By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Jan. 16: Minister for Education, Science and Technology Devendra Paudel said yoga is essential to keep one’s mind calm and creative. Addressing the main function of 7th national yoga day, he said yoga is a kind of science based on eastern philosophy.

The 7th National Yoga Day was marked nationwide on Saturday organising a various programmes with a slogan “Yoga is for all-round development”. Ministry for Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) organised a main function on Saturday morning virtually.

Addressing the function, Minister Paudel said that the ministry was very positive to take forward the works that engage children and citizens in yoga. “Establishing a yoga university and implementing yoga curriculum is a top priority of the government to promote own native culture of yoga.”

Speaking at the programme as the special guest former Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel said yoga can play a vital role in addressing the afflictions besetting modern world and that people are reeling from stressful life because of different kinds of malaise that can be cured through yoga and meditation.

Yoga is a traditional science based on research of our ancestors, he added.
Pokharel said we have to reestablish yoga in our nation as we are in the land of Gautam Buddha, Kapil and Astabakra.
Pokharel demanded that concerned authorities be focused even on meditation along with yoga. He demanded to declare even meditation day.

Dr. Chintamani Yogi, a scholar of eastern philosophy, said the materialistic, digitalised, competitive and artificial lifestyle had caused various problems in human heath, emotion and socialisation. “Yoga is the remedy to all these problems,” Yogi said.

Along with the Ministry, different organisations associated with yoga and meditation organised different programmes physically as well as virtually to marked the day. National Yoga day is being marked on Magh 1 of Nepali date every year for the last seven years.

Likewise, International Yoga Day is marked on June 21 every year, as the day was passed from the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations on the proposal of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi which was first supported by the then Prime Minister of Nepal, late Sushil Koirala.

Meanwhile, to promote yoga across the nation, the government has introduced yoga in school curriculum. Students from grade I to VIII have to study and practice yoga compulsorily now. Besides, the government had also released a handbook of National Yoga Protocol two years ago at the initiation former minister Pokharel.