YOGA: AN INSTRUMENTAL LIFE SKILL FOR PROMOTING PEACEBUILDING

Abstract

The lifestyle of the present world has become more transactional and valueless so it is creating more stress, conflict, and disharmony in society. People are moving more and more distant from each other resulting in artificial relationships and they are unhappy. Life skill is the means for a sustainable future, which teaches skills for a better life to take appropriate actions, helps in making decisions, develops resilience, and reduces procrastination. Life skills refer to a broad range of abilities and practices that help individuals manage everyday challenges, promote personal growth, and interact effectively with others. Yoga, with its holistic approach, offers several benefits that align with the development of essential life skills. For example, Ashtanga Yoga co-ordinates their body and mind which is the basic need of nature and cosmic consciousness. Yoga believes that there is an inherent purpose in the existence of every living being. Yogic practices develop the mental equilibrium by gaining control of the fluctuation of the mind. The highest level of peace (Samadhi) can be attained by getting disassociated from external world and established in the highest reality. Yoga is said to be the technology for achieving liberation. Out of the four paths of yoga, there is Karma yoga which emphasizes selfless action and transcends concerns of success or failure, egoism, and selfishness. What emerges is service to all beings, because Yoga teaches that every person is part of the divine universal spirit.