Happy International Yoga Day and African Connection (Yoga files)

International Yoga day coincides with summer solstice, longest day of the year, 15 hours in New York today, June 21st. In terms of daylight, this day is 5 hours, 50 minutes longer than the December winter solstice. Yoga is not just a form exercise, but also symbolized union of our inner and outer selves which are interconnected with everyone and everything else in the universe. 

The word “yoga” comes from the Indian Sanskrit root “yuj” which means “join” or “union”.  The Ancient Egyptian term is “Smai” which also means ‘union’.  The hieroglyph ‘Sma’ represents the union of the two lungs and trachea, therefore it can be interpreted as the union of the Higher and Lower Self as it becomes One consciousness.

Both ancient Africa (Egypt and Ethiopia), Indus valley civilization and India share similar historical records of Yoga. Indus civilization terracotta has poses that are unique in yoga traditions even today. Perhaps practiced in Egypt before it was introduced into India and other cultures. Yoga traced back to around 6000 BCE and associated with Egyptian God Osiris (Oser) the early source of spiritual teaching. Perhaps the Ancient Egyptians were ancient times, colonists in India. Patanjali is called as the ‘Father of Yoga’ (200BCE). Yoga appeared in the Vedas (3000-1200 BC). Appeared in Upanishads around 800 BCE and in the Bhagavad Gita around 500 BCE. In the 16th Century Hatha Yoga Pradipika was recorded by Swami Svatmarama. In Hindu astrology, Summer Solstice is known as Tropical Dakshinayana.

The summer solstice is a great thing for ancients. It is when sun stopped northern movement and start moving south. Several ancient monuments were aligns with the sun of the summer solstice. Examples are present in The Temple of Karnak, Egypt, Stonehenge, England, Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico, Temple of the Sun at Machu Picchu, Peru, Pyramid of Chichen Itza, Mexico, Mnajdra Temple, Malta, and Jantar Mantar, India.