International Yoga Day

International Yoga Week 2020 – Yoga to the Rescue in this Lockdown

Name of the Event: International Yoga Week for Holistic Health & Wellness
Conducted by: Women Development Cell & Soroptimist International Bombay Chembur
Date: 16th to 21st June, 2020
Venue: Google Meet

The restricted travel, increased sitting hours, extended exposure to screen, fear over the risk of infection, ceaseless negative news, are all adding to the growing anxiety. Confinements like these times can be really challenging. Therefore, to help us keep the anxiety at bay, one of our ancient life sciences, Yoga and Meditation, can come to rescue. Therefore, to mark and celebrate International Yoga Day on 21st June, 2020 and to commemorate the Golden Jubilee year of Mahatma Education Society, Women Development Cell in association with Soroptimist International Bombay Chembur had organised a week long Yoga and pranayama sessions for Holistic health and Wellness from 16th to 21st June, 2020 for all the staff members of Pillai HOC College of Arts, Science & Commerce.

A team of three faculty members, who are ardent Yoga practitioners, recorded theme wise videos for every day of the week. The schedule included ‘10- Minute Morning Routine’, ‘Hasta Mudras’, ‘Yoga to Relieve Menstrual Cramps (only for female staff)’, ‘Chair Yoga’, ‘Yoga to Boost Immunity’ & ‘Pranayam for Stress Management’. The sessions of around sixty minutes were conducted every day on Google Meet where the recorded video by the organising team was played and the doubts pertaining to the same were taken towards the end of the session. On the last day, which was International Yoga day, i.e. All the staff members were required to take #Yogachallenge where every staff member had to post a snap of any of the asanas taught during the week. The event was well received and was quite engaging and interactive. All the videos were later shared with everyone to make a 20-min daily routine of Yoga, a mandate, especially during these times.

International Yoga Day 2019

NSS Units of Pillai HOC College of Arts, Science & Commerce celebrated a festival of yoga and wellbeing on the occasion of the 5th International Day of Yoga on 21st June 2019, Friday with great enthusiasm. Almost 370 participants took part in that event. All the NSS Volunteers, teaching and non-teaching staff members of the institute, and students participated in the event. Participants of all age groups participated in the event with great enthusiasm. A yoga teacher, accompanied by 2 trained volunteers was there to conduct the yoga practice as per the directions received.

Date: 21st June, 2019
Time: 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Venue: Pillai HOC College of Arts, Science & Commerce
Organized By: NSS Unit of PHCASC

Following are the list of activities organized:

1. Common Yoga Practice
2. Seminar on “Yoga and its importance in our life”

1. Common Yoga Practice

   All the participants, Volunteers and Yoga teachers assembled in the area at 2:00 p.m. itself so as to ensure that the practice session is conducted in the most conducive manner even for the novice participant.

   The Yoga session started exactly at 2:30 p.m. with Prayer, and systematic practice of different “ASANAS” of standing, sitting and laying positions smoothly changing in succession under the instructions of Yoga teacher and supervision of trained Volunteers. During the course of “Yogabhyas”, the Yoga teacher also narrated the usefulness of different “Asanas” as a precautionary measure, in curing many Diseases and the usefulness of Yoga in the overall well being of a human being. The entire “YOGABHYAS” lasted for an hour and ended at 3:30 p.m. with a “Sanskrit Shloka”.

2. Seminar on “Yoga and its importance in our life”

   Organized a seminar on “Yoga and its importance in our life” in the Seminar hall to all the novice participants. For this seminar Principal attended as a resource person and addressed all the participants and explained the importance of Yoga and suggested them to practice under trained Yoga teachers. He suggested all the participants continue to practice Yoga for keeping their Body and mind in healthy, stress-free and cheerful condition.

International Yoga Day 2017

There is a growing body of research to back up yoga’s mental health benefits. Yoga increases body awareness, relieves stress, reduces muscle tension, strain, and inflammation, sharpens attention and concentration and calms and centers the nervous system.

Yoga’s positive benefits on physical and mental health have made it an important practice across the globe. Yoga, meditation and Pranayam have become mainstream culture in the world yet there are various sections of society which are still unaware of its myriad benefits.

Pillai HOC College of Arts, Science and Commerce with The Soroptimist International Bombay Chembur (SIBC) conducted a programme to mark the occasion of “The International Yoga Day” on 21st June, 2017, with an objective to address this issue. A Yoga Session of around sixty minutes was organized for The Female Housekeeping Staff of our College with an aim to create awareness amongst them about the concept of Yoga and help them with some basic asanas and breathing exercises which can bring in a whale change in their day to day life.

Five female volunteers of the ‘Yoga Committee’ along with teachers demonstrated various asanas for the Staff in an hour long session led by our Principal, Dr. Lata Menon. It started with the chanting of ‘Om’ followed by Sandhi Chalan Kriyas (warm up exeercises) which slowly led to a series of asanas like Vajrasan, Hastpadasans, Shalabhasan, Bhujanasana, Pranayametc and finally ended with the peaceful Chaitanyasan.

In a short session of an hour, the Staff felt rejuvenated and energized for the day and showed their interest to continue this activity.