Over 10k people perform yoga on International Yoga Day at Mysuru Palace premises

A sea of over 10,000 people, ranging from 5-year-old Avanija Pattanshetty from Yadavgiri to 75-year-old Thammaiah from Kempisiddanahundi village, flocked to Mysuru Palace premises as early as 6 am on Wednesday. They all stretched their yoga mats and performed yoga to mark the ninth International Yoga Day celebrations in Mysuru on Wednesday morning from 7.24 am to 8.12 am.

Neither cladding panche for Thammaiah nor wearing a saree for 65-year-old Rathnamma came in the way of performing yoga. They were among 50 others who came from Kempisiddanahundi of Mysuru taluk. They had come along with Dr Sujatha, S H Asha and H N Nanjundegowda from whom they are learning yoga at Ayush Yoga and Wellness Centre in their village. 55-year-old Rajamma came along with her entire family members including her daughter Jaya, brother Ravi, and sister Prema from the village. She said, "Our entire family has been performing yoga for three years. My blood pressure, diabetes and knee ache are under control," she said.

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Also, 32-year-old Estevan Acevedo (who has changed his name to Ekanatha) from Columbia, who has practised yoga in Mysuru for 10 years, is now a trainer of yoga trainers, performed yoga tying panche in dhoti style too. Ekanath had come from Ayur Yoga Ashram at Hullahalli in Nanjangud taluk.

Mysuru Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, Krishna Raja Constituency MLA T S Srivatsa, JD(S) MLC C N Manjegowda, Deputy Commissioner Dr K V Rajendra, Mysuru district SP Seema Latkar, ZP CEO K M Gayathri, Mysuru district Aysuh officer, Dr Pushpa, Mysuru Palace Board Deputy Director T S Subramanya and others joined them.

MP Pratap Simha recalled that kings of the Wadiyar dynasty of Mysuru were patrons of yoga. He even recalled the contributions of Krishnamacharya, B K S Iyengar and other yoga gurus from Mysuru in introducing yoga to the world.

Mysuru DC Dr Rajendra said that in this competitive world, yoga helps in managing stress and health. They will plan for yet another mega event to set yet another Guinness record. They plan to take up the proposal of Yoga University for Mysuru soon.

"Over 40,000 people including over 80 to 100, each learning yoga in over 500 yoga institutes in Mysuru, performed yoga at their respective institute premises or at their homes, as per this year's theme, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam 'Har ghar har aangan'," said President of Yoga Federation Mysuru, D Srihari.

People of Mysuru learning yoga in various Yoga institutes like GSS Yoga, Patanjali, Mysuru District Yoga and Sports Foundation, Mysore Yoga Okkuta, and SPYY participated in the event. Also, student institutes like JSS Mahavidyapeeta, students from various schools, PU and degree colleges, social welfare, backward community and minority hostels and others joined. Over 100 Anganwadi workers and Asha workers also performed.

Over 500 people including over 80 each learning yoga at six Ayush Yoga and wellness centres of Mysuru district performed yoga too at their respective centres and homes, according to district Ayush officer Dr Pushpa.

Various religious leaders including Tanveer Pasha of Jamaat-e-Islami and others were present.

They performed simple yoga exercises as per the International Yoga Day protocol. As per the protocol, while the yoga session was supposed to be held from 7 am to 7.40 am, it began 24 minutes late due to a delay in the completion of the stage programme. While International Yoga Day is the Union Government's flagship programme, none of the Congress MLAs or ministers of the Mysuru district participated in the event.

Mysuru entered the Guinness Book of world records for the largest yoga lesson in a single venue, with 55,506 participants in Yoga Day in 2017. Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the previous year's yoga day event held at Palace premises in Mysuru.