It was an hour away from their computers and office work. Time, where they could look within and relax. On the eve of International Day of Yoga, over 3,000 techies had their session for relaxation at the Manyata Tech Park in Bengaluru where the Isha Foundation had organised an event.
While a few had come right from their office to the session, a few others did not mind foregoing a weekend’s outing for Yoga. As part of the International Day of Yoga, the Foundation has been organising over 200 Yoga sessions in 79 corporations, 19 institutions, eight apartment complexes and three malls.
“In is the only way out” was a call given by Jaggi Vasudev, commonly known as Sadhguru, founder, Isha Foundation. He said that people had started looking out for happiness and wellbeing and that this has only ripped off the planet. “Wellbeing can happen only when one looks within,” he said.
“If the stomach is empty, man has just one problem. When it is full, problems are many. Yoga is a fundamental solution to these issues when the stomach is full,” Sadhguru said. He also warned that when 60 per cent of the country was malnourished, one must not get drawn by commercial forces.
Lauding the move to observe the International Day of Yoga, he said “It was indeed a great decision taken by the UN and also the prime minister for having promoted it. If 177 countries voted for it, it feels like they were just waiting for someone to say it,” said Sadhguru.
Mysuru connection
Chief Minister Siddaramiah who inaugurated the event was all praise for Sadhguru popularising Yoga worldwide. He said that it was indeed a matter of pride that even Sadhguru hailed from Mysuru.
“This is half the reason I am here today. We both share a common Mysuru link. Karnataka has produced great Yoga experts such as Raghavendra Swamiji, T V Krishnamachari and also B K S Iyengar. Today, someone from my own hometown is such a noted face in the field and it is a matter of pride” he said.
Yoga everyday
Siddaramiah revealed that he has been doing Yoga everyday for the past eight months. “After I took charge as the chief minister, I started gaining a lot of weight. This lead to other health issues. On realising this, I have been practising Yoga regularly,” he said. He added that even earlier he had learnt Yoga at a school in Dharmasthala and Jindal Institute, but did not do it regularly.
Agriculture Minister Krishna Byregowda said that similar to the way Indian civilization has sustained itself over the years, even Yoga has survived over the last 3,000 years. “ This shows that Yoga has an inherent strength,” he added.
