Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade on Thursday urged the government to include yoga in the curriculum of schools, colleges and universities.
Speaking at Raj Bhavan during the conferment of the Guinness World Record to the Shanthivana Trust, which he heads, for organising the largest yoga class in multiple locations, Heggade said the world will be brighter, healthier and happier if younger generations adopt yoga in their daily life.
“I earnestly request the state and central governments to include yoga in schools, colleges and universities. It is alarming to note that India is heading towards becoming the capital of stress-induced lifestyle disorders like diabetes and hypertension by 2020. The path of yoga is an inner journey to happiness, which helps proper coordination and control of subtle forces within the body,” Heggade said.
The Shanthivana Trust set a Guinness world record on December 13 last year by organising yoga classes at 47 locations in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts in which 62,824 students from over 420 schools participated.
They were supervised by 1,286 stewards, guided by 105 demonstrations with the help of more than 2,100 volunteers. The Trust was given an official Guinness World Record certificate by adjudicator Lucia Sinigagliesi.
Governor H R Bhardwaj said he has been practising yoga from an early age. Commending the work done by Heggade, he warned against “fake yogis who bring a bad name to yoga.” The governor also urged people to revive the Indian way of life. “Sanskrit is the elder sister of all languages, but how many of us bother to embrace it?” he asked.