Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor G Manoj Sinha Wednesday described yoga as India’s greatest gift to humanity which has transcended the boundaries of religion and geographical barriers to bring happiness in people’s lives.
Sinha led the International Yoga Day celebrations in the union territory by performing yoga ‘asanas’ at an event at Botanical Garden here, an official press release informed.
It said conveying his best wishes to the people of J&K on the occasion, the LG said yoga has helped people across the world to remain fit.
“…especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, people realised that not only medicines, but yoga can also increase immunity. All the doctors advise that yoga is also needed to remain fit. It is due to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the whole world is attracted to yoga,” Sinha told reporters.
“This year’s theme underlines the vision of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ of Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji. Yoga is India’s greatest gift to humanity and it has transcended the boundary of religion, sect and geographical barriers to bring happiness in people’s lives,” the LG said on Twitter.
“This rich and ancient tradition, based on prevention for better health, has been accepted by medical science and researchers as a unique and significant practice of the traditional system of medicine which offers tremendous physical and mental health benefits for people of all ages,” he added.
“The first sutra of Maharishi Patanjali, now the discipline of yoga, and second one on cessation of the mind, is the key to understanding yoga. Body-mind together as one in the present moment, here and now helps to reduce stress level, brings mindfulness and improves physical strength,” Sinha said.
The great sage Maharishi Patanjali has observed that disorder within our body-mind is the main reason for stress, anxiety, inflammation in the body and heart diseases. Yoga brings harmony in our body-mind, the LG added.
“Yoga is not just a physical exercise, but it also symbolizes the spirit of oneness between body-mind and nature. This rich and ancient tradition, based on prevention for better health, has been accepted by medical science and researchers as a unique and significant practice of the traditional system of medicine which offers tremendous physical and mental health benefits for people of all ages,” he said.
For Yoga, one needs both physical and mental discipline, so that the body and mind do not function separately but work in an integrated manner, the LG said.
In today’s world, doctors, while prescribing medicine for disease, always give free and important advice on bringing change in lifestyle for long-term health. Yoga is the medium that brings change in the lifestyle and strengthens the bond between people, he further said.
Junaid Azim Mattu, Mayor Srinagar Municipal Corporation; Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to LG; Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Dilbag Singh, DGP; Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary, Forest Department; Dr Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, Principal Secretary to LG; Bhupinder Kumar, Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department and senior officers also participated in the International Yoga Day celebration.
Meanwhile, functions were held at district headquarters and various schools across the valley to mark the ninth International Yoga Day. Paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) also organised various streaks of yoga sessions and activities at its different units, including forward locations and the Line of Control (LoC).
Various activities were facilitated by the BSF Kashmir Frontier with the active participation of BSF troops, school children, and the civil population, a BSF spokesman said.
He said the main function was organised in frontier headquarters at Humhama on the outskirts of the city here with the yoga performance and a speech on the importance of yoga.
Kashmir Frontier Inspector-General (IG) Ashok Yadav said yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice that originated in ancient India over 5,000 years ago.
Today, yoga is recognised worldwide for its many benefits for a happy, healthy, united mankind.
He added that at difficult terrains of the LoC where sports and fitness facilities like grounds and gyms are not available, yoga proves to be critical for keeping troops physically fit and mentally sound.
CRPF and J-K Police, across the valley, also organised many events to mark the day.
Yoga Day events were also organised by the army at various places including near the LoC.
Army personnel and school children celebrated International Yoga Day by doing ‘asanas’ near the LoC at Kaman Post in the Uri sector. A similar event was held near the LoC in the Machil sector, in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
