event is supported by The Ministry of Ayush, the UN Information Center- UNIC – India & Bhutan, Yoga for harmony and Peace, and the Association of Indian Universities.

Program Format 100 DAYS OF YOGA BY Heartfulness Institute 15th March 2021 – 20th June 2021
Daily Morning   6:30 – 7:30 AM		Evenings: Wednesdays and Saturdays 5 PM		Special Session Sundays 9:00 AM
30 mins Asana and pranayama Practice		Lectures and Panel Discussions by Yoga & Lifestyle experts		Meditate with Daaji
30 mins meditation		Interesting Discussions

Heartfulness under the aegis of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (also known as Sahaj Marg) has been propagating the modern-day version of the ancient Raja Yoga system of meditation amongst millions of people across 160 countries worldwide. Heartfulness Institute is organizing the series to make yogic practices accessible to the masses and enable traditional, lesser-known yoga institutes to engage with a global audience.