Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday said the state government is taking initiatives to include yoga in the school curriculum and public health programme as this helps create a healthy, self-reliant and efficient India.
Addressing a state-level programme on the occasion of International Yoga Day at Kalinga Stadium here, he said yoga is not just a physical exercise but something that keeps the body, mind and soul active.
The programme, organised by Odisha’s Sports and Youth Affairs Department, was attended by over 10,000 people, including ministers, lawmakers, bureaucrats, students, women and others.
“In Odisha, we are making yoga available to everyone. We organise awareness campaigns on yoga in schools, colleges, hostels and sporting centres. We can also include yoga in school curriculum and public health programmes,” the chief minister said.
Majhi said that the awareness programmes on yoga teach people to maintain a healthy life.
Though yoga has been practised in India for many years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured its international recognition after assuming charge as the PM in 2014, he said.
Due to the PM's efforts, the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Yoga Day, he said.
The chief minister said that yoga is "not just a physical exercise, but something that keeps body, mind and soul active".
“Yoga is a medium to attain physical, intellectual, mental and spiritual fulfilment. It is beneficial for human bodies," he said.
The theme of this year's International Yoga Day is 'Yoga for One Earth, One Health', which highlights the deep connection between personal well-being and the health of the planet.
"It shows how the ancient yoga practice nourishes not only the body and mind but also nature and promotes a harmonious lifestyle that respects all living beings," he said.
On this occasion, the traditional Gotipu dance was performed by the culture department.
Internationally acclaimed sand artist Padma Shri Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sand sculpture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing Ustrasana (Camel Pose) on the Puri sea beach.
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