Yoga brings immense positive energy, mental and physical health and inculcates spirituality. We come to know better of our inner self, with yoga and meditation, said renowned yog guru Swami Dayanand Saraswati on the fifth day of International Yoga Festival being held at Swarg Ashram, Rishikesh in Pauri Garhwal, here today.
Film actors Pooja Bedi, Dino Morea, and Anu Aggarwal, noted drum player Shivamani, Sufi singer Roona and Uttarakhand Urban Development Minister Preetam Singh Pawar were present on the occasion.
Swami Dayanand Saraswati from Coimbatore said yoga was an ancient medical practice, honed by seers and sages in India for centuries. Speaking on the topic, “Internal yoga and knowing oneself”, Swami Dayanand Saraswati said yoga takes practitioners on the path of self-discovery. “Yoga brings immense positive energy, mental-physical health and inculcates spirituality. We come to know better of our inner self, with yoga and meditation,” the seer said.
Brazil-based religious guru Swami Prem Baba said yoga bind’s people, irrespective of their origin, country, region, caste, creed, colour and religion.
“Not only it brings good health, good thoughts and good lifestyle, but also binds different cultures and civilisations. It takes one through inner peace and eventually world peace too,” he said.
Actors Dino Morea, Pooja Bedi, Anu Aggarwal and drummist Shiva Mani said the International Yoga Festival was fast gaining into a global festival. “Seeing more than yoga experts and practitioners from 50 countries at a single platform proved that India was indeed a yoga hub,” they added.
Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Preetam Singh Panwar greeted people on the occasion of Holi.
He said foreigners were getting attracted to this part of the country for seeking spirituality, seeing nature, flora and fauna, learning yoga and paying obeisance at Char Dham and numerous other shrines, including Hem Kund Sahib and Piran Kaliyar.
In his address Swami Chidanand Muni Maharaj of Parmarth Niketan Ashram said most of the problems were due to bad and negative thoughts which needed to be eradicated from its root itself. For this, he suggested yoga as a powerful tool to inculcate positive energy and thoughts.
“Mental stress, work tension is increasing in today’s society, but its best medicine is only spirituality and that can be attained via yoga easily. Yoga makes one mentally tough and positive. Spirituality is not only about religious rites or rituals but spirituality in itself is an art to live positively,” stated Chidanand Muni.
“Despite the Cricket World Cup being played in Australia, I came here for spiritual bliss. Yoga has immense spiritual-scientific benefits for my physical and mental well-being. The International Yoga Festival provides participants to interact with completely opposite background people on varied topics like yoga, spirituality, philosophy etc on banks of the holy Ganga and on foothills of the Himalayas,” said a Fergus MacTaggart, a participant from Brisbane, Australia.