{"id":2179,"date":"2015-03-31T02:01:41","date_gmt":"2015-03-30T20:31:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/?p=2179"},"modified":"2016-08-17T16:51:52","modified_gmt":"2016-08-17T11:21:52","slug":"the-16th-international-yoga-festival-in-rishikesh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/2015\/03\/31\/the-16th-international-yoga-festival-in-rishikesh\/","title":{"rendered":"The 16th International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh"},"content":{"rendered":"

Article by Hazem Abu-Ghazaleh<\/em><\/p>\n

\"_CHP2052\"<\/a>On Saturday 7<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span><\/sup> March, the 16<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span><\/sup> International Yoga Festival at Parmath Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh came to a close. It was a truly magical and successful 7-day event with nearly 1000 participants from 60 different countries.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

They all came to experience yoga in its many forms, taught by<\/span><\/span> expert teachers, respected Swamis and various presenters of different holistic backgrounds. Yoga.in was at the festival to give you some insight on the event!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Opening Day \u2013 Ceremonies, Yoga and Speeches<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The first day of the festival kicked off with a medley of different yoga teachers presenting their various styles in a packed yoga tent by the river Ganges. Anand Mehrota led with a powerful presentation of Kriya, Asana and Meditation aimed at awakening the Shiva nature within. Iyengar teacher H S Arun soon followed, teaching standing poses, emphasizing the importance of alignment and precision as foundations to the experience of stillness in body and mind. The showcase concluded with famous Kundalini teacher Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa raising the energy of all who participated with a dynamic kriya and meditation.\"Yoga, <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Participants were then treated to an inauguration ceremony with a remarkable yoga demonstration by the Rishikumars, a group of disadvantaged boys who had been taken in by Parmath Niketan and transformed into educated yogis. This was followed by speeches from Prem Baba, Mooji and Shankaracharya Swami Divyanand Teerthji, all emphasizing the power of yoga to remove the barriers of separation, creating union and peace inside and out. It was a perfect beginning to the festival, setting the tone for a week full of joy, fun and togetherness.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A Typical Day at the Festival\"_CHP1843\"<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Each day began at 4:00am with a strong 3-hour Kundalini Sadhana. At 5:30am there was an Osho Dynamic Meditation, wherein activity encouraged expression and took participants from wildness to stillness. At 6:30am, there was a choice of traditional Hatha yoga practices, with sun salutations as well as Vinyasa, meditation and Pranayama classes spread across the Ashram\u2019s various yoga halls. Following a yogic breakfast was a choice of 5 different yoga classes, as for example:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n