Embracing the theme of “Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and ‘Har Angan Yoga’, the NIT Rourkela community celebrated the International Day of Yoga 2023. The day started with performing the Common Yoga Protocol designed by the Ministry of AYUSH. The session aimed to promote physical, mental, and spiritual well-being among the students, faculty, and staff, emphasising the importance of incorporating Yoga into daily life.
The second session of the celebrations had an inaugural ceremony for a two-day workshop to observe International Yoga Day. Inaugurating the event, Prof. K. Umamaheshwar Rao (Director, NIT Rourkela) said, “The theme ‘Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ signifies Yoga for the well-being of all as one global family. The transformative power of Yoga can positively impact the surrounding of the yoga practitioner; thus, we all should embrace Yoga as a means of achieving balance, harmony and peace. These days we cannot sit with ourselves even for 15 minutes; we feel anxious and start scrolling through our mobile phones. This habit is not good, and we can’t allow a machine to give all the solution to our life and control it. We have forgotten conscious breathing, which has decreased the breathing capacity of the lungs, eventually increasing the stress level. We can see the difference in our minds and body with a daily routine of just sitting and breathing. This Yoga Day, I urge everyone to just breathe and feel.”
The chief guest of the event, Dr Girija Sankar Das (Chief General Manager, Finance, RSP and senior teacher of Art of Living) addressed the gathering and said, “A baby smile many times a day, but as we grow, we barely smile. Yoga gives us that feeling of inner happiness. It helps to cultivate physical strength, flexibility, and mental clarity. For students, practising Yoga can help them navigate academic and personal life challenges with greater ease. We neglect our health to create wealth and then spend it to get good health. So let’s try to give attention to our health by small steps of daily yoga asanas.”
Over 150 participants attended the event. Registrar Prof. Rohan Dhiman attended the event and encouraged students to channelise the senses of the body through Yoga. Prof. S. Jena (Dean, Student Welfare) awarded the winners of the yoga competition and appealed to everyone to practice Yoga regularly. Prof. Subhankar Paul (Prof. In Charge, Extra Academic Activity) promoted the theme of ‘Har Angan Yoga’ and congratulated students for enthusiastically spreading the importance of Yoga in the campus community. During the event, Dr. Khageswar Ojha (Yoga Teacher) was felicitated for his dedication to teaching and guiding people towards better physical and mental well-being. Prof. Saroj L Samal (Prof. In Charge, Yoga and Wellness Center) concluded the inaugural session with a vote of thanks.
The two-day yoga workshop is organised by the Yoga and Wellness Club of NIT Rourkela. The first session of the day one workshop had a talk on “Yoga- Technology for inner well-being and excellence” by Dr. Girija Sankar Das followed by another talk by Dr. Biswajit Mohapatra (JP Hospital) on “Yoga information that one should have”. The second session had a ‘Formation Yoga Performance’ by Universal Yoga Sports Federation participants and ‘Yoga Bhyasa for High BP and Heart Problem’ by Shri Ashok Kumar Behera (Vivekananda Sikhya Kendra). The second day of the workshop will include ‘Yoga Bhyasa for Diabetes’, Lecture on ‘Holistic Yoga for Youthful Minds’ and ‘Patanjali Yoga Sutra’.