International Day of Yoga was observed on Wednesday, with several organisations, including schools and colleges, hosting demonstrations and lectures across the region.
The Department of Yoga and Naturopathy of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital organised a yoga session with therapeutic assistants of the department demonstrating asanas for patients, staff members and nursing students. T. Preethi Pushkarani, assistant medical officer, gave a lecture on naturopathy.
S. Kamaraj, District Siddha Medical Officer, G.Anitha, Medical Superintendent, MGMGH, and others participated. Patients were also distribute free jal neti pots on the occasion.
Officers and employees of Tiruchi Division of Southern Railway, led by P.U.K.Reddy, Divisional Railway Manager, performed asanas at a programme held at the Zonal Railway Training Institute. Sri Ramakrishna Sarada Samithi collaborated with the Railway authorities to organise the yoga day programmes in the division, a Southern Railway press release said.
Yoga sessions were held at Rail Kalyana Mandapam, Diesel Shed, Golden Rock, Diesel Traction Training Centre, Golden Rock, Railway Hospital, Golden Rock, Villupuram and Thanjavur railway stations in which officers and employees of the division participated, the release said.
A mass yoga demonstration was organised at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at Kailasapuram as Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Tiruchi, observed the day. R. Rajamanohar, Executive Director, BHEL Tiruchi, inaugurated the demonstration and emphasised the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle.
Over 700 persons comprising employees, their family members and campus school children participated and performed various yoga postures such as yoga namashkar, nadi shuddi, shambavi yoga and yoga mudra to celebrate the event. Members of Isha Yoga conducted the programme.
Mr. Rajamanohar also gave away prizes to winners of yoga competitions held earlier as part of International Yoga Day celebrations, a BHEL release said.
Students, faculty and staff members of National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi, celebrated the day with a yoga demonstration programme at the Barn auditorium. A seven-day yoga class, organised as part of the event, concluded on Wednesday.
Mini Shaji Thomas, Director, NIT-T, inaugurated the celebration and observed that yoga helped strengthen mental and physical ability, increase flexibility and reduce stress.
The yoga session was conducted K.V.K. Sivaswamy, Founder of Yoga and Natural Health Research Foundation.
NIT-T has proposed to conduct regular yoga classes throughout year for students, staff and their family members and organise an all NIT yoga championship every year, a NIT-T press release said.
