Yoga-A Way of Life

Respected teachers and dear friends, a very good morning to you all. Today, I would like to share with you my views on yoga-a way of life. You must have noticed that yoga has become very popular in the last few years with celebrities and stars from Bollywood endorsing it. But, what is yoga? Is it just the ‘asanas’ and the pranayam or something much more? The word ‘yoga’ in Sanskrit means ‘to join’. In simple words we can say, yoga is a technique to align our body, mind and spirit for perfect balance and harmony in life.
It is not just an exercise regime but a positive way of life. Along with a series of yoga postures and breathing exercises, emphasis is placed on meditation for the well-being and happiness of the mind.
Yoga helps us to strengthen our body, calm our mind, regain our focus and improve our self-confidence. It can be practised by all age groups. Those who have embraced yoga as a way of life lead a happy, healthy, stress-free life with increased tolerance and inner peace. They have greater control over their emotions.
We are all too busy, with no time for exercise or relaxation. This is leading to lifestyle diseases like hypertension, diabetes, obesity, back and neck pain, etc. Practising yoga regularly can be really helpful in preventing or treating such diseases.
Yoga is a 5000-year-old tradition of India which is relevant and beneficial even today. To increase awareness about yoga worldwide, 21st June has been declared as the International Yoga Day at the suggestion of our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. Let us all adopt this healthy way of life and experience real happiness.

Global Warming

Good morning everyone. I’m sure you are all aware that the biggest environmental threat that we are facing today is ‘global warming It is adversely affecting the biodiversity, climatic conditions and ecological balance of the earth.
What is global warming? Global warming is the continuous and steady increase in the temperature of the earth’s surface. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane are the prime reason for global warming. Other processes like burning of fossil fuels, use of fertilisers, CFCs and UV rays reaching the earth from a hole in the ozone layer are also contributing to global warming. Thus, our technological advancement, population explosion, industrial expansion, deforestation and unchecked urbanisation have led us to this life-threatening situation.
The disastrous impact of global warming can be seen in the form of floods, cyclones, tsunami, droughts, landslides, melting glaciers, unexpected climate changes and outbreaks of epidemics. We have disturbed the balance of nature and it is time we took serious steps to save the situation from worsening. We must put a stop to deforestation and plant more and more trees to reduce the level of carbon dioxide in the air.
It is our responsibility to combat global warming and protect our beautiful planet for the future generations. Let us all join hands to accomplish this daunting task at hand.