International Yoga Day- Quotes from industry leaders

As there is International Yoga Day on 21st June, 2019, here are some of the quotes by the industry leaders:

“Chronic non-communicable diseases are fast becoming an epidemic in rural India. It contributes to 47 percent of deaths, on account of the epidemiological transition caused by lifestyle changes and increasing life expectancy. Tackling them is quite a challenge due to a shortage of physicians with advanced training, lack of awareness and the absence of a safety net to help patients absorb the negative financial consequences of NCDs. According to WHO’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018-2030, practicing yoga regularly reduces the risk of chronic NCDs such as hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and heart attacks. Studies conducted by the Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS) have demonstrated that yoga improves lung function, cardiovascular fitness, enhances functional health, and reduces oxidative stress. Conducting yoga camps in rural areas and integrating yoga programs into primary healthcare centers will promote preventive care, reduce the disease burden of non-communicable diseases, and lessen the load on secondary and tertiary healthcare centers."
-Dr. RK Srivastava, Senior Advisor, Innovation and Public Health, WISH.

"While modern medicine works to address and control the symptoms of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, naturopathy has the potential to address its root causes and help repair the body by restoring its natural harmony with the environment. Diabetes is a major scourge of our times and it is a direct risk factor for hypertension, stroke and heart disease. Using a naturopathic approach to treating diabetes can significantly help patients improve their daily blood sugar levels while reducing their risk of cardiovascular disease.”
-Dr. Srikanth HS, Sr. Naturopath, Jindal Naturecure Institute.

“Yoga is gaining popularity as an accessible, acceptable and affordable practice for both mind and body. People are turning to yoga for mental health improvement. It has been observed that around 15-25% population is suffering from depression, in which around 10% of people are suffering from mild depression, and for that 10 % of people don’t need any medication. So, here yoga comes into play. Yoga works as a natural anti- depression, anti-anxiety during the time of Increase in the Serotonin (a chemical that contributes to wellbeing and happiness level) in the brain. It also helps in managing the day to day stress besides increasing self-confidence, memory and concentration. Stress is one of the major risk factors to develop depression. As around 30% of the population is suffering from stress issues, yoga helps in improvement of sound and effective sleep that helps them to reduce stress. It also helps to purify your though process and enables you to produce positive thoughts. Yoga also worked wonders for people, who are into substance abuse. This yoga day turn to these age-old tradition practice for healthy body and mind.
-Dr Tushar Kant, Consultant- Mental Health and Behavioral Science, Fortis Escorts, Jaipur.