International Yoga Day marked

Kathmandu, June 21

The fourth International Yoga Day was marked across the country today by organising various programmes.

Acting Prime Minister Ishwor Pokharel and Indian Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri jointly participated in a yoga programme organised at National Police Academy this morning.

Speaking at the programme, Minister Pokharel said, “Only healthy citizens can contribute to the task of nation building and I believe the ancient tradition of yoga will help create a healthy citizenry.”

The International Yoga Day is being celebrated on June 21 since 2014 after India’s proposal to mark the day was endorsed by the UN General Assembly. This year’s slogan for the day is “Yoga for Peace.”

Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice. According to Sanskrit pundits the literal meaning of Yog or Yoga is ‘join’ or ‘unite’, which symbolises the union of body and consciousness.

Yoga practitioner and instructor at Gaushala-based Arogya Ashram Ramesh Gautam said  yoga could be immensely helpful in preventing diseases. Gautam further said that although people generally considered yoga as a method to stay physically and mentally fit, yoga practitioners believed that it could actually cure physical ailments.

Shiva Ram Ghimire, 58, who has been practicing yoga for the last six years at Sanothimi-based Shiva Yog Sadhana Kendra said yoga was the best physiotherapy. “I started experiencing joint pain after I crossed 50 years, but after regularly doing yoga for just over six months, the pain was gone. Now I am approaching 60 and living a healthy life.”

Yoga is believed to have originated in the pre-Vedic period and it is also mentioned in Rigveda, one of the four sacred texts of Hinduism.

MoH holds rally

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Health and Population and the Department of Ayurveda on Thursday organised a rally to mark the fourth International Yoga Day. The rally began from the Department of Health Services and concluded at MoHP. The main purpose of the rally was to create awareness of the benefits of yoga among people.