Fourth Int’l Yoga Day: Odisha Stretches For Good Health

Bhubaneswar: The International Yoga Day was celebrated across Odisha with people participating in large numbers at events to mark the day on Thursday.

People from all over the world get together and perform yoga asanas, on the occasion. To promote the mind and body practice with historical origins in ancient Indian philosophy, social media was flooded with the many messages, photos and videos of different yoga asanas and celebrations.

Renowned artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has sculpted a sand art on Puri sea beach and tweeted, “My SandArt on #InternationalYogaDay2018 with message “yoga for harmony and peace” at Puri beach, Odisha. I’ve shown world’s top leaders like US President, Chinese President, Russian President, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Hon PM @narendramodi with their country flags.”

 

Sand artist Manas Sahoo also created a sand art on the same beach to mark the day.

He tweeted, “#Yoga #Puri #beach by @SandArtistManas on #InternationalYogaDay #IDY2018 “Yoga is the journey from  ‘me’ to ‘we’. Yoga makes an individual a better person in thought, action , knowledge and devotion.”- PM Narendra Modi.”

 

Besides, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in association with the Yoga Mahostav Samiti celebrated the yoga day at Master Canteen here on Thursday morning.

As many as 80 students from various educational institutions of state capital like Utkal University, Ramadevi University, University Law College and Rajdhani College etc. participated in the event.

At Sri Sri University in Cuttack, the day started with ‘Yoga shanti patha’ followed by yoga asanas and chanting of sacred mantras. “Yoga is a way of life. Yoga unites the body, mind and soul. He also suggested to bring awareness about yoga and everyone should take vow to practice it every day,” said Vice-Chancellor Prof Nand Lal.

Officers and workers of the Raj Bhavan also participated in a yoga event. Rama Devi University Lecturer Sushil Kumar Patnaik gave yoga training on the occasion. Governor’s private secretary Himanshu Patnaik and additional secretary Sukanta Pradhan were present, among others.

Likewise, Yoga Day was celebrated at 120 Battalion, Bhubaneswar and SOA University.

Hundreds of students, faculty members and employees participated in the two-hour event on the SOA campus. Renowned neurosurgeon and SOA’s Director Ashok Mohapatra inaugurated the yoga session.

Nearly 200 yoga enthusiasts, including women and children, participated in hour-long programme on the pellet plant premises of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL), Angul, which was inaugurated by JSPL Barbil Unit Head Suresha G.

Union Petroleum Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan also gave a message through social media and tweeted, “Yoga is a physical, mental & spiritual practice that transforms the body & mind. It is a method to nourish the body and blossom the divinity within ourselves. Let’s pledge to add years to our life & life to our years by practicing yoga. #InternationalYogaDay2018 #YogaDay.”

 

Pradhan also performed yoga at an event held in Janata Maidan here in Bhubaneswar.

Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram also participated in the mass yoga demonstration on the occasion of fourth International Yoga Day celebration at the Ispat Stadium in Rourkela on Thursday.

Various training programmes, camps, seminars and workshops are also organised at group and mass level in the state.