Modi braves drizzles, leads thousands on International Yoga Day 2017

Eating before Yoga is not advisable. It would make you lethargic.

International Yoga Day 2017: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister are leading thousands of yoga enthusiasts in Lucknow on account of International Yoga Day. PM Modi said that, Yoga can have the same importance as salt has in life.

Wellness is more important than simple physical fitness. I would like to urge everyone to make yoga a part of their lives, he also said.

Braving drizzles, Modi, Yogi and thousands of Yoga enthusiasts performed asanas. The third edition of the International Yoga Day is being held today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are performing yoga along with 51,000 participants in Lucknow, UP.

UP Governor Ram Naik is also at the event. "I welcome the Prime Minister to Lucknow and am happy he is joining the Yoga Day celebrations here with us," said Yogi Adityanath.

From Lucknow I convey my greetings to all those joining the Yoga Day 2017 celebrations all over India. Today, Yoga has become a part of so many lives. Yoga's popularity outside India is high and has connected the world with India, Modi said.

To mark the importance of Yoga, which began in India 5,000 years ago, Indian missions in the Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States, among other countries, will hold programmes on Yoga with participants from various sections of the society.

The first International Yoga Day function held on June 21, 2015, at Rajpath in the national capital witnessed Narendra Modi performing Yoga along with over 200 million people across the country and over 37,000 people in Delhi alone.

Meanwhile the West Bengal government has decided not to observe International Yoga Day 2017 today. The government has decided to hold a separate yoga competition among state schools at a later date. Schools affiliated with Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will observe celebrations.

Things you must not do before Yoga:

Do not drink coffee: It is not advisable to have coffee before Yoga. Caffeine triggers stress reaction in the body like an increased heart rate. This would make you unable to focus or meditate.

Do not eat: Eating before Yoga is not advisable. It would make you lethargic and doing Yoga in such a state will not give you any benefits and your efforts would remain incomplete.

Do not take a shower: Showering before or immediately after Yoga is not advised. It drains away essential energy. A hot shower draws blood from the glands and internal organs of your body to the surface of your skin. Having hold or cold water bath disrupts the body temperature.

OneIndia News