A Souvenir Sheet consisting of 1 no. of commemorative postage stamp on the Yoga Day : 21 June, official United Nations promotion of global health, harmony and peace :

Issued by India

Issued on Jun 21, 2015

Issued for : Department of Posts is happy to issue a commemorative postage stamp on the occasion of the first ‘International Day of Yoga’.

Design : The stamp depicts the logo of the International Day of Yoga where folding of both hands symbolizes Yoga, the union, which reflects the union of individual consciousness with that of universal consciousness, a perfect harmony between mind & body, man & nature. The green leaves symbolize nature, blue symbolizes the water element, the holistic approach to health & well-being. The brown leaves symbolize the Earth element, brightness symbolizes the fire element and the Sun symbolizes the source of energy and inspiration. The logo reflects harmony and peace for the humanity, which is the essence of Yoga.

Credits :
Stamp/Miniature Sheet/FDC : Kamleshwar Singh
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Souvenir Sheet, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.6 Million

Miniature Sheet : 0.2 Million

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About : 

• While addressing the 69^th session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 27, 2014, the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi urged the world community to adopt an International Day of Yoga.
  
• “Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well–being. Yoga is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with ourselves, the world and nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us to deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day”, Shri Modi said.
  
• On December 11, 2014, the 193 member U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) approved the proposal by consensus with a record 177 co-sponsoring countries, a resolution to establish 21^st June as ‘International Day of Yoga’. In its resolution, the UNGA recognized that Yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being and recognised the requirement of wider dissemination of information about the benefits of practicing Yoga for the health of the world population. Yoga also brings harmony in all walks of life and is known for disease prevention, health promotion and management of many lifestyle-related disorders.
  
• Yoga is essentially a spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle science which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body. It is an art and science for healthy living. The word “Yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj meaning “to join”, “to yoke” or “to unite”. According to Yogic scriptures, the practice of Yoga leads to the union of individual consciousness with universal consciousness. One who experiences this oneness of existence is said to be “in Yoga” and is termed as a yogi who has attained a state of freedom, referred to as mukti, nirvana, kaivalya or moksha.
  
• “Yoga” also refers to an inner science comprising of a variety of methods through which human beings can achieve union between the body and mind to attain self-realisation. The aim of Yoga practice (sadhana) is to overcome all kinds of sufferings that lead to a sense of freedom in every walk of life with holistic health, happiness and harmony.
  
• The science of Yoga has its origin thousands of years ago. According to Yogic lore, Shiva is seen as the first yogi or adiyogi and the first guru or adi guru. Though Yoga is believed to have been practiced in the pre-Vedic period, the great sage Maharishi Patanjali is believed to have systemised and codified the then existing Yogic practices, then meaning and the related knowledge through his Yoga sutras.
  
• After Patanjali, many Sages and Yoga Masters have contributed towards the preservation and development of the field through their well-documented practices and literature. More and more people across the globe have continued to adopt the practice of Yoga.
  
• Yoga works on the level of one’s body, mind, emotion and energy. This has given rise to four broad classifications of Yoga: Karma Yoga where we utilize the body; Jnana Yoga where we utilize the mind; Bhakti Yoga where we utilize the emotion and Kriya Yoga where we utilize the energy. Each system of Yoga practiced falls within the gamut of one or more of these categories.
  
• The different philosophies, traditions, lineages and guru–shishya paramparas of Yoga have led to the emergence of different traditional schools. Each school has its own approach and practices that would lead to the ultimate aim and objectives of Yoga.
  
• The widely practiced Yoga sadhanas are: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyhara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi, Bandhas and Mudras, Shatkarmas, Yuktahara, Mantra–japa, Yukta–karma etc.
  
• Text : Based on the material provided by the proponent.

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