Yoga good for healthy lifestyle: WHO

Yoga fits “very well” with a healthy lifestyle the WHO has been strongly advocating, the UN agency’s South Asia regional director has said.

Ahead of June 21, the first International Day of Yoga, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh said Yoga can be practiced anywhere by people of all age groups, irrespective of their socio-economic status.

She said Yoga was one of the “traditional therapeutic system”, and it was “very much relevant even today – as it is both a physical activity and an effective way of managing stress”.

“Yoga is believed to offer means for actualization of human potential to perfection through its three-dimensional approach to health – physical, mental and spiritual,” she said.

The UN declared the ‘International Day of Yoga’ last year, adopting an India-led resolution.

Indian missions across the world including in Bangladesh have begun celebrating the day a month ahead.

A photo exhibition is being held at the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre that will end on June 21.

The Indian High Commission says they will organise a seminar on the day in which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s International Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi will be present.

Yoga is also gaining popularity in Bangladesh.

 ‘Leuza’s Yoga’, a centre that teaches Yoga techniques, organised an open discussion on Friday in Dhaka.

It said a large number of youths asked “so many questions in a clear show of interest”.

Dr Singh, the WHO’s regional director, said the UN’s decision to observe 21 June as the International Day of Yoga was “a recognition of this ancient Indian practice which has since become global”.

“The day will rightly put the spotlight on physical exercise, much needed in today’s world when sedentary lifestyle is becoming a leading cause of illness,” she said.

WHO has been advocating physical exercise as one of the primary preventive measure against non- communicable diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes and respiratory diseases, which are seen to be rising.

Exercise is a must for physical well-being, Dr Singh said.

The South-East Asia Region has a long history and rich heritage in traditional medicines and practices contributing to health and wellness of their people.

“We are fortunate that such traditional medical practices have survived over the centuries,” she said.