Yoga for people who can’t find time for exercise, says Karnataka Minister H Anjaney

Students practise yoga in Mumbai on Wednesday. (Source: Express photo by Pradip Das)

Amid the hype surrounding the upcoming International Yoga Day celebrations, a senior minister in the Congress government in Karnataka struck a discordant note Wednesday by stating that yoga is for people who cannot find the time to take up outdoor fitness activities.

“Yoga is for people who do not have time to exercise or take a walk in the open. People who work in the fields and sweat it out do not require yoga,’’ social welfare minister H Anjaneya said.

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He added that the government’s priority should be to encourage children and youth to take up outdoor sports that involve running and walking. “Children must indulge in outdoor sports instead of yoga,” said Anjaneya.

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Interestingly, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is himself a yoga proponent.

Meanwhile, a Karnataka outfit has stated that in an eagerness to promote yoga, the government must not mislead people about the therapeutic value of yoga.