It becomes increasingly evident that the existing paradigm begins undergoing a fundamental transformation and that the challenges we are facing today – both as individuals and as a civilization – require us to look for new solutions, ones which we either forgot or didn’t know even existed. The milleniary science of Yoga offers such unique solutions, which can solve not only the problems of the present times, but prevent the problems of the future – setting humanity, and us ourselves, on an upward path of unprecedented harmonious development. The International Congress of Yoga and Alternative Therapies 2016 was a clear indication that this reality is developing.
The Congress, organized for the fifth time by the International Federation of Yoga and Meditation Atman and most notably the Yoga School MISA, was taking place on 9-11 December. Due to the growing interest it has, this year activities of the Congress were spread over two locations – Brasov and Bucharest, Romania. It also provided a live online access to the lectures, allowing thousands of internet users from all around the world to participate in this event.
This year, the Congress featured over 30 speakers from 9 countries, as well as a number of additional activities like workshops, classes, video presentations etc. The topics covered a wide array of subjects, showing various aspects by which Yoga, Tantra, Meditation and Self-Developments bring a new value to the discoveries of science such as medicine, physics, psychology, sexology and the development of modern society and modern individual. Most of the presentation were done by representatives of schools united in the Atman Federation, but the Congress featured also some notable guests, such as Todd Ovokaitys, MD, who held a fascinating presentation on his research into the science of vibrations and the way it can transform health and consciousness, and André Riehl, who also addressed the fundamental subject of vibratory nature of the Universe, but from a more spiritual perspective as it’s used in traditional Yogic techniques of chanting and states of meditation.
The programme of the Congress: http://www.internationalyogacongress.net/programme/
I held the opening presentation to the second day of the Congress, discussing the main theme of the event – the way the ancient Yoga system provides wise solutions to the challenges of the modern times. The presentation showed that for thousands of years Yoga has been using the very same framework as the one currently used by any other acknowledged science – basing its discoveries on experimentation and validating the postulated principles by a direct experience. It underlined the importance of Yoga as the science that holds the human being at the very core of its interest, unlike most sciences which place the human being at the peripheries of their exploration. Yoga also uniquely allows development of products which are at the same time good for people and for profits – situation also unseen in other branches of enterprise where one always comes at expense of the other. Based on this fundamental premise, the presentation aimed to present most obvious areas in which Yoga provides surprising solutions to the challenges we’re facing these days, such as the multidimensional view upon the human psychology or superior form of heart-to-heart communication it allows.
The entire presentation I made during this year’s Congress will soon be published here.
As an integral part of the Congress, Atman Federation held also the 5th edition of the International Yoga Contest, which is a competition focused not as much on personal gratification, as it is on promoting the spiritual values and aiding the profound personal transformation of the participants. Traditionally, the contest consisted of performance of Hatha Yoga postures, test of subtle perception as well as a test of intelligence and spiritual intuition.
The Congress, concluded by one of the most beautiful performances of inspired spiritual art I’ve ever had a chance to see, entitled “The Retrieval Game” presented by Sophrozin Theatre, was a great success and I’m happy to see both the growing interest it attracts, as well as the increasingly high level of the information presented. Thanks to the efforts of the organizing team to record and transmit all the presentations, they will be soon available on Congress’ website for viewing, and the whole material is now being prepared for publishing.
With all the improvements and developments the Congress displayed this year I am looking forward to the next edition of the Congress in 2018. For the first time is to be held in Berlin, Germany and I see it as a good development proving that the significant contributions it presents deserve the increasing interest the Congress attracts on the international scene. By revealing the amazing ways in which Yoga integrates with the needs and standards of the modern civilization, the Congress is one of the major contributions to bring the unique solutions offered by the milleniary Yoga system, to the attention of the modern world and give significant assistance in the desperately needed change of the paradigm and setting humanity on the path towards a harmonious future, which is not at all that distant, but is accessible to all of us here and now.
WEBSITE OF THE CONGRESS
http://www.internationalyogacongress.net/