INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA CELEBRATIONS

DATE:June 21st, 2020 TIME: 7AM tO 10AM EST/ 4:30PM to 7:30PM IST

International Day of Yoga 2020 is organized by India Association of Greater
Boston (IAGB) and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-
Sciences (NIMHANS) and its Integrated Centre for Yoga (NICY) located in
Bangalore, India. Since April 27th, IAGB and NICY have been working
together on free 1-hour, daily online tele-yoga practice during weekdays.
The practice was specifically designed to help the feeling of well-being
during this stressful time and over 500 registrants have participated in
the daily yoga sessions.

Yoga is a 5,000-year-old tradition from India that combines physical, mental, and
spiritual pursuits to achieve harmony of the body and mind. On December 11 in
2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21st as the
International Day of Yoga. The declaration came at the behest of the Indian Prime
Minister, Narendra Modi during his address to UN General Assembly on
September 27, 2014, wherein he stated: "Yoga is an invaluable gift of India's
ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action;
restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to
health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of
oneness with yourself, the world and nature”. In Suggesting June 21, which is the
Summer Solstice, as the International Day of Yoga, Narendra Modi had said: "the
date is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and has special
significance in many parts of the world.”

Schedule

• “Yoga Session” by Dr. Hemanth Bhargav at 7AM
• “Yoga for Mental Health” by Dr. Gangadhar, Dr. Nagarathna and Dr, Shivrama Varamballi at 7:50AM
• Sadguru’s Message on IDY
• “Yoga for Stress “by Prof. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa at 8:50AM
• “Yoga in Modern Life/Healthy Life Style” Panel Discussion by Dr. Jyoti C Hinduja, Ram Chelakara(AOL), Jay Gupta(YogaCaps), Narendra Karapakula(Bharatiya Yoga Sansthan), Dev Lingadevaru(Brahmakumari) at 9:15AM

Watch on Zoom 

or 

Facebook Live

Dr. Hemant Bhargav

Dr. Hemanth Bhargav is Assistant Professor of Yoga Department of Integrative Medicine, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, India.
He has previously worked as Assistant Professor of Yoga at Swami Vivekananda Yoga University, Bengaluru for 5 years. He has published more than 60 research papers in peer reviewed international journals in the field of integrative medicine, yoga and Ayurveda, including a book on Yoga for Depression.

Dr. B. N. Gangadhar

Prof.B.N.Gangadhar, MBBS, MD, DSc, is the current Director & Vice Chancellor of National Institute
of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences [NIMHANS], Bengaluru India.
B N Gangadhar has been serving as the Director (since January 2016) and Professor of Psychiatry at
NIMHANS. He completed his MBBS in 1978 (Bangalore Medical College), MD Psychiatry in 1981
(NIMHANS), DSc (Doctor of Science) from SVYASA University for research work of Yoga and Mental
Health in 2012. He has served as Honorary Dean, Life Sciences at SVYASA Yoga University, Bangalore
(from 2013), Adjunct faculty on Consciousness at National Institute of Advanced Studies (from 2014);
President of the Indian Psychiatric Society, Karnataka Chapter (2012-13); Visiting Fellow (IBRO),
Vienna, Austria (1987-88); Consultant to WHO for inspection of Tsunami relief projects 2008. He is
presently on the expert committees of DST and on the national AYUSH committee for integrative
medicine. He is the recipient of the coveted Sir CV Raman Award and Doctors Day Award from the
Government of Karnataka. He has also shared over 25 awards with other primary recipients. B N
Gangadhar was elected Fellow in 2019.

Dr. R. Nagarathna

Dr. R. Nagarathna is one of the pioneers in the field of Yoga therapy. She is the Dean, Division of
yoga and life sciences and chief consultant at Arogyadhama, SVYASA. Dr Nagarathna did her MBBS
from Bangalore medical college, MD in internal medicine fromMysore medical college, Her MRCP
and FRCP from Edinburg, UK. She has over 80 publications in national and international journals and
has 11 books on series of yoga for different ailments published.
She been felicitated with numerous awards such as the: Patanjali Award (2000) for contributions in
the field of yoga by Indian Systems of Medicine and homoeopathy (ISM & H), Ministry of health and
family welfare, Government of India, arranged through Director, ISM & H in Bangalore. Dr P S
Shankar Vaidya Shree award (2001) by Dr P S Shankar Pratistana.
Gulbarga.Woman of Excellence award (2003) by the Badaganadu Sangha Association, Bangalore,
for service to humanity through Yoga Therapy. Karnataka Kalpavalli award (1995) for Service to
women through Yoga awarded by Shaswathi a women’s organization, NMKRV College, Bangalore.
Doctor’s Day award (July 1992) by IMA, Bangalore branch.

Prof. Sat Bir S. Khalsa

Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. is Director of Yoga Research for the Yoga Alliance and the Kundalini Research Institute, Research Associate at the Benson Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, Research Affiliate at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He has conducted research on yoga and yoga therapy since 2001 and has been a practitioner/instructor of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan since 1971. His research has evaluated yoga for insomnia, chronic stress, and anxiety-related disorders, and in the workplace and public schools. He works with the International Association of Yoga Therapists promoting yoga research as scientific director for the annual Symposium on Yoga Research and editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy. He is medical editor of the Harvard Medical School Special Report Introduction to Yoga, and chief editor of the medical textbook The Principles and Practice of Yoga in Health Care.

Dr. Shivarama Varamballi

Dr. Shivarama is a Professor of Psychiatry and currently the Officer-in-Charge of the NICY. His research interests include the neurobiology of psychotic disorders and the therapeutic use of Yoga in neuropsychiatric disorders, with notable contributions in these areas.

Panel Members

Dr. Jyoti C Hinduja

Founder s-VyasaDr. Jyoti C. Hinduja, MBBS, MHA, AHC is a Harvard-trained Executive Healthcare Leader engaged in the healthcare industry from a research and policy perspective. Her unique background, expertise, and skills give her the credibility to change, empower, and inspire people about integrating ancient healing Ayurvedic practices with conventional allopathic medicine with an aim to enhance overall health and wellness.
Dr. Hinduja’s expansive knowledge of Ayurvedic Medicine offers a philosophical perspective of the ancient sciences as a holistic medicine that factors in the body impact of psychology, environment, diet, and lifestyle on the etio-pathogenesis of disease manifestation. She passionately views integrative modalities of treatment as a way to treat the body as a whole from inside out and believes in empowering, rejuvenating, and regenerating the body to heal from within.

Ram chelkhara

Art of LivingRam Chelakara has been practicing yoga and meditation from a very young age. He has been driven by a need to share these life transforming tools and techniques with people from all walks of life. Ram has been teaching for the Art of Living Foundation for the past 15 years in various cities across the USA. He is also a Yoga Alliance 300 hour certified instructor.
Ram Chelakara graduated from IIT Bombay and has a Ph.D in Material Science and Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He currently works at Raytheon Company as an engineering manager and scientist. Ram is an experienced team-builder and enjoys working with teams that celebrate diversity and cross-cultural interactions.

Jay Gupta

Yoga CapsJay Gupta is a registered community pharmacist and specializes in medication therapy management. He previously had a career in international marketing of Ayurvedic and pharmaceutical products.
His yoga immersion began in India in 1983 and he has been exploring the depths of yoga since then. Throughout his life, he has endeavored to achieve a scientific understanding of yoga and nature cure practices. He has traveled from the Himalayas to Kerala learning a variety of yoga and nature cure practices, and has studied with many of the top yoga researchers in the US and India. He shares some of the practices from the Himalayan masters in his DVD Subtle Yoga for Rejuvenation and donates all the proceeds for advancing the science of yoga.

Dev Lingadevaru

BrahmakumariThe Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization​ in the USA is part of a worldwide network of learning and retreat centers with over a million members.We are dedicated to individual, societal and world transformation through the study and spiritual practice of raj yoga meditation. At the heart of our teaching is the belief that the pathway to individual peace and fulfillment is first realizing and then remembering our original nature as spiritual beings in connection with One Source, who provides meaning and purpose to our identity.

Narendra Karapakula

Bharatiya Yoga SansthanBharatiya Yog Sansthan (Regd.) came into being on 10th April 1967, it is non-sectarian, social, cultural and non-profit making organization. It firmly believes in Bharatiya cultural heritage and aims to re-establish by protecting and preserving it. It draws its inspiration from the lofty human ideals of Bharatiya culture viz ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam’ – Entire Universe Is Our Family and ‘Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu’, ‘Sarve Bhaventu Sukhina’ – may all be happy, may all being rejoice in joy and happiness and the like as ‘Live ‘N’ Liven’ – may all live for the service of humanity and inspire others to live in the service of Almighty. To fulfill this aim Sansthan has chosen Yog as its means.