Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal means 'Children's Yoga Fellowship'. It is a movement which aims to spread the message of yoga through the children, to the children. It started in 1995, when seven children came to Swami Niranjan in Munger expressing their desire to learn yoga. Every Sunday they would come to the ashram to practise and learn yoga. Those seven children gradually became 10, 20, 40, 80 and the number of children craving yoga multiplied by the day. Soon many of them were becoming well versed in the practices and techniques as well as in the theory of yoga. In this way, BYMM became a unique movement with its slogan being "Yoga by the children for the children".
As the numbers grew, divisions were made to distinguish between the different categories of practitioner, instructor, teacher and propagator, and each was given a different uniform. Today this movement has grown to a body of 80,000 children throughout India and is ever increasing. They have conducted yoga training programs in schools all over Bihar and throughout India. Along with yoga the participants are involved in various activities to develop the different aspects of their personality: karate (especially for the girls, to make them more assertive); singing, chanting and music (especially for the boys, to make them softer and less arrogant); arts and drama (to develop and express their creativity); and English (to enhance their communication skills).It is also important to know that this movement is totally independent and separate from the ashram, in the sense that it does not pertain to Bihar School of Yoga, Bihar Yoga Bharati, Sivananda Math, Yoga Research Foundation or any other existing institution. The only link, if any, it has with the ashram is that Swami Niranjanananda is their patron and inspirer, someone whom they look up to, and that they use the grounds of the ashram for their weekly meetings.
Children are like clay, they can be moulded into any shape, whereas with grownups, the frame is fixed and one has to function within those parameters and boundaries. It is therefore said that children are our true fathers. For we have forgotten how to be like children and have become too important and complicated.
Let us all now resolve to learn from children. Let us be innocent and simple, playful and cheerful.
A new generation has begun, different to the ones seen and known till today. Bright and full of vitality and creativity, they represent the dawn of a new yet ancient culture. For our guru, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, has told us many times that: "Yoga will emerge as a mighty world culture and change the course of world events." You have just seen a glimpse of 'The Beginning'.
I have met some of these children when I was in India - they are truly unique, totally capable & extremely inspirational. Something to look up to.
For the full article written by Swami Suryaprakash Saraswati.
