By A Correspondent
Patna: In celebration of International Yoga Day on June 21, a week-long Special Yoga Week commenced on Saturday with great enthusiasm at the Indoor Stadium of the Bihar State Sports Authority. The event will run from June 14to June 21.
Providing this information, Raveendran Sankaran, Director General-cum-Chief Executive Officer of the Bihar State Sports Authority (BSSA), stated that Paramacharya Yogaguru Swami Niranjanananda Ji of the globally renowned Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, has curated a special sequence of yoga postures. This has been done specifically for the health and benefit of athletes, upon special request. The Yoga Week has begun in line with this planned sequence.
Today, over 200 male and female athletes, along with coaches from various sports disciplines, practised yoga from 6 AM to 9 AM under the guidance of Swami Shiv Dhyanam Saraswati of the Bihar School of Yoga. The session was also highly beneficial for the general public, with practice focusing on four key yoga capsules: Pranayama (breathing techniques), Asanas (postures), relaxation, and meditation.
Shankaran further mentioned that Swamiji, who holds an engineering degree from IIT Delhi and a Master’s degree from MIT, shares valuable insights on transforming one’s lifestyle through a blend of modern and traditional yoga practices to lead a healthy and joyful life.
From tomorrow onwards, athletes will practice asanas specifically designed for their respective sports. The following key points have been especially considered for the benefit of sportspersons:
1. Which specific yoga posture benefits which sport?
2. Which pranayama helps relieve performance anxiety before and during a competition?
3. Special asanas for female athletes during menstruation, and
4. Postures that assist in physical and mental recovery after defeat in competition.
Bihar has earned the distinction of becoming the first state to integrate yoga with sports to enhance athletic performance and strengthen both physical and mental capacities.
There are also plans to create a high-quality video on these yoga practices, allowing athletes across the country to benefit by accessing it via a clickable link.
