International Yoga Festival 2023 Day-6

Day-6 of International Yoga Festival 2023 began with Yoga sessions & Naadi parikshan camp. Meditation session by Brahmakumaris team.

Prominent event of the day was Keynote session by celebrity Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, India’s leading sports science and nutrition expert. One of the most followed nutritionist in the world. Winner of the ‘Nutrition Award’ from Asian Institute of Gastroenterology. Best selling author and renowned speaker on topic of Health and Wellness.

Rujuta emphasised on the blend of traditional food wisdom and modern nutrition science for healthy body and healthy mind, best reflected by the mantra “eat local think global” . She recommends local (easily grown locally), seasonal (according to the season) and traditional (cooked and prepared by traditional method) food, fruit and vegetable items, not the food which is promoted by social media influencers. We should teach our children to eat such kind of food which is not advertised anywhere. The mantra is “if there is an ad, the food is bad” India has a variety of food items specifically in Uttarakhand there is much variety of fruits and vegetables which we should eat rather than going for international fruits like Kiwi, avocado , green smoothies and all. We should follow the ayurveda principles of eating namely hitbhuk, mitbhuk & ritbhuk. Hitbhuk means the food which ensures welfare for all. Mitbhuk means eating in moderation according to the appetite and need of the body. Ritbhuk means eating according to the seasonal requirements of the body. We should never skip our breakfast because the breakfast gives us energy to handle the stress for the day people who usually skip their breakfast have to depend on tea coffee or cigarettes to handle the stress of the day. We should properly follow the dinacharya and ritu charya principles of ayurveda. The diet pattern of an individual should not be motivated by any motivational speaker rather it should be according to our family history and our surrounding environment.

There was a special session called ‘Yoga for Obesity’ conducted by Dr Arpita Negi, Masters in yoga science with gold medal, Assistant professor in department of yoga studies, ICDEOL Himachal Pradesh University. She has conducted many yoga workshops & seminars in India as well as abroad.

Panel discussion on ‘Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu: Women taking Yoga to the New Heights.’ The following panelists were included:-

Dr Priya Ahuja, Guinness world record holder for ashtavakra asan.

Dilraj Preet Kaur, Uttarakhand’s brand ambassador for Yoga.

Ekta from Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute.

Brahmakumari Aarti, spiritual guide and teacher.

The discussion was focused on how Indian women struggle to gain international recognition in the field of yoga as well as how how yoga can help women handle their day to day life issues.