Inauguration of the Yoga Instructor Certificate Course 2003

Event in Sunnyvale, hosted by Yoga Bharati (www.yogabharati.org)
For immediate release – Feb 14th 2003
Prepared by – Reshma (Yoga Bharati Coordinator, Fremont)

The City of Sunnyvale played host to a special function on the evening of February 14th. There is a growing need for certified yoga instructors, who equipped with the right knowledge can reach out to society to spread the importance of inculcating Yoga in one's daily life. To meet this immediate need, Yoga Bharati in association with Vivekananda Maha Vidyalaya (VYOMA) undertook the challenging task to conduct a Yoga Instructor Certified Course (YICC) for aspiring Yoga instructors. Swami Vivekananda Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA), the research wing of VYOMA, developed this comprehensive curriculum to cater to this specific need.

The grand inauguration of the YICC course-2nd Batch, took place on February 14th 2003 between 7:00PM and 9:30PM at the Ponderosa Park Community Hall. Prominent personalities involved in the field of Yoga research and application like Sri. N.V.Raghuram (International coordinator of SVYASA), Dr. Naras Bhatt M.D (Cardiology), Sri. Prasad Kaipa (founder & CEO of SelfCorp), Dr. Raji Ayyar M.D (Oncology), were invited to grace the occasion. The lighting of the lamp and prayers marked the auspicious beginning of the wonderful evening program.

Sri. N.V.Raghuram initiated the proceedings with a wonderfully insightful talk on the importance of Yoga in daily life. Combining his in-depth knowledge of the subject with examples from day to day life, he illustrated with simple clarity how beneficial Yoga and its principles are when applied to routine life. There was an audio-video presentation on the wonderful facility, Prashanti Kuteeram -Yoga Therapy Health Center, a 100 - acre campus, 32 kms from Bangalore. Here treatment facilities are available for various psychosomatic ailments like Asthma, Allergies, Diabetes, hypertension, low back-pain, G.I. disorders, headaches, cardio-vascular problems etc.

Next, Dr. Naras Bhatt made a presentation on the effect of emotions on our human physiology. He demonstrated the deep-rooted connection between our mind and body utilizing medical apparatus and software graphology. To enhance the presentation, Dr. Bhatt invited members from the audience. They were asked to think about contrasting emotions like anger, and loving-kindness while he continuously monitored their heart patterns. The second part of the demonstration sought to show the relationship between our breathing rate and our emotions. According to Dr. Bhatt, since Yoga can calm the mind and regulate the breathing rate, it can be a valuable tool in the prevention of ailments.

Sri. Prasad Kaipa, with his award winning experience in the field, explained how the application of Yoga could lead to increased and enhanced productivity and performance in business and at the work place. After this wonderful presentation on the "Need for Yoga", Shri Navin Rao gave a short synopsis of the YICC course. YICC includes 40 hours of rigorous Practice, 40 hours of in-depth Theory and 20 hours of hands on Field Practice and preparation of Project Report.

The first batch of YICC has been a great success, the participants having found the course very helpful in making them confident of becoming competent Yoga instructors. This was confirmed by the encouraging and positive feedback from some YICC participants, who spoke about having benefited positively by taking up this course.

The involvement of the audience and their wholesome enthusiasm enhanced the spirit of the occasion. The second YICC batch has followed the successful precedent set by the first batch, 20 participants having signed up for this unique weekends-only Yoga Instructor Certificate Course. Yoga Bharati has also been conducting Free Yoga daily classes and many enlightening talks in the Bay area.

Yoga Bharati is a 100% non-profit organization that was established in 2001 to promote Yoga and related activities in the USA. It operates under the auspices of IDRF (India Development and Relief Fund). For more information, please visit http://www.yogabharati.org