World realising importance of yoga for healthy life: Baghel

Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday said the entire world is now realising the importance of yoga for a healthy, stress-free and disciplined life.

Baghel, his predecessor and BJP national vice president Raman Singh and a number of people in the state observed the International Day of Yoga by performing asanas in their homes, and later posted pictures and videos of their sessions on social media platforms.

Baghel on Saturday appealed to people to do yoga indoors and celebrate the day on digital platforms.

He shared pictures and short videos of him performing yoga on Sunday morning at his residence and extended greetings to people on the sixth International Day of Yoga.

Yoga is an ancient tradition of India. It is actually a process of purifying the body, mind and soul. Today, the entire world is realising its importance for a healthy, stress-free and disciplined life, Baghel said in a statement.

"Yoga not only makes us physically strong, but also empowers us internally and emotionally. It helps us to come out of many problems of the modern lifestyle. It gives us the power to move forward and fight under adverse conditions, the Congress leader said.

He urged people to include yoga in their daily life.

Former chief minister Raman Singh also performed yoga at his residence along with Leader of the Opposition Dharam Lal Kaushik and former minister Rajesh Munat.

Chhattisgarh BJP chief Vishnu Deo Sai performed exercises along with some party leaders at the state BJP office here while maintaining physical distance.

Residents from different cities in the state uploaded pictures and videos in various yoga poses on their social media accounts.

In the Maoist-affected Bastar division, police and paramilitary personnel practised yoga at a few camps while maintaining physical distance, but unlike previous years, they did not involve local people in their sessions on Sunday, a police official said.

Raipur's Balbeer Singh Juneja Indoor Stadium, which used to be a popular venue for the Yoga Day celebrations in previous years, has been converted into a temporary COVID-19 care centre to deal with the spike in the number cases of the disease.