Deriving its name from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ which means ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’. Yoga has been practiced as a physical, mental and spiritual practice aiming to create a union between the body, mind and spirit as well as between the individual self and universal consciousness. It said to have been originated in ancient India around 400 CE. For a thousand years, Yoga have been practiced in India, whilst it became universally popular when the United Nation passed the resolution of celebrating June 21 as “International Day of Yoga” in December 2014.
The act of travelling with the specific purpose of experiencing Yoga is known as Yoga Tourism. As a birthplace of Yoga, India has become a major destination for Yoga Tourism, hence we will write about “Yoga Tourism in India”. When people talk about Yoga, India is what comes to their mind, likewise when we talk about India, Yoga is something which we can’t miss now (of course we couldn’t forget The Taj Mahal).
Keeping the body fit and healthy is one method for longer life span. As the saying goes “Health is Wealth” we should always maintain a state of healthy well being, that’s when physical exercises and Yoga comes right to save us. Yoga can be practiced by any age and it is suitable for young and old people, which does not require any extreme skills. Practicing Yoga develops physical health, mental, social and also spiritual health, it also helps in self-realization, etc. It promotes self-healing, remove toxins from the body, increases internal power, boost immunity, reduces stress level, increases concentration as well as focus. Yoga also has so much benefits on our internal organ functioning, lowers the blood pressure, helps in weight loss, stimulation of organs and much more.
As most people are aware of its importance, people started traveling with a motive to obtain yoga healthcare treatment and also learn yoga to live a healthy life. As Yoga originated from India, it homes for the people seeking for healthcare practices and get treated from yoga. India also provides several forms of natural health remedies including ayurveda, allopathy, naturopathy, unani, etc. making it unique from the rest of the world. Yoga Tourism has witnessed a massive growth in recent years in India, as people are more into specialized natural treatment.
Yoga Tourism is not just about health tourism or wellness tourism, it has a broader aspect and so much more than just the yoga thing. Yoga Tourism also includes yoga for wellness, study about yoga, yoga for spiritualism and yoga as a sport. India offers all the dimension of Yoga Tourism. People who travel for Yoga or Yoga tourists are also segregated into what form of practices they want. Most European tourists wouldn’t care much about the spiritualism but focus of yoga as a wellness tourism. Also, domestic yoga tourists may seek interest in yoga for spiritualism to achieve ‘yoga’, the union with the self, when the perfectly disciplined mind gets freedom from all desires, and becomes absorbed in the Self alone. People also travel to learn about yoga, study about the postures and also to achieve a degree to become yoga instructor. Yoga can also be a form of sport where people compete or show the flexibility using the different postures or asanas.
Yoga as a tourism product:
Since a tourism product is anything that can be offered for attraction, acquisition or consumption which includes physical objects, services, personalities, places, etc. Yoga can be considered as a tourism product for India. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has also kickstart to make proper plans and policies to promote yoga as a tourism product.
India has so much opportunities in providing Yoga facilities and increasing the country’s economy. Practicing Yoga isn’t a one day or two-day thing, but a slow process which takes quite a few number of days. So, tourist will spend longer days and explore more about the exciting destinations of India, experiencing the unique heritages, cultures, food, etc. The expenditure cost of India is also very less comparing to other location of the world hence making tourist cut their costs and spending more on amenities. Also, most Yoga School and institution where yoga are practices speak English which will benefit English speaking clients or patients.
Flexing about India as the birthplace of Yoga and not taking up measures to promote Yoga Tourism will not only lose potential tourists but will also lose the image of India as the best place for Yoga Tourism. There are a lot of competitors in the global world promoting Yoga as a tourism product, improving their infrastructures. All tourist in India also face lack of proper and safety facilities due to terrorism which is the main challenge for tourism in India, India also needs to improve on the safety and security of tourists as many international tourist prefers backpacking and travelling alone. India should also invest more on healthcare facilities and develop a separate funds for improving Yoga Tourism in India.
Just by celebrating “International Day of Yoga” every year and seeking for co-sponsor for the event wouldn’t do much good if it is not taken into serious consideration, the youth should be encouraged, awareness should also be held every now and then. Let us continue to work forward in making India as always the best Yoga Tourism Destination and be a proud Indian.
References:
1. Prospects and Challenges of Yoga Tourism in India and Abroad. (2017). International Journal of Research in Tourism and Hospitality, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.20431/2455- 0043.0302001
2. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Prospects-and-Challenges-of-Yoga-Tourismin-India-Kumar/b2dfa43e930f66b4939678156256ca3c44420250#references
3. http://employmentnews.gov.in/newemp/MoreContentNew.aspx?n=SpecialContent&k =54 4. https://studyhippo.com/essay-yoga-tourism/
5. http://www.icyer.com/documents/YogaTourism.pdf
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