People perform yoga during a camp for International Day of Yaga at Govt Yoga College in Sector 23, Chandigarh. Kamleshwar Singh People perform yoga during a camp for International Day of Yaga at Govt Yoga College in Sector 23, Chandigarh. Kamleshwar Singh

Written by Khyaati Sharma

MOUTH BREATHING exercises will not be included in the schedule of colleges on International Yoga Day on June 21 due to the ongoing dust haze in Chandigarh. The UT Ayush department and Government College of Yoga Education and Health, Sector 23, have suspended the pranayams performed directly through the mouth during the event which will be held at the Plaza in Sector 17 and the administration has made an arrangement for 4,000 yoga enthusiasts, of which 1,500 are from the government college. Trained individuals will guide residents at the camp.

The event is open to all and has a proper protocol of 45 minutes, beginning with a mantra that is supposed to observe the “yogic bond”, followed by simple asanas.

Considering the dust haze, there is no adverse effect on yoga classes in 30 centres of the city. The government college and the Ayush department are working together to run these centres and increase yoga awareness.

“There is no such effect of the dust haze on people. In fact, the number of people has only increased. Yoga helps to increase lung capacity and strengthens the immune system,” said Roshan Lal, coordinator of the yoga centres in the city. He added that an effective yogic activity, ‘Jal neti kriya’, help people get rid of dust in the breathing tract and also treats ENT (ear, nose, throat) problems. Lal further stated that the activity was performed by adding a little salt to lukewarm water and passing it from one nostril to the other. This way, the dust in the nose clears up.

More females than males attend the yoga centre at the government college in a 70-30 ratio during the morning and evening sessions in which people of all age groups, from nine to 90, take part. More women in the age group of 40 plus come to the sessions numbering around 10 per day with four in the morning and six in the evening.

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