Promote yoga as a way of life: VC

: Yoga needs to be promoted as a way of life, said Babu Sebastian, Vice Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi University.

Inaugurating the University level programme in connection with the International Yoga Day, organised by the National Service Scheme in B.K. College, Amalagiri on Sunday, he said yoga brings in discipline, empowers the body and mind to attain their goal, enables one to have healthy life, prevents illness, and attains mastery over mind and body.

Yoga motivates one to uphold the values like non violence, helps to practice social laws, contentment, perseverance and austerity, he said. The students and the teachers will be benefitted with the practice of yoga on a daily basis and therefore University proposes to provide opportunities for them towards this, Dr Sebastian said.

In her presidential remarks, Pro Vice Chancellor Sheena Shukkoor said that there is tendency to connect everything with religion, which is root cause for the present day controversies on yoga.

Knowledge has no religion and it should be insulated from the religious colour. The academic society has a responsibility to sensitise the people on unhealthy discourses, while upholding the right for knowledge without any hindrance, she said.

At least 500 students and staffers dressed in white participated in the event, which was inaugurated by the vice chancellor doing the Vrikshaasana.