The conference saw luminaries from different schools of yoga get together and discuss ways to inculcate yoga in our lives through education
The 8th International Conference on Yoga &Education was recently held at Kaivalyadhama, Lonavala near Mumbai, which explored ways to bring yoga into practice specifically through educating the youth of the world. The inaugural ceremony saw the presence of Swami Adhyatmananda from Sivananda Ashram, Shripad Naik, Minister of AYUSH, Government of India and SC Khuntia, Secretary SE&L, Government of India. The four-day conference had debates, discussions and workshops, which tried to bridge in the gap between yoga and education.
A panel discussion was held which focused on the mechanisms, benefits and challenges in implementing yoga within the primary, secondary and higher education school systems. Issues were debated on the categorisation of yoga as a secular discipline versus yoga as a religious practice. Vivid discussions were held on the relevance of yoga therapy as an alternate remedy to modern medical ailments and the methods for the implementation of yoga in the medical education system.
Shirley Anne Telles, Chief Research Consultant, Patanjali Yogpeeth and Dr Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, discussed their research findings of yoga in schools. Discussions were held on the importance of making traditional yoga relevant in today’s modernised world, the benefits and challenges of implementing a standardised yoga module for education, and how to bridge the gap between scientific research and education.
The conference also saw presentation of four best papers and the winners were Deepti Kale, Dr AM Deshpande, Shrikrishna Vyavahare, and Dr Anand Bhavanani.
EP News Bureau – Mumbai