Nearly six months ago Swami Ramdev alighted in Kathmandu with eight truckloads of ayurvedic medicine and books “to teach people ways to healthy life, longevity and self-improvement through yoga” as THT put it back then. Ramdev was a huge hit, delighting common people and local media alike. Over 20,000 people participated in the six-day camp: actors, politicians, entrepreneurs — nobody wanted to miss out on the opportunity to learn yoga from arguably the most famous figure in yoga today. Likewise, on Tuesday, Acharya Swami Dhurva was illuminating a gathering of media personnel in Kathmandu how dissatisfaction and negative thinking can dissipate up to 90 per cent of body energy.

Lust, anger, greed, longing, revenge and jealousy consume much of our waking time, the consumer culture doing its bit to promote these vices.

Caught up in the wave of economic liberalisation, more and more people are finding themselves bogged down in the rat race to make a decent living. It is no coincidence that a third of the country’s population suffers from some form of mental illness. In this context, the importance of yoga and meditation that help bring peace and harmony into the busy lives of people cannot be emphasised enough. The Eastern tradition of yoga and meditation are constant reminders that leading healthy and happy lives is a matter of choice.