CHANDIGARH: "The most important pieces of equipment you need for yoga are your body and your mind," said American yoga instructor Rodney Yee. However, some participants at an event in Rohtak were seen quarrelling over another piece of 'equipment' which they found even more important -- yoga mats!
Interestingly, the chief guest at this event was none other than BJP president and Union minister Amit Shah.
All hell broke loose as the participants sought to take thousands of mats laid for yoga by the state government. Some people were even seen exchanging blows with each other.
According to sources, some of the participants said they wanted to take mats with them to practise yoga at home.
Earlier in the day, while highlighting the importance of yoga in day to day life, Shah in his address said, "Yoga is acting as an Ambassador of India which is attracting the whole world towards the country’s age-old culture. As a result of the efforts made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, yoga has been recognised at an international level and today it is being performed simultaneously all over the world."
"Yoga is a practice which not only ensures the physical and mental development of an individual but also provides enough strength to perform work with ease."
Without taking any names, Shah pointed out that those who habitually find fault with everything had asked, "What could be achieved by doing yoga in a single day?"
"I would like to tell them that today crores of people are performing yoga in about 200 countries and children are taking inspiration from them to adopt yoga in their lives," he said.
Shah also lauded Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for setting up the Yog Parishad to promote yoga in the state.
International Yoga Day functions have been organized simultaneously at 80 places in the state in which about 5 lakh people participated.