Hyderabad: Mega yoga festival kicks off at L B Stadium

Hyderabad: The three-day Yog Mahotsav by Heartfulness in association with the Ministry of Culture Government of India and the Government of Telangana, kicked off at L B Stadium on Friday. Over 5,000 people of all age groups participated in the event, which is entirely free of cost.

The campaign 'Har Dil Dhyan, Har Din Dhyan' is aimed at promoting awareness and benefits of yoga asanas, pranayama, mudras, and meditation, especially among youth, and corporate and governmental bodies. Minister Srinivas Goud and Pullela Gopichand – ace badminton coach, along with Heartfulness representatives, launched the yoga festival. The yoga festival is set to attract more than 10,000 participants, and many more joining virtually.

This is the first leg of Yog Mahotsav by Heartfulness in its 75 Yog Mahotsav series across the country, along with 7,500 Dhyan Shivirs as part of various schools, colleges, corporates, villages, and ashrams of Shri Ram Chandra Mission. The 75 series coincides with the 75 years of India's Independence Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations across the country.

The Yog Mahotsav has four themes, including anxiety, weight management, hypertension, and diabetes dedicated to each day, respectively.

Chairs are being provided for the elderly or those who have ailments. The three-day event started on 17 February between 5-6.30 pm on anxiety and was followed by the day two event at 8-10 am on weight management and 5-6.30 pm on hypertension. The programme closes on the third day with a session on diabetes between 8-10 am. Each Yoga session will be followed by Heartfulness meditation.

Srinivas Goud said, "It gives me immense happiness to see such a large turnout at Yog Mahotsav. Anxiety is one of the most prevalent conditions among people today. One must learn to be in control of one's thoughts, and actions which is aided very well by yoga and meditation."

Kamlesh Patel 'Daaji', Guide of Heartfulness Meditation Worldwide, said, "When we talk about balance in life, the balance also has to begin from within. It's not always about work-life balance and so on. It must be about the balance within. Both spiritual and materialistic aspects must be balanced. This knowledge comes from yog and meditation alone."

The participation in the Yog Mahotsav is open to all and registration for the event can be done on http://hfn.link/hdd.