NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 4 Yoga–A Way of Life

Q1.

Do you know? A few seals of the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation, dating back to 2700 BC, indicate that yoga was prevalent in ancient India. Many people contributed to its development and now, yoga has spread all over the world. On 11th December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) with 193 members accepted the proposal to celebrate ‘21st June’ as ‘International Yoga Day’.

Answer

This box gives you the story of yoga in three stages. Learn the three dates and you have the whole history.

When	What happened	Why it matters
about 2700 BC	Seals of the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation show figures seated in yoga-like postures	Yoga is nearly five thousand years old — older than almost any other living practice
Ancient period	Sage Patanjali arranged the tradition systematically in the Yoga Sutras; texts such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika followed	An oral tradition became a written system that could be taught anywhere
11 December 2014	The UN General Assembly, with all 193 member states, accepted India’s proposal for 21 June as International Yoga Day	An Indian practice was formally adopted by the whole world; the first celebration was on 21 June 2015
20 June 2021	The WHO launched the free mYoga app (page 123)	Yoga reached ordinary phones in every country

Discussion question for the class: Why do you think 21 June was chosen? (It is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere — the summer solstice — a day long regarded in India as marking a turn towards inner practice.)

Q2.

Find out about two asanas and their benefits, and share your findings with your classmates and teacher. You may visit the following websites to learn more about yoga.

Answer

How to do this project: pick two asanas that you can actually demonstrate. For each, write the Sanskrit name, the English name, three or four steps, the benefits, and one caution. Then show the pose to the class while a partner reads out the steps.

	Tadasana (Mountain Pose)	Vrikshasana (Tree Pose)
How to do it	Stand with feet together and arms at your sides. Interlock the fingers and stretch the arms up over your head, palms facing the ceiling. Rise slowly on to your toes. Hold, breathing normally, then come down.	Stand straight. Bend the right knee and place the right sole flat against the inside of the left thigh. Balance, then join the palms above the head. Hold, breathe, come down, and repeat on the other leg.
Benefits	Stretches the whole spine, improves posture, helps children grow tall, strengthens the ankles and improves balance and alertness.	Improves balance and concentration, strengthens the legs and ankles, opens the hips and shoulders, and steadies the mind.
Caution	Do not hold the breath. Come down slowly so that you do not overbalance.	Never press the foot against the side of the knee — always above or below it. Practise near a wall at first.

Two more you could choose instead: Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) — stretches the chest and shoulders, strengthens the lower back, eases back stiffness; and Shavasana (Corpse Pose) — total relaxation at the end of a session, which lowers the heart rate and calms the mind.

Two rules before you demonstrate anything: practise only on an empty stomach, and only in front of your teacher or another adult who knows the pose. This is exactly why the book says “under the supervision of your teacher”.

Where to look: the websites and QR code printed on page 127 of your book, the Ministry of Ayush website, and the WHO mYoga app mentioned on page 123. Cross-check any pose you find online with your PT teacher before you try it.

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