Chhattisgarh CM urges people to practise yoga daily for physical and mental well-being

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], June 21 (ANI): Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday performed various Yoga asanas at Chhattisgarh Sadan in New Delhi to mark the occasion of the eighth International Yoga Day and appealed to the people to add yoga to their daily routine for physical and mental well-being.
This year the theme for the Yoga Day celebration is "yoga for humanity".
"Sustained health and fitness is the biggest achievement of all. Yoga is a spiritual process, which binds mind, body and soul in one. Let's add Yoga in our daily routine for our physical, psychological and mental well-being. Yoga is more than just a workout involving both mind and body," said Baghel.
He further said, "Covid-19 pandemic has shown us the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, practising yoga on a regular basis is important to stay healthy and fit. Yoga is an invaluable gift of our ancient tradition. It brings positivity to one's life."
"You will be strong enough to face any adverse situation if your mind and body are both healthy," he asserted.
"At present, we have taken only material resources as the measure of success, whereas every success is incomplete without a healthy body and mind," he said.
Stating that the relevance of Yoga has increased "even more in the times of Coronavirus pandemic", the CM said, "We can turn our dream of 'Gadhbo Nava Chhattisgarh' (Building New Chhattisgarh) into reality only by staying mentally and physically fit.
On the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his greetings of the eighth edition of the International Day of Yoga in the heritage city of Mysuru in Karnataka, and said, "I extend my greetings to all on this 8th International Yoga Day. Today, Yoga is being practised in all parts of the world. Yoga brings peace to us. The peace from Yoga is not only for individuals, it brings peace to our nations and the world."
Mass Yoga demonstrations are being organised at 75 iconic locations across the country which have been witness to the glorious history of India and have been the centre of cultural energy.
He also informed about the novel programme 'Guardian Yoga Ring' which is a collaborative exercise between 79 countries and United Nations organisations along with Indian Missions abroad to illustrate Yoga's unifying power that surpasses national boundaries.
As the sun apparently moves from the east to the west across the world, the Mass Yoga Demonstrations in the participating countries, if seen from any one point on Earth, will seem to be happening one after the other, almost in tandem, thus underlining the concept of 'One Sun, One earth'. "These practices of yoga are giving wonderful inspiration for health, balance and cooperation," he added.
More than 15,000 people participated in the Yoga celebrations along with the Prime Minister at the Mysore Palace grounds.
Meanwhile, "Silent Warriors" of the Indian Army also participated in the Yoga session in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch.
"These Silent Warriors remain operationally ready to respond to any contingency and are always relied upon by soldiers during sensitive missions. These brave, reliable and indispensable force multipliers along with their handlers have thus earned a mark of respect and garnered a lot of appreciation in the Armed Forces," said the Indian Army.
Keeping the overarching theme of the 75 years of India's independence the Ministry for Ayush also identified 75 locations for Union Ministers to participate in the Yoga Day celebration.
This year International Day of Yoga 2022 witnessed many firsts, including the 'Guardian ring', a yoga demonstration by Union cabinet ministers at 75 iconic locations in India and a special digital yoga and static exhibition in Mysuru Dussera Grounds, Mysuru.
The Digital yoga exhibition showcased the latest technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) to project the history and wisdom of yoga. The static exhibition consists of 146 stalls which have been taken up by yoga institutions, Ayush institutions under the ambit of the Government of Karnataka and the Government of India.
According to the Ministry of Ayush, as many as 25 crores of people are expected to participate in International Day of Yoga 2022 celebrations across the world.
Earlier, Yog Guru Ramdev performed yoga at Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar. Many children and other people also attend the event.
It was during his speech at the UN General Assembly on September 27, 2014, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi first floated the idea of International Yoga Day. The draft resolution passed by India was supported by 177 nations. With universal recognition and the growing popularity of yoga, the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga on December 11, 2014.
The first International Yoga Day was celebrated on June 21, 2015. (ANI)