7th International Yoga Day

Primary Section

“Yoga adds years to your life and life to your years.”

It has been tried and tested that practicing Yoga helps in the development of

stronger physical and mental well-being. The simple Yoga Kriyas help in

regaining the sense of control and enables mind & body by providing tools for

better management of anxiety due to situation beyond control. As people around

the world have started to embrace yoga to stay healthy and rejuvenated, Ahlcon

International School, Primary wing also organised a plethora of activities on the

occasion of 7th International Yoga Day. The details are as follows; -

Activity 1- INTRODUCTION ABOUT YOGA

The programme commenced with the introductory remarks by Ms. Sangeeta

Sahani (HOD, Physical Education Department) followed by a live event

conducted by the yoga teacher Mr. Bipin Jha, who gave an informative talk on

the importance of Yog in our lives specially when the world is battling with the

Covid 19 pandemic. The theme for this year’s International Day of Yoga is ‘Yoga

at Home and Yoga with Family’. Based on the same theme, Mr. Bipin suggested

many yogic practices to children to promote their holistic health development.

The session was attended by all the parents, students and teachers of the Primary

Section. The valuable session talked about the cultivation of the ways of

maintaining a balanced attitude, mindset and healthy body. It focused on

exploration of inner-self through yoga and the traditional method of healing.

Children were made aware that yoga gives people much more calmness and peace

with lots of confidence and courage to them by which they can do many of the

activities in a better way.

At the end, Headmistress Primary Section, Ms. Kavita Shah, congratulated sports

department for the successful starting of the yoga week. She also requested all

the parents to motivate their child to participate in all the activities planned

further.

Activity 2-YOGA QUIZ

To satisfy the hunger for knowledge and to promote this Indian ancient science-

Yoga at school, an Online Yoga Quiz was conducted for the students of classes

III, IV and V. The quiz aimed at giving a lot more information about the Yogic

practices and creating an awareness about the benefits of Yoga. Students were

delighted to brush up their knowledge through this interesting quiz.

Link of the Quiz-

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOGWtmEZXIEzUQti1ttSDGHC

a3Z46B4J0oKlHZgonxgf9VFA/viewform?usp=pp_url

Activity 3- SURYANAMASKAR WITH SHLOKAS

“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self to the self. “

In this activity, the most important Yogic exercise- Surya Namaskar was

performed by the students of classes I to V in the Well Being period with the

soothing chanting of the shlokas. As, Surya Namaskar is a powerful technique so,

to make it more mindful, a video demonstration was shown to students,

performed by our yoga teachers Mr. Bipin Jha and Mr. Venkatesh. Students were

taught how to flow through the sequence, synchronize their breath with the

movements of the body. They were also explained the health benefits of

performing this exercise like improved concentration, calming of mind,

endurance, flexibility, muscle growth etc. The session was also attended by HM

Primary-Ms. Kavita Shah and AHM Primary- Ms. Shipra Srivastava. Ms. Kavita

highly appreciated the students for performing the asana and she also encouraged

them to practice yoga regularly as it gives strength and vitality to the body.

Link of Surya Namaskar Video:-

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rYyiybLqm3AOqSEG3pnoWC-qFDBsucLg/view?usp=drivesdk

Activity 4- YOGIC MATHS

To revise the concepts of different types of lines in Mathematics, students of class

1 did various yoga asanas. For example : Standing line – Tadasana, Sleeping line

– Shavasana, Slanting line – Uttanpadasana. This activity not only helped the

students in comprehending the mathematical concept but also enabled them to

co-relate it with the yoga postures. Parents appreciated the efforts of the teachers

for planning such an innovative interdisciplinary activity. Children enjoyed it

thoroughly and shared their pictures on the padlet link provided by the teacher.

ACTIVITY 5- ALPHABET INTEGRATED YOGA

This activity was meticulously designed for Class II. With the help of a PPT,

children were shown different yoga asanas making different alphabets. Alphabet

yoga is a fun way to get kids moving while learning their letters. It offers plethora

of benefits to kids and enhance their skills. Each pose was associated with a

different letter of the alphabet. It is an interesting way to work on gross motor

skills while doing yoga. Children enjoyed the session and were encouraged to

perform regularly.

Activity 6- INTERACTIVE SESSION WITH HEALTH EXPERT

“Good Health is True Wealth”

Ahlcon International School, Primary wing invited a renowned health expert, Ms.

Ria Taneja for a live interactive session on ‘Health and Nutrition’ with the aim to

help the students stay fit and adopt a sustainable and active lifestyle at a young

age. The session was attended by the students of classes IV and V. Ms. Ria Taneja

talked about importance of exercise and healthy food in our lives. She also gave

interesting food choices to children and demonstrated various muscular exercises

which can be performed at home in simple ways. The expert also told the students

to follow the five-finger rule of nutrition: Every child must eat food enriched with

carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. She further advised them to

follow five habits for good health -- have breakfast on time, drinking adequate

amount of water, sleep well, exercise for 60 minutes everyday and reduce the

intake of junk food and sugar. Both the parents and the students felt highly

motivated after attending the session.

Activity 7- PRANAYAM

In the ongoing celebration, a special Pranayaam Session was conducted by Mr.

Bipin Jha for the students of class 5. Students were explained about the health

benefits of Pranayam. Mr. Jha demonstrated different types of Pranayam and

motivated the students to make them a part of their daily fitness schedule.

Video Link of the session-

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12lDCo_sLHkwifH8uMNhyMH4YQWN3VvCc

/view?usp=sharing

Activity 8- VIRTUAL TOUR OF YOGA ASHRAMS

On the occasion of International Picnic Day, students of Class 3 were given a

virtual tour of the Indian Yoga Centres including the first Bihar School of Yoga

in Munger and the Isha Yoga Centre in Coiambatore. During the virtual tour they

got to know about the various activities done in these institutes. The center houses

the architecturally distinctive Spanda Hall and garden, a 64,000 sq. ft. meditation

hall and program facility that is the venue for many residential programs catering

to various groups. The Yoga Center contains the Dhyanalinga, a unique and

powerful energy-form sitting under a pillarless 250,000-brick dome structure as

well as Theerthakund, a sacred underground water body. Every week, thousands

of people converge at this unique meditation center to seek out inner peace and

wellbeing. Also located at the Yoga Center are the Isha Rejuvenation Center and

Isha Home School. The Vanaprastha accommodation on the premises was

designed to give people with families the opportunity to come and be involved

with the centre. Children felt rejuvenated and were amazed to see a closer look

of the beautiful interiors.

Activity 9- YOGA SESSION FOR TEACHERS

Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and

fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and

well-being. Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, following this year's theme

set by the United Nations Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family”, an energizing

yoga session was organized for all the teachers. The session was facilitated by Sr.

Yoga Instructor, Motivational Speaker and Meditation Guru at Akhil Bhartiya

Anuvrat Nyas, Shri Ramesh Kandpal.

Shri Kandpal commenced the session at 8:00 am, highlighting the intrinsic link

between yoga and sustainability and encouraged the audience on how to stay

active and healthy not only during this lockdown but even after that. He continued

briefing about the advantages of performing yoga to human body, especially for

mental health and physical fitness. He explained that yoga is not merely the

physical exercise but a mental modification which keeps our spiritual core away

from negativity. Teachers were ready on their mats to bend and twist their bodies

in different postures from the safety of their homes. In the one-hour programme,

Sh. Kandpal demonstrated various asanas, sitting and standing postures,

abdominal exercises, breathing techniques and explained their benefits

simultaneously. The session concluded with Surya Pranayama. Sh. Ramesh

ended the session by saying that it is not about exercise but to discover the sense

of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and

creating consciousness, we can awaken our spiritual, mental and physical well-

being.

Activity 10- YOGA SESSION FOR PARENTS

One day was dedicated to all the parents, who often find it difficult to maintain a

healthy routine due to their busy schedule. An active participation of the parents

was observed along with the staff members and students. Sports faculty

conducted the fitness session which was followed by an interactive discussion.

Parents expressed their gratitude and asked their queries regarding nutrition and

lifestyle from the Physical Education Teachers.

Activity 11- YOGA SESSION FOR STUDENTS

Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It is not about exercise but

to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By

changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help in well-being.

To awaken the young minds about the spiritual, mental and physical benefits of

Yoga, the school organized a session on the occasion of 7th International Yoga

Day on 21st June 2021. Students joined in this celebration with great enthusiasm.

Mr. Bipin Kumar Jha and Mr. Venkatesh (Yoga Teacher) demonstrated various

asanas followed by Omkar chanting. Warm up exercises were taken and all the

gathering performed sitting and standing asanas, importance of these were

explained simultaneously.

In the end, Principal Sir Mr. Sanjay Yadav encouraged the students to practice

regular yoga to remain fit and improve concentration. He also emphasized not to

forget our roots and our ancient ways of healthy lifestyle. Headmistress, Ms.

Kavita Shah said that students are the best ambassadors to carry forward the

legacy of an active lifestyle. Such events help in understanding the importance of

a healthy and fitness especially during these tough times.

All the events saw a wide participation by students along with parents and

teachers.