Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath described yoga as an effective medium to achieve global peace and welfare of humanity, apart from being a medium to stay healthy, both physically and mentally.
Speaking on the occasion of the 9th International Yoga Day at a programme organised at Mahant Digvijay Nath Smriti auditorium on Wednesday, the chief minister described yoga as a precious gift of the Indian sage tradition to the world to achieve global wellness.
The chief minister was addressing practitioners and trainees at Gorakhnath temple. He also congratulated people of the state on the occasion of International Yoga Day and expressed his gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for re-establishing the prestige of yoga on the global platform.
He remarked: “Prime Minister Modi inspired people at the United Nations to use yoga for global wellness and peace. Today, about 200 countries of the world are expressing their gratitude towards India’s sage tradition by joining various programmes on yoga.”
Yogi said that India became a world ‘guru’ because everything here was practical and proven.
“Our legacy includes thousands of years of Indian sage tradition and knowledge. We should be proud of our legacy of yoga, which we have been incorporating into our lives for hundreds of years; Yoga is now attracting people from different parts of the world,” he added.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that in the last three-and-a-half years, when the whole world was battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian AYUSH system was in great demand on the global platform as people considered it as a source of complete health. The Indian AYUSH system has paved the way for the welfare of humanity, he added.
He further informed that the demand for AYUSH was continuously increasing.
“Those who used to drink tea and cold drinks earlier, began drinking Ayurvedic ‘kadha’ during the COVID-19 period. This is the contribution of AYUSH of India. Turmeric is a major part of Indian cuisine and its increasing demand in the world provides a new opportunity for Indian farmers,” he pointed out.
The chief minister said that yoga was a means to stay healthy physically and mentally, emphasising the importance of both in a person’s life.
The chief minister highlighted the importance of yoga and emphasised that individuals who practised ‘Pranayama’ experienced minimal effects of COVID-19, even during the severe second wave. Even those ‘Pranayama’ practitioners who contracted the virus were able to recover within a few days, thanks to the benefits of the ‘asana’.
The chief minister said that Pranayama not only strengthened people, but also served as a medium of physical purification.
“Yogasanas not only give us stability, but also provide physical strength. Besides, yoga is the way to enter the spiritual realm which leads to a wider dimension of consciousness,” he said.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath added further that Ashtanga Yoga is an important yoga tradition in which Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi are different activities. “There are different types of these genres which provide us all with the medium of physical and mental purification”, he added.
The chief minister said that yoga gave relief from all cold, cough disorders. Along with explaining the importance of asanas and pranayama, he also discussed the purification of the ‘nadi’.
He further said that yoga was effective in reducing stress, which was common these days because of an unhealthy lifestyle. It relieved anxiety and stress and also controlled blood-pressure and sugar. He appealed to all the people to make yoga a part of their regular routines.
On International Yoga Day, Yogi Adityanath also witnessed the live address of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Mahant Digvijay Nath Smriti auditorium of Gorakhnath temple. Later, he practised yoga with practitioners and trainees present in the auditorium.
