The International Yoga Day celebrations were organised at the District Indoor Stadium by the District Administration, Zilla Panchayat, AYUSH Department and other organisations here on Thursday.
As many as 20 different Yogasanas were performed by the participants, including Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis and Additional Deputy Commissioner, G. Anuradha, at the programme.
Jyotsana, professor at Muniyal Institute of Ayurveda Medical Sciences, gave a lecture-demonstration of various asanas at the District Indoor Stadium, while Vivekananda Pai gave an explanation of dhyana to the participants.
Tanushree, a nine-year-old girl from Udyavar near Udupi, who holds the Guinness record for most full-body revolutions maintaining a chest stand position, was felicitated on the occasion.
Presiding over the inaugural programme, Dinakar Babu, president of the Zilla Panchayat, said that people should perform Yoga daily in their houses. This would go a long way in improving their health especially in the present-day stress-filled life.
It was essential that at least one or two members of a family learnt Yoga. They could then explain its importance to others. Just as in Kerala, it was necessary to have some villages as Yoga villages in Udupi district. A village in Kerala had been declared a Yoga Village, he said.
The government departments and voluntary organisations could play a vital role in explaining the importance of Yoga for both physical and mental fitness of people and popularise it, he said.
The practice of Yoga should not be restricted to just a day on the occasion of International Yoga Day. Daily practice of Yoga would go a long way in maintaining mental and physical fitness of people, Mr. Babu said.
Nalini P. Rao, president of Udupi Taluk Panchayat, who inaugurated the programme, said that present day high-pressure lifestyle and food habits were taking a toll on both physical and mental health of people. Yoga was the best antidote available for it, he said.
The International Yoga Day was celebrated by various educational institutions, including schools and colleges across the district. The students of SDM College of Ayurveda and Muniyal Institute of Ayurveda Medical Sciences performed Yoga in their respective premises. Members of Bharath Scouts and Guides performed Yoga at Rajangana.
