Mumbai Gets Its First Yoga Garden
‘My daughter got her first job at a hospital after she finished her nursing program. Her supervisor, after inducting her and her colleagues, got up from her chair to direct them out to their respective stations. While getting up, she whispered, “Thank you, Dan!” My name is Dan and she was my student. I taught her Yoga, and helped her recover from the injury she suffered in an accident. She wasn’t able to get up or walk after that accident, causing her to fall under severe depression. Yoga helped her get back to the way she was. She is always grateful to me for I gave her life back, but I am grateful to Yoga for enabling me to help so many people.’ This was a story narrated by Dan Woodward who is a Yoga instructor and a Business Professor from Canada.
There are many such stories about Yoga and its miraculous powers to heal almost anything. Yoga, often misconstrued as just a work out option, is way more than that. It is nothing short of a way of life for many.
India is a developing country with many people suffering from various mental and physical disorders. Yoga, which is actually an Indian legacy, can do quite good to the economy by improving the productivity of the people. This has led Prime Minister Narendra Modi to encourage and promote practicing of Yoga on a daily basis.
Following this philosophy, ONGC has inaugurated Mumbai’s first Yoga garden with the aim of increasing public awareness about Yoga as a means of healthy holistic lifestyle. Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Govt. of India has inaugurated this garden, located at Bandra Reclamation Sea link Promenade.
“Yoga is a lifestyle solution across the world,” said Mr. Pradhan. “I hope that the promenade would become a permanent fixture in the tourist circuit of the city and a matter of pride for Mumbai,” he added.
The creation and design of the garden by USA Green Building Council and Indian Green Building council certified consultant addresses environmental concerns like soil erosion, ensuring highway embankment soil stabilization, rainwater harvesting, besides protecting an important public space and preventing its misuse.
The site is a part of a larger promenade which is frequently used by more than 3 lakh local residents and viewed by more 50,000 people every day who pass by the area. The aesthetic highlights of the garden are the Vertical Gardens, created on the embankment incorporating indigenous native plants to enhance the soothing visual appeal and seven Yoga postures depicted with visual lighting on the Vertical Gardens. A 15 feet tall statue of Patanjali, the first yoga exponent who documented Yoga sutras, in “Padmasana” posture, has been placed at the center of the garden.
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