Shri Ambika Yoga Kutir successfully organized and conducted a one-day Swasthya Yoga Shibir (conference) on 30th January 2018. Param Pujya Shri Nikam Guruji believed that complete holistic health is the fundamental right of every human being. For that reason, Shri Ambika Yoga Kutir has been striving to bring wellness through Yoga for the past 52 years, for patients suffering from physical and mental ailments. Keeping in line with the contemporary need to prove practices scientifically, a few of the people who have been healed using yoga as a primary line of treatment were selected for this conference. 42 such case studies were presented.
Honorable Shriram Sheshgir Savrikar (Head, Rasashastra Dept, Poddar College) was invited as the Chief Guest. In his speech, he said that in the past, illnesses which spread due to infections or contact thereof could be cured using antibiotics. However, in recent times, people suffer mainly due to unhealthy lifestyles and these are incurable with the use of antibiotics. People are victims of blindly following the materialistic lifestyle of first-world countries. Yoga, which originates from ancient Indian civilization, plays a key role in the pursuit of a healthy life as per WHO. Not just the physical aspect of it, i.e, the asanas, but all aspects of yoga are integral towards creating a healthy lifestyle. Every primary healthcare center needs to be equipped with a yoga instructor; in fact, all mainstream doctors also need to learn yoga. There needs to be a major awareness about the advantages of yoga and its spread needs to be widened. The final goal being – complete health for every living being!
Dr. Kiran Pandit (Ayurved, Ayush Representative) emphasized that yoga is an independent and autonomous science. The yoga syllabus devised by PP Nikam Guruji clearly demonstrates his foresight and in-depth knowledge in this area. He was impressed by the fact that disciples of this great science developed by PP Nikam Guruji are successfully shouldering the responsibility bestowed on them by the AYUSH ministry, that of nurturing and spreading this knowledge. Healthy lifestyle is the key to good health and even though modern medicines are invented at a rapid rate, it is not always true that they are effective in treating chronic diseases. For example, where 9 months of treatment was earlier sufficient, nowadays a patient suffering from tuberculosis needs to be treated for 2 to 3 years. The instances of imperceptible diseases affecting people has also gone up. The only way to effectively battle this is the synergetic use of yoga and Ayurveda.
Dr. Acharya Madam from MDACS said that Yoga plays a vital role in our day-to-day lives. Every cell of our body is positively affected by the practice of Yoga. Unfortunately, we realize an important issue only after it comes to us from the Western civilization. Yoga is a glaring example of this. Many symptoms of an illness may be physical; but the root cause is at the mental level. Yoga is then required to develop a positive mind-set. It is important to balance all the hormones in our body and keep all systems functioning normally. Yoga needs to be practiced from a young age to prevent disease and build a strong immune system. Recently, there have been instances of ‘Fast Yoga’, which claim to cure ‘faster’. One must guard against these cure-alls as they cannot impart long-term relief. In Mumbai alone, there are around 40,000 HIV patients who are treated free of cost by the Government. Treatment alone is not enough, yoga plays a crucial role in developing a positive attitude. Dr. Pravin Patil (Ayurveda Dept. Sion College) provided various definitions of ‘Yoga’. Yoga is an ancient science, but today’s world needs solid data-based evidence. We need to present all forms of scientific data to society. In order to do that, more and more people need to practice Yoga on a regular basis. Every illness and its cure through Yoga must be presented in a systematic documented form. Shri Ambika Yoga Kutir’s Secretary, Shri Ramchandra Surve expressed various thoughts and teachings of PP Nikam Guruji and emphasized their importance for holistic health. A healthy person can propagate peace in society, on the other hand, an unhealthy one can spread conflict even in his/her home. Hence it is imperative to spread the knowledge of yoga far and wide to create healthy and strong individuals, leading to a peaceful and ideal society.
This conference was closed after a relaxing study of Yoga Nidra conducted by Kutir’s respected and loved senior teacher Smt. Pradhan tai.