Baba Ramdevji Maharaj - In Dhule

On 8th May, Swami Ramdevji Maharaj arrived to my small city Dhule, for one day YogVigyan Shivir - Workshop of The Yoga which he teaches. I attended it from 5 a.m. to 7: 38 a. m. I am going to share my experience and observations of the Shivir.

The time I spent there was an awesome experience indeed. First we will see the good points I noticed and then the points, I didn't like or I disagree. My intention to write is honest opinion what I felt. As Swami Ramdevji has such a big popularity, I was curious to know and see actually what happens in the Shivir. My intention is not hurt the faith people have about Baba Ramdev or his workshops.
Please don't take me wrong. 

The Things I liked :

 People very eager to learn Excercises !

Crowd gathered before given time, very curious and focussed to hear Swami Ramdevji Maharaj 

The people tuned with the Bhajan!

1. The first thing was very good parking arrangement and the discipline. Just unbelievable! The girls, guys and many elder people who were volunteers, were doing their job very beautifully. They were not annoyed, not shouting. Everything was going on so smoothly, that I can't tell you. Before 5 a. m. already a big crowd was present and in the darkness the parking was going on very nicely. The people were sitting in very discipline without creating any problem to anybody. In a very small city like Dhule, such successful event management is wonderful.
2. The Shivir was started before the given time. This is good or wrong, what do you say? I felt it as good because, it kept the enthusiasm in the entire crowd.
3. Swamiji keep the people spell - bound for two to three hours, with his speech alone and that too while doing different exercises. I won't call it as Yoga, but exercises. 

The Things I didn't like or I disagree :

1. I used to watch and practise the exercises thought (not just taught) by BabaRamdevji, on TV some 5 to 6 years back. And after this long time, I was witnessing his Shivir again, live in my city. This time, I was surprised to see, that he has made lots of changes in his exercise package, again it will be a mistake to call it as 'Indian Yoga' completely. The Yogashastra is a totally different thing and it is not just to perform some exercises. Though Hathayoga includes Asanas, still they are not just some exercises.  So now, he has adopted aerobics steps in the starting of the shivir. This gave me a feel that his popularity and the crowd at the shivirs must be decreasing, so he has taken the help of attractive aerobics steps. I was about to suggest, why don't they add some modern fast music too, which will bring more fun? 
2. He has freedom to teach aerobics or yoga or any other exercises, I have no objection. But, whatever he is doing according to his wish or plans, it should not be named as 'Yoga Vigyan Shivir'. It is totally misguiding to people who don't know much about YogaSastra and  the foreigners too.
3. By his behavior, he is giving chance to the people to ridicule him and Hindu Sanyasis. And the Indian Ancient Yogashastra too. My request to him is, he can give the name as His Own Package to all what he is teaching, as he has said in the Shivir, that he has developed this package. And he should stop taking the name of Patanjanli and Yoga, as it is not completely that way!
4. He is teaching the Yogic Postures - the Asanas which are very advanced in Yoga. I feel, this will be dangerous to try without guidance of any expert in Yoga and Asanas. He didn't warn this.
5. The Pranayamas he is teaching, Kapalbhati, Anulom - Vilom and Bhasrika, these are not at all risky to practice according to him. But, here also I disagree, because there are some rules about diet and lifestyle for practicing Yoga and Pranayama. Yama- Niayam part is dropped completely. If those rules are not obeyed, then the yoga can be harmful. Better way, to do every thing under the guidance of experienced and expert person in the field of Yoga. 
6. Swami Ramdevji said, "By Kapalbhati Kundalini Shakti  gets awakened and the six chakras too get opened, so the path of Kundalini Shakti to go upwards is clear." I have doubt on this statement, is it so easy? And again such experiments may be very dangerous, without any knowledge about Kundaline and Shatchakras in Yoga. 
7. Finally, Swamiji's behavior, I don't found on the level of 'Sanyasi'. He used some double meaning sentences which are inappropriate to write here. Everybody has freedom to do anything, no doubt. But by this way, in my personal opinioin, he is defaming the term Hindu Sanyasi. The people who don't know anything about 'Sanyas' will get a wrong image of Sanyas. 

Some people shared their experiences about how their diseases got cured by Pranayamas too, which looks unbelievable.  Also YogSadhana shouldn't be used to promote as a cure for diseases as that opens new possibilities for growth of superstition and use of YogSadhana as merely business, that's the most unfortunate degradation of Indian ancient YogaSadhana.

Still by seeing all the Shivir and the way by which Baba Ramdevji was generating the patriotism in the crowd, by his speech, I felt this as the better way to unite people as compared to - I repeat, as compared to Hunger Strike method.

And while I was thinking all this, one volunteer gave me a pamphlet which was showing, Swami Ramdevji Maharaj is starting Hunger unto death from 6th June. 

Anyway, he is imitating Anna Hajare or whatever may be our interpretation but now Hunger drama will be devalued and people won't give same response and emotional attachment again. And if it will be done again by Anna Hajareji, still the Hunger Strike will be devalued surely! 


P. S. : I am not a Yoga Expert, but  just shared my opinions based on what I have studied about different paths in Yoga by reading different books of Swami Vivekananda - born Yogi, books by Spiritual masters - Gurus of Sidhhayoga. So, by all the study, learnt that, to practice advanced stages of Yoga, without any guidance can be dangerous.