International Yoga Day: Goa govt plans sessions at 15,000 locations

Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said that Goa will see its biggest-ever International Yoga Day celebrations this year on June 21. Yoga sessions have been planned in every school, college, police station, fire station, panchayat, govt office and primary health centre in the state.

He said that yoga will be performed at 10,000 to 15,000 locations across Goa, including public places like bus stands and sports complexes.“We will ensure that not a single village is left without a yoga session being conducted there on the day. I call on every person to at least make it the start of their yoga journey. Those working on the day can observe yoga breaks, yoga at the workplace, yoga at the chair, yoga for workaholic protocols.

Yoga can be performed using the protocol even while sitting in a chair,” said Sawant.Every yoga event held on the day by any person in the state should be registered on the central Yoga Sangam portal so that the real extent of Yoga Day celebrations held in Goa is visible, he said.The CM said that the directorate of higher education conducts yoga through Art of Living instructors for its staffers every day and said that the state wants to see more govt offices incorporating this practice.

“It will help reduce non-communicable diseases if one observes day-to-day practice. We have a target of conducting yoga at 10,000 to 15,000 locations,” said Sawant. The state-level event, where hundreds will perform yoga at one location, will be held at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium for common yoga protocol from 6am to 8am, where the PM’s speech will also be telecast live, said the CM.The department of sports and youth affairs has also organised yoga sessions at 11 taluka locations at the different sports complexes.

The theme for this year’s Yoga Day is ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health’ to protect Mother Earth and health. Aayush Goa state deputy director Dr Meenal Joshi said that her department will be holding Harit Yoga sessions at beautiful locations like plantations and iconic locations. “Yoga sessions for divyang, children, senior citizens, and marginalised sections will be held at schools and senior citizen homes, etc.

During Harit Yoga sessions, we will also be distributing herbal plants,” said Joshi.Isha Foundation will hold sessions for the Indian Navy at Verem and Vasco, police stations at Calangute and Anjuna, Sanjay School for Special Children, for Goa Shipyard and municipality staff in Margao, among others, said their representative.Yogasana Sports Association will hold power yoga competitions like handstand walk competition, contests to hold yoga poses over an extended time, and Suryanamaskar competition for higher secondary school students.

Brahmakumari Vanita said that her organisation will hold yoga sessions at the Goa State Pollution Control Board and Colvale Central Jail, among others.“In Goa, 26% of the population is diabetic and this figure could touch 50% in the next decade or so. Daily practice of yoga can keep us safe from these diseases. Last year, 604 programmes were organised by us on Yoga Day. This year we will cross that figure. Special yoga programmes for women in four talukas will also be organised by us,” said Bharat Swabhiman Trust’s Kamlesh Bandekar.Goa Council of Ayurveda and Other Allied Systems of Medicine’s Dr Sneha Bhagwat said they will hold yoga sessions at Selaulim Dam. Dr Anura Bale said Gomantak Ayurveda College, Shiroda, will hold a yoga session at Goa Medical College.