International Day of Yoga: Will roll out yoga classes in schools, says Kejriwal

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the government plans to teach schoolchildren yoga and ensure that every person in the Capital practices yoga daily

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the government plans to teach schoolchildren yoga and ensure that every person in the Capital practices yoga daily.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with Dy CM Manish Sisodia and others performs yoga at the Thyagaraj Stadium to celebrate the International Day of Yoga, in New Delhi, Tuesday, (PTI)

The CM also performed several yoga asanas along with deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia at the “Dilli Ki Yogshala” programme organised by the Delhi government at Thyagaraj Stadium on the occasion of International Yoga Day on Tuesday.

“It is our objective to teach yoga to children and see how it can be started in schools. Delhi has become the city with the highest number of people doing yoga in its parks. We are now on a mission to take this number from thousands to lakhs,” he said.

“Dilli Ki Yogshala”, launched on December 14, 2021, aims to provide free yoga training on demand in the Capital’s neighbourhoods. However, the response to the initiative has been poor, authorities say, because a few weeks after its launch, the Capital was hit by a Covid-19 wave driven by the Omicron variant.

Kejriwal urged everyone to take part in “Dilli Ki Yogshala”--wherein one can call 9013585858 to register and the Delhi government will provide yoga teachers for free.

“The last two years were very difficult due to Covid-19. During the third wave last year, we began an experiment to evaluate if yoga was beneficial for Covid-19 patients. I am pleased that the Delhi government’s yoga teachers and professors of Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University performed such an excellent job. These folks taught over 4,700 Covid-19 patients online. When the patients were surveyed, we discovered that they all benefited. Our team researched this as well. Although yoga does not cure Covid-19, it does greatly reduce the intensity when practised regularly,” Kejriwal said.