Common Yoga Protocol

This post is for the reader who is in a hurry to have a little taste of yoga. In my previous posts I explored certain aspects associated with the philosophy of yoga.

But yoga has been mostly promoted as a kind of healthy lifestyle choice. Many want to keep it that way – just a way to good physical health, just activity without burdening the mind about its philosophical intricacies.

And it is possible. There is no need to first develop any kind of belief system and then embark on the path of yoga. That is the beauty of yoga. First do it. If you find that it is helping you in some way, then go further.

In my previous posts, I had also emphasised on the point of learning yoga from a master. But to start on the path of yoga and have a little taste of it you need wait till till you get a master of yoga. At the same time, please do not learn yoga from a random you-tube video.

The proposal of India to declare 21st Jun as International Yoga Day was approved by the United Nations General Assembly on 11.12.2014. It was acknowledged that yoga provides a holistic approach to health and its regular practice can help in prevention of many diseases.

However it was also felt that just having an international day of yoga is not enough. There should be some sort of of manual that can be followed not only on this day but also on any day day by anybody who is interested in yoga. The govt of India constituted a committee by inviting the leading yoga experts of the country. The committee came up with a yoga manual that is titled as International Yoga Day Common Yoga Protocol. This manual can be downloaded from this link.

I use this manual to not only lead yoga day activities on 21st Jun, but also whenever I have to volunteer to conduct a free yoga class. I find that the yoga program suggested in the manual for regular practice is very safe and easy to follow. Still in case of confusion one can view you tube videos for that particular posture or topic. Being part of the any public celebration of yoga day in India can also make it easier to follow the manual.

The manual also contains warnings about the precautions to be taken. So it would be wiser to read the manual fully and carefully before attempting the postures, the breathing exercises, and the meditation techniques suggested in the manual.

I do not see any need of writing a lengthy post about the manual. Please download and go through.

In case you have attended any International yoga day event, or tried this manual, or any other online resource, please share in the comment.

This post is a part of Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2026

This year my theme is – Yoga A2Z