THIS INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY LET’S PLEDGE TO BUILD A HEALTHY NATION

21 Jun 2018

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While addressing a career counselling programme in Bhopal recently, I was asked by a student what helped me remain so energetic throughout the day. I don’t think there could be another reason better than Yoga. The age-old practice not only keeps me healthy but also fills me with energy and vitality. For me, Yoga is one of the biggest contributions of our country to the world. And I wholeheartedly thank Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for popularizing it and initiating International Yoga Day.

Yoga is the result of a very old school of Indian thought that believed in healthy and harmonious co-existence of every element of nature. Indians sages and seers have been famous from time immemorial for having the power to perform miracles with their bodies. It is the prolonged practice of Yoga that increased flexibility and made them competent enough to perform miracles. When people realized that, the art started gaining popularity and was introduced in the US in the late 19^th Century, which eventually spread into other parts of the world.

It came as a pleasant surprise to me to learn that 16 million or 6.9% of Americans practice Yoga every day. 72.2% of them are women and 27.8% are men. While it fills me with euphoria to see the world adopting our tradition, it also makes me sad to realize how we Indians have not been able to use the art to its full extent. Many of you might be ignorant of the immeasurable benefits Yoga have. Apart from improving our digestion, it also enhances our memory. In this era of cut-throat competition, Yoga is especially important because it helps in battling anxiety, depression and stress while increasing our longevity.

I had met with a severe accident in the 90s and never thought I would be able to walk again. However, it was the magic of Yoga that infused a new vigour into me and got me back in shape. There is a reason our ancestors believed ‘Health is Wealth’. We can have all the riches of the world, but without a healthy body, it would mean nothing. In this linear race of chasing dreams and escalating career graphs, health often plays the second fiddle. We should not forget the importance of a healthy body. Practising Yoga is one of the best ways to evolve into a healthy individual.

Swami Vivekananda believed human beings are a storehouse of infinite possibilities and Yoga is quintessential to realize this talent and give expression to it. I particularly recommend it to students as it is largely helpful in boosting self-confidence and improving concentration and motivation. I am confident students can witness remarkable changes in their lives if they learn to start their day with Yoga.

It should be a matter of incredible pride to us that people across the globe celebrate International Yoga Day as a festivity, with much pomp and gaiety. Yoga is the key to fitness and well being. It is time every Indian introduce it into their lives. A healthy individual is a national asset and thus on the occasion of 4^th International Yoga Day, I urge all of you to adopt this gift bestowed upon us by our ancestors and render help in building a healthy nation.