21 Jun 2018  |   06:05am IST

Fitness of mind and body

June 21 is celebrated as International Day of Yoga all around the world. Yoga plays an essential role in the lives of many in Goa. Café finds out what will be happening in Goa as part of the celebrations and how yoga has turned out to be vital for a healthy mind and body

International Day of Yoga is celebrated annually on

June 21 since 2015. A physical, mental and spiritual practice attributed mostly to India, the day for yoga was declared unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Interestingly, June 21 is also the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

YUVA, in association with Bharat Swabhiman Trust and Nehru Yuva Kendra, is celebrating International Day of Yoga on June 23, 2018 at Panjim Community Centre, Mala-Panjim from 6am to 8am. The workshop is for the general public, yoga practitioners, enthusiasts and people interested in becoming trainers.

Raghuvir Mahale is the founder of YUVA and has been observing International Day of Yoga for three years now. “This year, due to non availability of the hall, we are organising the workshop on June 23 instead of 21. Last year, we organised the workshop for the general public and nearly 120 people participated. In 2016, we did a Monsoon Run to mark the day and before that, we did it a workshop for members as Training of Trainer (TOT),” says Raghuvir.

The one day workshop doesn’t end there. Loaded with information and techniques, participants continue practising yoga everyday. “The response has been wonderful. Many of the yoga enthusiasts, practitioners and students participate to celebrate this day. It becomes a way of life for them,” he adds.

In Margao, the day will be celebrated by Ravindra Bhavan, Margao and Ministry of Ayush in association with Patanjali Yog Samiti, Bharat Swabhiman, Ambika Yog Kutir, Goa Yog Academy, Art of living, Oorja wellness center, Samarpan Dhayan Yog, Siddhi Samadhi Yog and Neharu Yuva Kendra Margao. The day will begin with a yoga session demonstrated by Patanjali Yog Samiti as per the protocol of Ministry of Ayush Mantralay at 6am in the open space in Ravindra Bhavan, Margao. Participants will have to get their own yoga mats. The remaining sessions will be held at Black Box, Ravindra Bhavan, Margao from3:30pm onwards.

The sessions will include ‘Cleansing process of our body’ by Rohini Suktanker at 3:30pm, ‘Practical Techniques to Manage Anger’ by Dr Jyoti and Amey Hegde at 4pm, ‘Secrets for smart lifestyle, winning over diabetes and BP and Growth of cancer cells in our body’ by Dr Sneha Bhagwat at 4:30pm, ‘Relaxation techniques to overcome stress’ by Prof. Vishwanath Swar at 5pm, Samarpan Dhayan Yog Meditation by Suresh Patel at 6pm and a guided meditation in the voice of Sri Sri Ravishankar followed by an inter-religious music concert.

Amey Hedge, a motivational speaker, explains what he will be talking about at the workshop, “We will cover two things in our session: why we lose control and how to control anger. In the first part of our session, we will discuss the concept of fight or flight response and amygdala hijack. Whenever a small part of our brain, the amygdala, senses a threat, it hijacks the brain and makes us behave in a manner that we often regret once we cool down. In the second part of our session, we will be sharing our ICE method to cool down. ICE is an acronym created by us that consists of three techniques that can be used by us to control our anger.Inhale deeply, Cool thoughts and Exit the scene of anger.”

Another new form of yoga that Goans will get to experience is the Partner Yoga Nite. The workshop is organised in collaboration with Fenesy Nazareth and will be conducted by yoga expert Jasmine D’Souza at Studio 101, Panjim on June 30, 2018 from 7pm onwards. Fenesy describes the workshop as a fun experience while bonding with your partner.“The workshop is open to all couples and doesn’t have to be just husband and wife. It is open to all matches. All you have to do is come along with your partner for the event, which will be a fun and soulful way of connecting, bonding and strengthening relationships. These are not intimate sessions. Jasmine will be guiding the participants with sessions on Hatha Yoga, Pranayama and meditations. This is the first time such an yoga session will be held in Goa and many couples are keen on experiencing yoga with their partners,” says Fenesy.