Yoga a passport to health insurance: Modi

The fourth Yoga Day Function will be held today at Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun

All roads lead to Forest Research Institute Dehra Dun this morning when the main event of the fourth International Day of Yoga(IDY) will be led by prime minister Narendra Modi.

Modi said on Wednesday: “Yoga is not just a set of exercises that keeps the body fit. It is a passport to health assurance, a key to fitness and wellness. Nor is Yoga only what you practice in the morning. Doing your day-to-day activities with diligence and complete awareness is a form of Yoga as well,” the Prime Minister said.” This is days after he released a viral video of his own fitness schedule.

Yoga has travelled a long way since 2015 when the first event happened at Delhi’s Rajpath. The world over, India is identified by Yoga – what’s more there is an ever increasing body of research on the health benefits and therapeutic properties of Yoga.

WHO Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018-2030 says that Yoga, a 5000-year-old tradition is a valuable tool for people of all ages to make physical activity an integral part of life

In a statement issued on the eve of IDY, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South East Asia said: “As Member States across the Region strive to reduce NCD-related premature mortality by a quarter by 2025, and one-third by 2030, yoga’s full potential should be harnessed. Importantly, and as outlined in a resolution unanimously endorsed at WHO South-East Asia’s Regional Committee in 2016, doing so should be part of a wider push to promote physical activity as a key preventive health measure.” The benefits of Yoga may perhaps extend beyond the control of non communicable diseases such as diebetes, hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular diseases etc. Research shows it can sharpen the mind, improve sleep quality and reduce stress.

In fact the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018-2030 recently released by the World Health Organisation says that the 5000-year-old tradition is a valuable tool for people of all ages to make physical activity an integral part of life and reach the level needed to promote good health. ” For children aged 5-17 that means at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity activity daily. Adults require at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity weekly,” the document says.