Shun sedentary lifestyle, junk food & stay healthy: Vice President tells youth

The Vice President stressed that Yoga would help in combating severe stress, life style diseases and helps the overall wellbeing of an individual. Practicing yoga will aid in strengthening muscles, improving respiration, lung functions, metabolism and circulation, he said. It would also help in improving immune system and mind relaxation, he added.

The Vice President called on people to practice Yoga to be free of Roga (Illnesses) as he expressed concern over the worrisome statistics and this unhealthy trend of trend of increasing cancer cases and lifestyle diseases such as obesity. Every individual has to become health conscious and avoid leading sedentary lifestyle, eating junk food and harmful use of alcohol and tobacco, he said.

Saying that Yoga was a gift to the World from India, the Vice President said that everyone must be proud of the fact that UN had declared June 21 as International Yoga Day following the efforts of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.

Underlining that Yoga has nothing to do with religion, the Vice President expressed concern that some people with bigoted mindset and a tunnel vision were attempting to give it a religious colour. The fact that people in several countries across the continents have embraced Yoga shows the hollowness of the claims that link yoga to religion, he added.

Ambassadors and High Commissioners of several countries, Members of Parliament, Yoga experts and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.