Not religion, yoga is about mind & body, heart & soul

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was right when he sought to distance yoga from religion. Yoga is a physical and mental practice which originated in India and dates back to the pre-Vedic traditions. Yoga is a practical aid for the body and not religion.  It was from India that yoga was first introduced to the West in the late 19th and early 20th century. In the 1980s, yoga became popular as a system of physical exercise across the world. Many studies have tried to determine the effectiveness of yoga for managing cancer and heart ailments.

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Yoga for a healthy life

Yoga is 5,000 years old. Though many people think of yoga only as a physical exercise where they twist, turn, stretch and breathe in complex ways, it is useful for the old and young, fit and frail and helps us lead a healthier life. Yoga has never been alien to us. It may be viewed in a different perspective as it is not related to religion in any way.

Nikita Kapur, Chandigarh

Yoga for inner joy

No guru with a knowledge of Vedas/Upanishads has ever equated yoga with religion. Yoga is practiced for inner joy and outer harmony. Pranayama (breathing exercises), asanas (postures) and meditation (dhyan) are taught as ends in themselves merely to heal an illness, reduce stress and look better. Today, many health professionals are referring their patients to yoga teachers in view of its health benefits. Yoga does not put any drain on one’s financial resources.

Harish Kapur, Chandigarh

PM has spelled it out right

Getting yoga recognised at the world level in the form of International Day of Yoga to be observed on June 21 is a laudable contribution to the world by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, in India, there is a section of society which thinks of yoga as Hindutva and vehemently opposes it. The reality is that yoga has nothing to do with any religion or sect as explicitly spelled out by the PM in his address.

SS Arora, Mohali

A technique for mind and body

PM Modi is right in differentiating religion and yoga. Religion can be defined as the way of worshiping god as per the teachings enshrined in the Vedas, Upanishads, Yog-darshans, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Gita for Hindus. For Muslims and Christians, the Qoran  and the Bible are their most revered books of religion. Religion also teaches one to lead an honest, truthful, sincere, forgivable and contented life, free from greed and deceit. Yoga essentially means the technique of keeping the mind, body and soul on track by doing yogic asanas.

TR Goyal

Not linked to any religion

 Anyone can relate yoga as per his own religion as it cannot be claimed that yoga is part of any particular religion. Yoga can be divided into three parts – related to physical well-being; related to mental uplift; and bhakti. The first two parts do not have any connection with any one religion while the third one can be related to the religion of any one’s choice. Christians, Muslims and Hindus can practice it in their own way as it is bhakti, reverence or whatever you want to call it.

Bharat Bhushan Sharma

Stop commercialisation of yoga

The concept of yoga originated in India thousands of years ago through saints and yogis, and can be practised by anyone, irrespective of one’s culture, nationality, race, caste or creed, sex and age to prevent diseases and lead a healthy life. But this art has been commercialised by the modern self-styled saints, babas with a religious background and enjoying the patronage of religious sects and political parties propagate it, due to which some people have come to link it with religion.

AS Ahuja, Chandigarh

Yoga for discipline in life

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has impressed in his speech the need to promote yoga and keep it away it from religion and communalism. In fact, yogic asanas are assets of good health and lead to discipline in life, mental relaxation and physical fitness without medicine and no financial burden. Yogic asanas have no doubt spiritual sentiments but it should not be added to any particular religion. Otherwise too, these asanas help in mediation.

Sukhpal Singh, Chandigarh

UN recognition has made yoga popular

Any exercise, including yoga, has been practiced for physical and mental fitness since ages. But the present regime is bent upon giving it a religious colour to expand its political base. The recognition of yoga and its international acceptance with the help of the UN has made it highly popular. The celebration of International Day of Yoga on June 21 in 137 countries was in fact a moment of pride for the nation, especially for Modi.

Wg Cdr Jasbir Singh Minhas (retd), Mohali

Yoga purifies thoughts

As the practice of yoga is increasingly being diversified, so is its definition. Instead of being identified with religion, it should be connected to healthy living aid. It can be practiced as a technique to relax the mind and body. It is one of the aids to calm and purify our thoughts and stay focused. The approach to practice yoga should be such that it does not defeat its core purpose, which is to gain strength for the mind and body.

Kamalpreet Kaur, Mohali

An appropriate technique

The study of yoga is primitive and is traced back to the pre-Vedic period. The recitation of ‘Om’ while performing yoga makes the followers of other beliefs relate this stream of physical science to a particular religion. But this unfortunate conclusion should be viewed as illogical in today’s era. This stream of physical science has since been recognised and acclaimed all over the world as the most appropriate technique for to keep the mind and soul united.

Bhupinder S Sealopal, Mohali

Prevention is better than cure

The practice of yoga can ensure physical and mental health. More so, yoga reinforces the belief that prevention is better than cure. Many scientific research studies have proved the effectiveness of yogic asanas on health. Allopathy, homoeopathy and naturopathy are disciplines of medical treatment. One can choose any of these as per one’s choice and physical condition. Similarly, yoga is beyond the confines of religion and should be seen as a path towards a healthy human race.

Dr Rajeev Kumar, Chandigarh

It should not be compulsory

It is a fact that any religion is not connected with yoga in anyway. Both go in their entirely different ways. Religion is worshiped whereas yoga is performed, religion’s base is prayer while yoga is based on physical exercise and as such both never meet at any one point. Moreover, no authority should ever try to make it one or bring it together. There should also be no compulsory performance of yoga.

HBS Batra, Mohali

Yoga different from religion

There is no doubt that religion and yoga are two entirely different things and considering them as part of each other has absolutely no base, which is evident from the fact that yoga is performed by the people from different religions whereas every individual has his/her own religious identity. Just as everyone is free to worship any religion, so is everyone free to perform any exercise from the health point of view, and there comes no religion in between. Both are different from each other. Yoga should be optional even if it is introduced in schools and should never be a compulsion.

Balbir Singh Batra, Mohali

Make physical exercise compulsory in schools

I am also of the opinion that to maintain good health, physical exercise should be made compulsory in schools, in addition to yoga. I would suggest that we must publicise in newspapers that religion is the personal belief of everybody and it should not interfere as far as the health of a person is concerned.

Tarlok Singh, Manimajra

Ultimately, it is the people’s choice

For ordinary citizens, it is difficult to understand Modi’s intentions and purposes. In one way, he is telling us that yoga is not a religion, and in another, he is telling the people to follow and embrace yoga. We all know that somehow yoga has links with ancient spiritual activities. So, why is he asserting that the people should follow yoga? It should be left to one’s choice. I too perform yoga but of my own choice which is beneficial for my health.

S Samuel

Avoid pomp and show

Those who think that yoga is religion are narrow in their approach. Yoga is for our mental and physical well-being and does not have anything related to history. PM Modi is the brand ambassador of it which is a good thing. Nothing more can be done to promote it. But in future, there should be no pomp and show as lots of money is wasted on it besides involving the government machinery unnecessarily in it.

Opinder Kaur Sekhon, Chandigarh

No religious overtones, please

Yoga is just an effort to connect the body and soul. Any effort to import religious overtones  in  this  purest  of  pure body-soul  linkage,  commonly known  as  yoga, must  be  dispensed  with. Chanting “Om” while  doing yoga is   understandable, as  starting  with  “O” while  exhaling  and  “M” after  closing  the  lips  has  a  scientific  explanation—  that the  vibrations caused  by it tend  to  clear  the  systems  in  the  region. It carries conviction too.

SC Luthra, Manimajra

An effective therapy

Like the ayurveda, yoga is also a therapy of its kind in the field of physical and mental exercises. Unlike other types of exercises, yoga lays stress upon stretch and relax theories rather than on suppressing any part of our body. The theory is very necessary to cope with the stress of modern living. One can say that our yogis had blessed us with it, but it has nothing to do with any particular religion.

Surinder Paul Wadhwa, Mohali

Create awareness

Claiming that yoga is a religious activity can prove to be controversial. It is actually an exercise of the body, mind and soul. In this stressful age of technology, yoga will prove to be the sanjeevani booti (elixir iof life). Though it is an ancient discipline, it is the need of the day to create awareness regarding it all over the world. Our respected PM has taken a very progressive step by persuading the UN to declare June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.

Suman Kansal, Panchkula

A way of life

I do agree with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that yoga should not be associated with any religion. Yoga is a form of exercise which our ancient yogis used to perform to keep themselves fit and healthy. But it must not be said that the yogis had discovered this form of exercise and thus it was associated with Hinduism. In simple and real sense, yoga is a way of life that should be practised by one and all.

RK Kapoor, Chandigarh