Mass yoga was witnessed in the yoga capital which has spanned a local industry as hundreds of enthusiasts and practitioners of this ancient Indian tradition of physical and mental exercise, participated in the ‘International Yoga Day’ on Sunday.
Though held across Mysuru, Amba Vilas Palace was the pivot where people gathered in large numbers, including NCC cadets drawn in from five districts assembled early in the day and braved the overcast skies and drizzle to perform yoga asanas , pranayama and other exercises under the supervision of yoga gurus and teachers roped in from the local institutions.
Organised by the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), the demonstration and performance was held from 7 a.m. to 7.30 a.m. and there were quite a number of people who were not participating but getting a ring side view of the unfolding events keen as they were to soak in the historicity of the occasion.
Under the aegis of NCC Group, Mysuru, 8,526 cadets participated at the mass yoga demonstrations held at Mysuru and Hassan. Yoga training for the NCC cadets began on April 1 this year and culminated in the synchronized display of various yoga postures. But NCC cadets apart, there was participation by students of various yoga schools of Mysuru and individuals who converged at the palace premises with their yoga mat and attired in T-shirts to take part in the event.
There was demonstration of various postures by the more advanced practitioners and teachers who were seated on a pedestal with the participants following them. The students of the University of Mysore took to the event in a big way and it was inaugurated by the Vice Chancellor Prof. K.S. Rangappa at the Sports Pavilion. National Institute of Engineering, Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, College of Horticulture were among various institutions that took part in the Yoga Day celebrations. The Department of AYUSH was supported by Mysuru Yoga Federation comprising Sri Pathanjali Yoga Shikshana Samithi, Vivekananda Yoga Balaga, Mysuru Yoga Association among others.
Attracting foreigners in hundreds who come to learn Yoga, Mysuru was made famous for this ancient Indian art by the royal patronage of the Wadiyars as also by its association with Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) reckoned to be the father of yoga in present times whose disciples, with Mysuru links include, Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009) of the Ashtanga fame, B.N.S.Iyengar of the Mysuru Mandala fame, the late B.K.S.Iyengar among others. With more than 100 yoga schools in the city catering to international and domestic students, it has not only popularized the discipline but also helped fuel tourism which is one of the main economic driver of Mysuru.
