On December 28, President Ram Nath Kovind will attend the centenary celebrations of Mumbai-based The Yoga Institute, along with governor C. Vidyasagar Rao, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister of state for AYUSH Shripad Naik, among others. Established in 1918 by Yogendra, a proponent of hatha yoga, the institute has been educating its students and followers from India and around the world, on ways to strike a balance between the mind and the body with the help of diet, exercise, recreation and a positive outlook towards life.
Yogendra's daughter-in-law and director of the institute, Hansaji Jayadeva Yogendra, who will officially launch her book Yoga for All, says, "Yoga is more than a set of physical postures. It is a science of the mind. We strive to make the mind perfect because that will automatically lead to a healthier body."
The Yoga Institute takes inspiration from Patanjali's Yogasutras which emphasises on performing one's routine activities with a heightened sense of consciousness. Hansaji calls it the 'householder's yoga', or the 'everyday yoga', which can be performed by anyone anywhere, with just a simple yoga mat.
On December 28 and 29, the institute will also host The Harmony Fest—a two-day concluding function following its year-long centenary celebrations which was inaugurated by Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu in December last year. The fest will be held at Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex, and will offer a banquet of health and wellness services, workshops, panel discussions and other forms of wellness programmes, including a guidance programme by nutrition expert Rujuta Diwekar on health, nutrition and fitness.
Earlier this year, the institute was awarded the prime minister's award for outstanding contribution to the promotion and development of yoga, conferred by the Ministry of AYUSH. It is also the country's first yoga school to be certified by the Quality Council of India, Ministry of AYUSH. Over the years, The Yoga Institute has certified over 55,000 trained yoga teachers across 120 countries.
