Comments
Thousands of yoga enthusiasts across the world on Sunday took to mats and stretched, bent and twisted their bodies in multiple complex postures as they marked the inaugural International Day of Yoga, celebrating the ancient Indian spiritual practice.
More than a thousand people took part in several events across Australia to mark the day, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott appreciating yoga’s universal appeal.
Melbourne saw over 500 people gathered at the Springers Leisure Centre to kick off the day with surya namaskar and bending and twisting their bodies in complex postures. Yoga events were also held at Sydney’s popular Bondi beach and in the Australian capital Canberra.
In the UK, hundreds gathered across cities to celebrate the day with the main event on the bank of the river Thames in London. It was held at Bernie-Spain Garden, on the South Bank of Thames.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said in his message: “The UK is pleased to support International Yoga Day. We were one of 177 countries to vote in favour of Prime Minister Modi’s proposal and we are pleased to see the enthusiasm with which it is being embraced, both in UK and around the world.”
In China, events were organised at the prestigious Peking University and Geely University. People from different walks of life took part in the exercise.
In-flight session
Budget airlines Spicejet conducted an on-board yoga session on select flights, a first of its kind in any airlines.
Spicejet crew along with instructors of Isha Foundation performed ‘Upa’ Yoga in a routine designed specifically to be done in-flight.
About 50 Isha instructors and SpiceJet crew members undertook a 10-minute session on board select flights.
Our Chennai Bureau reports: Pranayamas and yoga asanas, widely practised for health and relaxation, could help you keep diabetes in check when done regularly, according to a study by the MV Hospital for Diabetes in Chennai. The study has proved that regular practice of yoga has significant impacts on diabetics. Around 333 patients, diagnosed with diabetes recently, were identified and divided into two groups — one was prescribed medicine and the other was instructed to take medicine as well as practise yoga for 30 minutes a day.
During the three-month review it was found blood pressure and bad cholesterol fell significantly among patients who practised yoga. In a few cases even the medication was stopped.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.