Munger's Yoga Bharati to hold classes on Int'l Yoga Day

Though not part of the official celebrations on June 21, Bihar Yoga Bharati at Munger, the earliest institution to teach the traditional art, would organise special classes at 101 places in the district to mark the International Yoga Day.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has described the celebrations on the occasion of International Yoga Day as a "show-off", has questioned leaving out the yoga school in the state from the official celebrations.

The Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal would organise special yoga classes-cum-demonstration at 101 places in Munger on June 21, Swamy Shankara Nand, a sanyasi of the Bihar Yoga Bharati, told PTI today.

He said, besides, yoga would be held for the masses after 'paduka darshan' in the morning within the premises on that day.

Shankara Nand said, 'om' would be chanted and 'surya namaskar' would be part of the special classes.

"Yoga could not be done without 'surya namaskar' and chanting 'om'," he said, when asked that some Muslim organisations were expressing reservation over them.

"Chanting of 'om' and 'surya namaskar' are not tied to any one religion," he added.

Param Acharya, the head of the Munger Yoga Bharati, Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati expressed happiness that yoga, which is part of Indian culture, got recognisation across the country.

Established in 1963, Bihar Yoga Bharati (BYB) is dedicated to the study of yoga in a gurukul environment, "providing a spiritual oasis in the technological desert of the 21st century", Saraswati said.

People from different parts of the country as well abroad visit Munger Yoga Bharati for courses throughout the year.