Yoga:A Way of Life | CBSE Class 6 English Notes

This note covers the chapter "Yoga: A Way of Life": a part-by-part summary, the characters, the benefits of yoga, the WHO mYoga app, the difference between practice and practise, the listening transcript, the history of yoga, the themes, key quotations, and answers to the textbook questions.

What is this chapter about?

The chapter explains that yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in ancient India.

It tells us that the word 'Yoga' comes from the Sanskrit root 'yuj', meaning 'to join' or 'to unite', and that this symbolises the unity of mind and body, of thought and action, and harmony between human beings and nature.

The chapter also credits Sage Patanjali with presenting the ancient tradition of yoga systematically in the 'Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'.

It then moves to the modern world, describing the many health benefits of yoga and the World Health Organisation's mYoga app, before ending with language and listening activities and facts about the history of yoga.

The chapter is built from these sections: 'Let us read', 'Let us discuss', 'Let us think and reflect', 'Let us learn', 'Let us listen', 'Let us speak', 'Let us explore' and 'Let us write'.

Together these sections combine factual reading, grammar practice and spoken and written tasks around the single topic of yoga as a way of life.

What happens in the chapter, part by part?

Let us read: what is yoga?

The opening passage defines yoga as a holistic approach to health and well-being. It explains the Sanskrit root 'yuj' and the idea of unity between mind and body, thought and action, and human and nature.

It states that Sage Patanjali described yoga as "the means to make the mind quiet and free from all distractions," and notes that yoga has become increasingly popular worldwide because of its many health benefits.

The benefits of yoga

The chapter then lists specific benefits. Asanas (postures) stretch and strengthen muscles and increase flexibility, endurance and balance, which can reduce body pains such as lower back pain.

Breathing techniques and meditation calm the mind, reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep and increase concentration.

Yoga has also been shown to boost the immune system. It can improve heart health by lowering blood pressure and improving circulation, and it can aid in weight loss by burning calories.

The WHO mYoga app

The chapter describes how the benefits of yoga are internationally recognised. On 20 June 2021, the World Health Organisation launched an app called WHO mYoga, containing videos and audio files to teach and support yoga practice.

The stated aim was to give people across the world an easy-to-use, free tool to encourage them to practise yoga.

Practising yoga with awareness

The passage reminds readers that yoga can be started "at any given moment of time," but that when practising asanas, "the mind has to be with the body." It should therefore be practised without distractions.

If each stretch is coordinated with breath and awareness, the chapter says, the practice becomes truly yogic. A short Sanskrit verse from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika is also quoted, saying that asana, as the first accessory of Hatha-Yoga, should be practised for gaining a steady posture, health and weightlessness of body.

Grammar, listening and speaking tasks

'Let us learn' teaches the difference between the noun 'practice' and the verb 'practise', and compares it to 'advice' and 'advise'. 'Let us listen' presents a transcript in which a girl describes doing simple yoga exercises with her grandfather, who has practised yoga since he was 16 and is fit and strong at 65. 'Let us speak' and 'Let us write' ask students to share their own yoga thoughts and write a paragraph on the benefits of yoga.

Let us explore: the history of yoga

The final informational section notes that a few seals of the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation, dating back to 2700 BC, indicate that yoga was prevalent in ancient India. It states that on 11 December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly, with 193 members, accepted the proposal to celebrate 21 June as International Yoga Day.

Who are the characters in this chapter?

The girl in the listening transcript

The girl is the narrator of the listening passage. She says, "I do simple yoga exercises with my grandfather," and explains that she sees many people, young and old, doing yogic breathing exercises when she accompanies him to the park.

She practises some of these breathing exercises herself whenever she feels a little worried about an Inter-House competition, saying they relax her and make her "feel focused and calm." She plans to learn some asanas from her grandfather during her summer vacations.

The grandfather

The grandfather is described as having "been practising yoga since he was 16 years old" and being "fit and strong even at the age of 65." The girl credits his fitness to a combination of good habits, saying that "eating a balanced diet regularly and making yoga a part of his life have been hundred per cent effective." He does simple yoga exercises with his granddaughter, and she goes with him to the park, where many people do yogic breathing exercises.

Sage Patanjali

Sage Patanjali is named in the opening passage as the figure who presented the ancient tradition of yoga "in a systematic way" in the 'Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'.

He is described as having explained yoga as a means "to make the mind quiet and free from all distractions," which gives the chapter's description of yoga its philosophical basis before it moves on to modern health benefits.

What benefits of yoga does the chapter describe?

The chapter lists four benefits of yoga as bullet points, each built around a particular effect on the body or mind.

The first is physical fitness: yoga postures or asanas stretch and strengthen muscles and increase flexibility, endurance and balance, which can also reduce pains such as lower back pain.

The second is mental calm: breathing techniques and meditation calm the mind, reduce stress and anxiety, relax the mind, improve the quality of sleep and increase concentration.

The third is internal health: yoga "has been shown to boost the immune system" and can improve heart health "by lowering blood pressure and improving circulation."

The fourth benefit mentioned is weight management: yoga can aid in weight loss "by burning calories, and maintaining health." The chapter sums these benefits up by saying that yoga "promotes a sense of overall well-being," which is why its benefits "are internationally recognised" around the world.

Importantly, the chapter also stresses that these physical benefits are incomplete without mental awareness. It reminds readers that yoga is not only about stretching the body, because "the mind has to be with the body" for the practice to be truly yogic.

What is the WHO mYoga app?

The WHO mYoga app is presented in the chapter as evidence of how widely yoga's benefits are recognised internationally. The chapter states that the World Health Organisation launched this app on 20 June 2021, just a day before International Yoga Day.

According to the chapter, the app "contains a collection of videos and audio files to teach and support yoga practice." This means it is designed as a learning resource, offering both visual demonstrations and audio guidance so that users anywhere can follow along.

The stated purpose of the app was "to have an easy-to-use and free tool for people across the world to encourage them to practise yoga." Two features are highlighted here: that it is free, removing cost as a barrier, and that it is easy-to-use, making it accessible to beginners as well as experienced practitioners.

The launch of this app by a major global health body is used by the chapter as proof that yoga is not treated merely as a cultural practice from one country, but as a recognised tool for health and well-being used by people "across the world."

How do 'practice' and 'practise' differ?

The chapter's language section focuses on a common spelling confusion in English. It explains that 'practice' is a noun meaning "the actual application or exercise of a skill or knowledge," while 'practise' is a verb referring to "the act of engaging in an activity repeatedly to improve or acquire a skill."

So a sentence using the noun might describe "a regular practice of stretching every morning," while a sentence using the verb would say someone will "practise yoga every day." The chapter draws this distinction directly from the WHO mYoga extract, where both the noun and the verb forms appear in the same passage.

The chapter also points out a second pair of words with the same kind of spelling variation: 'advice', a noun, and 'advise', a verb. Students are asked to make sentences with both words, reinforcing the same noun-verb pattern taught with practice and practise.

This grammar point matters because the two spellings sound identical when spoken, so the only way to tell them apart in writing is to remember that the noun is spelt with a 'c' and the verb with an 's', as in 'practice' and 'practise' and in 'advice' and 'advise'.

What do we learn from the listening transcript?

The listening section of the chapter is built around a short spoken transcript in which a girl greets her audience with "Namaste everyone!" before describing her own experience of yoga.

She explains that she does "simple yoga exercises" with her grandfather, who has practised yoga "since he was 16 years old" and remains "fit and strong even at the age of 65."

She attributes his fitness to more than one habit, saying that "eating a balanced diet regularly and making yoga a part of his life have been hundred per cent effective," which shows the chapter linking yoga to a wider healthy lifestyle, not to yoga alone.

The girl also describes the park where she accompanies her grandfather, where she sees "so many people, young and old, doing yogic breathing exercises." She says she likes doing these exercises herself, especially when she is "a little worried about an Inter-House competition," because they make her "feel focused and calm."

She ends by saying she plans to learn "some asanas" from her grandfather "during the summer vacations," showing that her yoga practice is ongoing and still developing, rather than something she has already mastered.

What does the chapter tell us about the history of yoga?

The 'Let us explore' section gives the chapter's only strictly historical facts. It states that "a few seals of the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation, dating back to 2700 BC, indicate that yoga was prevalent in ancient India." The seals indicate that yoga was already prevalent in ancient India very long ago, long before the modern organisations mentioned in the chapter.

The chapter then says that "many people contributed to its development," and that now "yoga has spread all over the world." This single sentence links the ancient Indian origins of yoga to its modern, global reach described earlier in the chapter through the WHO mYoga app.

The chapter also gives the precise history of International Yoga Day. It states that on 11 December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), with its 193 members, "accepted the proposal to celebrate '21st June' as 'International Yoga Day'." So 21 June is the day known as International Yoga Day.

Together, these historical facts show the chapter's structure: moving from an ancient Indian origin, through a named sage's systematic teaching, to a modern international day and a digital health app, all under the single idea that yoga is "a way of life."

What themes does the chapter explore?

Yoga as a holistic, unifying practice

The chapter's central theme is that yoga unites rather than separates. Taken from the Sanskrit root 'yuj', meaning "to join" or "to unite," the chapter presents yoga as symbolising "the unity of mind and body; thought and action; harmony between human and nature." This theme recurs when the chapter insists that physical stretching alone is not yoga unless "the mind has to be with the body."

Discipline and regular practice

A second theme is the value of sustained, disciplined practice over quick results. The chapter's grammar section deliberately teaches the verb 'practise' as a repeated action "to improve or acquire a skill," and the listening transcript reinforces this through the grandfather, who has practised yoga since he was 16 and remains fit at 65 because of consistent habits.

Health and well-being of body and mind

The chapter repeatedly connects yoga to concrete health outcomes: stronger muscles, reduced pain, calmer minds, better sleep, a stronger immune system and improved heart health.

This theme presents yoga not as an abstract philosophy alone but as a practical tool with "many health benefits," made accessible to everyone through free resources such as the WHO mYoga app.

Yoga's journey from ancient India to the modern world

A final theme traces yoga's path across time and geography. From a few seals of the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation dating to 2700 BC, through Sage Patanjali's systematic 'Yoga Sutras', to the UN's International Yoga Day and the WHO's mobile app, the chapter shows an ancient Indian practice becoming a globally recognised way of life.

What are the key quotations from the chapter?

"The word 'Yoga' comes from the Sanskrit root 'yuj', which means 'to join' or 'to unite'." (from the opening reading passage)

"He described yoga as the means to make the mind quiet and free from all distractions." (about Sage Patanjali)

"We can start practising yoga at any given moment of time." (from the reading passage, on practising with awareness)

"My grandfather is fit and strong even at the age of 65." (the girl, in the listening transcript)

"It relaxes me and makes me feel focused and calm." (the girl, describing breathing exercises before a competition)

"Yoga has become increasingly popular around the world due to its many health benefits." (from the opening reading passage)

"It should be practised for gaining steady posture, health and weightlessness of body." (translated verse from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, quoted in the chapter)

What are the answers to the textbook questions?

Fill in the blanks (Let us discuss)

Using the given word box, the passage is completed as follows: yoga improves mental health (1) and leads to a healthier lifestyle (2); it increases muscular strength (3); it leads to better body and mind balance (4); and the focus on breathing and meditation makes the mind calm (5), lessens stress (6), and improves the quality of sleep (7).

Let us think and reflect

1. What is the aim of yoga? The chapter explains, through Sage Patanjali's teaching, that the aim of yoga is "to make the mind quiet and free from all distractions," as part of a holistic approach to health and well-being that unites mind and body.

2. Explain the idea of unity in yoga. The word 'Yoga' comes from 'yuj', meaning "to join" or "to unite." This symbolises the unity of mind and body, of thought and action, and harmony between human beings and nature, so that stretching the body and keeping the mind present happen together.

3. What does the launch of the WHO mYoga app tell us? It shows that the benefits of yoga "are internationally recognised," since a major global health organisation created a free, easy-to-use tool specifically to encourage people "across the world" to practise yoga.

4. Describe one long-term effect that the practice of yoga can have on a person's qualities. Regular practice can make a person calmer and more focused: breathing techniques and meditation calm the mind, reduce stress and anxiety and increase concentration, and the girl says her breathing exercises make her "feel focused and calm." Over the years it can also build lasting strength, as with her grandfather, who has practised yoga since he was 16 and is "fit and strong even at the age of 65."

Let us listen: true statements

Of the seven statements given, four are true (statements 1, 3, 4 and 6): the girl sees people at the park doing breathing exercises; she practises some easy yoga exercises with her grandfather; she practises breathing exercises to relax; and her grandfather's regular yoga practice has kept him strong.

The statements about him beginning yoga "sixteen years ago," having "untimely meals," and the girl wanting to learn asanas "over the weekend" are not supported by the transcript, which instead says he began at age 16, ate a balanced diet, and that she plans to learn asanas during the summer vacations.

Glossary

• Originated — started; began in a particular place or time.
• Harmony — balance; a pleasing, well-matched combination between different things.
• Distractions — disturbances; things that take attention away from the main activity.
• Anxiety — worry; a feeling of unease or nervousness.
• Boost — increase; to make something stronger or better.
• Endurance — capacity to continue without giving up; the ability to keep going despite difficulty.
• Asanas — yoga postures; physical positions practised as part of yoga.
• Holistic — considering the whole person, including body and mind together, rather than one part alone.
• Meditation — a practice of focused thought and awareness used to calm the mind.
• Circulation — the movement of blood through the body's vessels.
• Immune system — the body's natural system for fighting illness and infection.
• Yoga Sutras of Patanjali — the text in which Sage Patanjali systematically presented the ancient tradition of yoga.
• WHO mYoga — a free app launched by the World Health Organisation on 20 June 2021 containing yoga videos and audio files.
• Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation — an ancient civilisation, a few of whose seals, dating to 2700 BC, indicate that yoga was prevalent in ancient India.
• International Yoga Day — 21 June, accepted by the UN General Assembly on 11 December 2014 as a day to celebrate yoga.

Common errors and misconceptions

• Misconception: 'practice' and 'practise' can be used interchangeably. Correct: 'practice' is the noun (a regular activity) and 'practise' is the verb (to do an activity repeatedly).
• Misconception: yoga is only physical exercise. Correct: the chapter stresses that "the mind has to be with the body," so yoga combines physical and mental practice together.
• Misconception: the WHO mYoga app was the first sign of yoga's history. Correct: a few seals of the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation, dating back to 2700 BC, indicate that yoga was prevalent in ancient India, long before the 2021 app.
• Misconception: the grandfather in the listening passage began yoga "sixteen years ago." Correct: the transcript says he has practised "since he was 16 years old," so, as he is 65 now, he started about 49 years ago, not sixteen years ago.
• Misconception: International Yoga Day is celebrated on 11 December, the day the proposal was accepted. Correct: the UN General Assembly accepted the proposal on 11 December 2014 to celebrate 21 June as International Yoga Day, so the day itself is 21 June.
• Misconception: 'advice' and 'advise' follow a different rule from 'practice' and 'practise'. Correct: the chapter presents them as the same s/c noun-verb pattern.
• Misconception: the girl in the transcript plans to learn asanas over a weekend. Correct: she says she plans to learn them "during the summer vacations."

Exam-style questions with model answers

Q1. What does the Sanskrit root 'yuj' mean, and what does it symbolise in yoga? [2 marks]

1. 'Yuj' means "to join" or "to unite."
2. It symbolises the unity of mind and body, of thought and action, and harmony between human and nature.

Q2. Name the sage mentioned in the chapter and state what he did for yoga. [2 marks]

1. Sage Patanjali is named in the chapter.
2. He presented the ancient tradition of yoga systematically in the 'Yoga Sutras of Patanjali', describing yoga as the means to make the mind quiet and free from distractions.

Q3. Using the facts given in the chapter, describe the WHO mYoga app: when it was launched, what it contains, and its stated aim. [4 marks]

1. The app was launched by the World Health Organisation on 20 June 2021.
2. It contains a collection of video and audio files to teach and support yoga practice.
3. Its aim was to provide an easy-to-use and free tool for people across the world.
4. This tool was meant to encourage people everywhere to practise yoga.

Q4. Explain the difference between 'practice' and 'practise', giving one example sentence for each. [3 marks]

1. 'Practice' is a noun meaning the actual application or exercise of a skill or knowledge, for example, "a regular practice of stretching."
2. 'Practise' is a verb meaning to engage in an activity repeatedly to improve a skill, for example, "I practise yoga every day."
3. The two words sound identical but are spelt differently according to whether they are used as a noun or a verb.

Q5. Using only the dates given in the chapter, state two historical facts about International Yoga Day. [2 marks]

1. On 11 December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly, with its 193 members, accepted the proposal.
2. The day chosen for celebrating International Yoga Day is 21 June.

Q6. Based on the listening transcript, describe how the girl and her grandfather practise yoga, including his age and how long he has practised. [5 marks]

1. The girl does simple yoga exercises together with her grandfather.
2. Her grandfather has been practising yoga since he was 16 years old, so by the age of 65 he has practised for about 49 years.
3. He is fit and strong even at the age of 65.
4. The girl attributes this to eating a balanced diet regularly and making yoga part of his life.
5. She accompanies him to the park, where she sees many people, young and old, doing yogic breathing exercises, and she herself practises breathing exercises when worried, for example before an Inter-House competition, which relaxes her and makes her feel focused and calm.

Q7. List all four benefits of yoga given in the chapter, with one supporting detail for each. [4 marks]

1. Physical fitness: asanas stretch and strengthen muscles and increase flexibility, endurance and balance, reducing pains such as lower back pain.
2. Mental calm: breathing techniques and meditation reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep and increase concentration.
3. Immunity and heart health: yoga has been shown to boost the immune system and can improve heart health by lowering blood pressure and improving circulation.
4. Weight management: yoga can aid weight loss by burning calories and maintaining health.

Q8. Explain why the chapter says that stretching the body alone is not enough to make a yoga practice complete. [3 marks]

1. The chapter states that when practising asanas, "the mind has to be with the body."
2. Yoga should be practised without distractions.
3. If each stretch is coordinated with breath and awareness, the practice becomes truly yogic, rather than mere physical stretching.

Key takeaways

• The word 'Yoga' comes from the Sanskrit root 'yuj', meaning "to join" or "to unite."
• Sage Patanjali systematically presented yoga in the 'Yoga Sutras of Patanjali', describing it as a means to a quiet, distraction-free mind.
• Yoga's benefits span physical fitness, mental calm, immunity and heart health, and weight management.
• The WHO launched the free mYoga app on 20 June 2021 to encourage yoga practice worldwide.
• 'Practice' is a noun and 'practise' is a verb; 'advice' and 'advise' follow the same pattern.
• In the listening transcript, a girl's grandfather has practised yoga since age 16 and remains fit at 65.
• A few seals of the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation, dating to 2700 BC, indicate that yoga was prevalent in ancient India.
• The UN General Assembly accepted the proposal to mark 21 June as International Yoga Day on 11 December 2014.

Test yourself

What does the Sanskrit root 'yuj' mean?

It means "to join" or "to unite," symbolising the unity of mind and body in yoga.

Who presented yoga systematically in the 'Yoga Sutras'?

Sage Patanjali presented the ancient tradition of yoga systematically in the 'Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'.

When did the WHO launch the mYoga app?

The World Health Organisation launched the WHO mYoga app on 20 June 2021.

Is 'practice' a noun or a verb?

'Practice' is a noun, meaning the actual application or exercise of a skill or knowledge.

Since what age has the grandfather in the listening transcript practised yoga?

He has been practising yoga since he was 16 years old, and remains fit and strong at 65.

What do a few seals of the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation, dated to 2700 BC, indicate?

They indicate that yoga was prevalent in ancient India.

When was the proposal to mark 21 June as International Yoga Day accepted?

The UN General Assembly, with 193 members, accepted it on 11 December 2014.

Why does the chapter say the mind must be with the body during asanas?

Because yoga is not just physical stretching; coordinating breath and awareness with each stretch makes the practice truly yogic.