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May 23, 2025
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Gillette launches Barber Suraksha Programme to help #GroomTheirFuture

Gillette India has been a long-standing partner of the barber community. Gillette and barbers have a special bond as partners, and together they are a part of the essential fabric that grooms everyone, every day. In a world gripped by the pandemic, the impact on barbers has been profound as shutters stayed closed and the incomes are affected. The brand has launched the ‘Barber Suraksha Programme’ aimed at educating, protecting and providing resources to the barber community as they return to business.
To help #GroomTheirFuture, as part of the Barber Suraksha Programme, Gillette will provide an insurance cover of up to INR 1 lakh to barbers, educate them on safe operations via videos co-created with renowned hairstylist Aalim Hakim and provide them back-to-business support via specially curated product kits covering requirements for 2 months. To start with, Gillette will support 50,000 barbers across the country.
At a time when people are concerned about revisiting barber shops, Gillette will co-create education videos with Aalim Hakim on safety and hygiene measures, that will help barbers create a safe salon experience. These videos will cover concerns regarding maintaining social distancing while attending to clients, effective hand cleansing and tool disinfecting techniques among others. This will enable barbers to protect themselves and their customers.
Gillette will co-create education videos with renowned stylist Aalim Hakim on safety and hygiene measures, that will help barbers create a safe salon experience
Gillette will co-create education videos with renowned stylist Aalim Hakim on safety and hygiene measures, that will help barbers create a safe salon experience
Gillette has also curated a special product kit comprising a face shield, sanitizer and Gillette products covering their two-month supply of essential products. Given the nature of their work, the barber community is at a high risk of COVID-19. Keeping this in mind, Gillette India will provide 50,000 barbers with a special Health insurance cover of up to INR 1 lakh under its Gillette Barber Suraksha programme.
Karthik Srivatsan, Country Category Leader – Grooming Indian Sub-Continent at P&G said, “Gillette has been a proud partner of barbers across the country. The barber community is among those whose income have been severely impacted due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The nature of their work also puts them at a higher risk of infection. During these tough times, Gillette wants to stand in solidarity with the barber community as they reopen their business. Through Gillette’s ‘Barber Suraksha programme’ we want to provide the much-needed back-to-business support to barbers across the country through education, protection and health assistance resources. We hope we can help them in a small but meaningful way as they get back to business.”
As a part of the campaign, Gillette India has also launched a film supported by Brand Advocate Sachin Tendulkar that takes consumers through a nostalgic journey reminiscing the various instances they must have experienced at barbershops. Through the film, Gillette showcases the holistic support that is being given to barbers to enable them to get back to business.

Brand Advocate Sachin Tendulkar said, “While many have been affected by the lockdown, our barber friends are among those who have taken the maximum impact. Gillette Barber Suraksha is timely and needed right now. It’s heart-warming to be a part of it to make a positive difference to their lives and truly #GroomTheirFuture.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBun2MLgVPr/

As the community gears up to open shop once again, Gillette Barber Suraksha Programme comes as a relief to the community. Gillette is committed to be a partner and support the barbers in creating a safe in-salon experience that will help protect themselves and the consumer.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content.

CSR: Reckitt Benckiser donating a million litres of disinfectants for sanitising purposes

Reckitt Benckiser (RB) recently announced a donation of 1 million litres of Lizol and Harpic to aid Indian states in fighting the COVID-19 crisis, especially in public health institutions and at the frontline.
RB has extended CSR support to North Delhi Municipal Corporation by donating 30,000 litres of Lizol and Harpic to help break the chain of this fast-spreading infection. The North Delhi Municipal Corporation has been actively disinfecting Containment Zones, COVID Care Centres and Hospitals, Quarantine Centres amongst other infected areas. Through this alliance, RB is looking at supporting the North Delhi Municipal Corporation by providing them with quality products to disinfect high-risk areas in the capital.
Narasimhan Eswar, Senior Vice President, Reckitt Benckiser Hygiene, South Asia said, “We wanted to extend our support to healthcare institutions and workers who are going the extra mile to keep our fellow Indians safe and that’s why we decided to donate our trusted brands Lizol and Harpic for disinfection. We are thankful that our partnership with North Delhi Municipal Corporation will empower these amazing institutions and frontline workers to help break the chain of infection and keep themselves and others safe.”
Ira Singhal, Deputy Commissioner, Remunerative Project Cell North Delhi Municipal Corporation, said, “We have partnered with Reckitt Benckiser to provide us with products that will help us in disinfecting areas to fight coronavirus. We thank them for this generous donation and are grateful that they were able to deliver the products so promptly.”
RB Hygiene has extended its support to the COVID-19 Control Room of the Maharashtra Government by donating 1,60,000 litres of Lizol and Harpic for disinfection. COVID-19 Control Room has been working relentlessly with the municipal corporations and the state government since the onset of the pandemic by disinfecting public areas including hospitals and public facilities in Covid-19 affected zones. Through this alliance with RB, they are looking at cleaning and disinfecting public and community toilets with Harpic and using Lizol to disinfect hospitals and public areas across Maharashtra.
Bhushan Gagrani, Incharge- CSR Cell, COVID-19 Control Room, Maharashtra said, “With the number of cases increasing daily, it is getting even more critical to clean and disinfect public areas and healthcare institutions at regular intervals. We are grateful to RB for extending support.”
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content.

CSR: PepsiCo Foundation Partners With SEEDS To Support Communities Affected By Cyclone Amphan

The PepsiCo Foundation has partnered with Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS), a nonprofit organization to run a relief intervention programme and deliver life-saving assistance to people worst affected by cyclone Amphan in West Bengal.
As part of the CSR partnership, SEEDS will provide 3,75,000 meals, 1000 hygiene kits and 80 water filters for safe water access to the community members in East Medinipur, Howrah, Kolkata, and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal. Based on SEEDS needs assessment of the Amphan-affected areas in West Bengal, vulnerable communities will be assisted with these emergency supplies.
The CSR initiative includes distribution of 3,75,000 meals to impacted communities along with a month’s supply of hygiene kits. Since people are also at a high risk of water-borne infections, PepsiCo Foundation through SEEDS will ensure access to clean drinking water by setting up 80 community filters. This will enable the availability of clean water for more than a year, benefitting over 8000 affected people.
On partnering with PepsiCo Foundation for the intervention programme, Dr. Manu Gupta, Co-Founder, SEEDS, said, “The effect of Cyclone Amphan has been devastating for communities located in the remote areas of the Sunderbans; the generous support from PepsiCo Foundation is helping us reach urgent humanitarian aid to these communities who would have otherwise been left behind.”
Ahmed ElSheikh, President, PepsiCo India said, “Cyclone Amphan has displaced thousands of families who are in dire need of food, safe drinking water and hygiene items. Our commitment is just a small effort to help those in need and support them in their journey of coming back to normalcy. We are delighted to partner with SEEDS, one of the leading NGOs front-ending the Amphan community relief work in West Bengal. We will continue giving our support to the communities in West Bengal during these challenging times.”
Additionally, PepsiCo Foundation recently announced a fresh infusion of $3 million to provide safe water access to agricultural communities and help women in high water-risk areas including West Bengal. This CSR programme aims to provide 200,000 farmers and their families access to piped water supply for household use, increased water resources, and will establish community-managed water distribution systems in these communities.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content.

CSR News: Mukul Madhav Foundation emphasises on Yoga for Children during Lockdown

When the World celebrates the 6th edition of International Yoga Day on June 21st 2020, the Mukul Madhav Foundation, the CSR arm of Finolex Industries, is proud of their contribution to popularising yoga not only amongst children from Mukul Madhav Vidyalaya but also children with Cerebral Palsy. It is even more pertinent at a time when this lockdown has made children nervous on coping with online education.
The Foundation runs the Mukul Madhav Vidyalaya at Golap in Ratnagiri district which primarily caters to children of local fishermen and farmers. Set up in 2010 and right from inception, it has given importance to yoga as a subject and Karate for the physical and mental well-being of the children. It has a total of 653 students.
The Foundation is also popularizing Yoga for children with Cerebral Palsy as a part of their Mission Cerebral Palsy since 2015 and during this lockdown, they have collaborated with a local television channel in Ratnagiri which broadcasts the basic physiotherapy session along with a 10-minute yoga session. This has received an encouraging response as children will not have to miss their sessions and it helps improve their quality of life.
Speaking on the significance of International Yoga Day, Mrs Ritu Chhabria, Managing Trustee at Mukul Madhav Foundation stated, “We realised that teaching yoga to children helps in their overall development, be it physical or mental. It improves concentration and they are free of ailments. Our work with children suffering from Cerebral Palsy assists them with their physiotherapy sessions which is a great boon for them during this lockdown.’’
The COVID 19 induced lockdown has also led to a suspension of classes and teaching has migrated to a virtual environment. However, this had an impact on the children for whom this was also a novel experience. Lessons in Yoga and the art of performing different asanas was taught by Adv Ruchi from the foundation.
This lockdown has brought into sharp focus on the role of mental health for the general wellbeing of young and old and the Mukul Madhav Foundation has worked tirelessly to cater to every section of society.

CSR News: JSW Foundation Provide Healthcare Facilities To Non-COVID-19 Patients

JSW Foundation, the social development arm of JSW Group, through its Ballari-based Jindal Sanjeevani Multi-Specialty Hospital has tied-up with six top Hospitals in Ballari district to provide in-patient healthcare facilities for Non-Covid-19 patients from the surrounding villages. This responsible move is aimed at ensuring continuity of medical care to regular and new patients of Jindal Sanjeevani Hospital following JSW Foundation’s pledge to convert Jindal Sanjeevani Hospital into Covid-19 Care Centre.
These tie-ups have been forged exclusively for the treatment of non-coronavirus patients covering community members residing in villages around the steel factory, JSW employees & their families as well as residents of JSW Townships. The list of hospitals under this tie-up includes:
1. B K S Murthy Hospital, Gandhi Nagar (For General Medicine & Surgery, Cardiology Pediatrics & Gynecology)
2. Sanjeevini Hospital, Kappagal Road (For Orthopaedics, Emergency & Trauma Care)
3. Maduri Nursing Home, Sanganakallu Road (For Gynaecology)
4. Shruthi Hospital, Sudha Cross (For Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, Plastic Surgery)
5. Danamma Super Specialty Hospital, Opp Old KSRTC Bus Stand (For Neuro Surgery & Gynaecology)
6. Ballari Hrudayalaya, Gandhi Nagar (For Cardiology)
Jindal Sanjeevani Hospital will continue to operate its Causality & Dialysis sections while Outpatient services will be managed through the Health Centers located in all the four JSW Townships.
On a daily basis, Jindal Sanjeevani Hospital provides medical care to approximately 400 walk-in patients, approx. 70-75 in-patients and approx. 30 casualty or trauma patients. The current tie-up with these six hospitals, OPD services through four health centres in JSW Townships and casualty & trauma services at Jindal Sanjeevani is expected to benefit these patients.
This partnership arrangement with six local hospitals will last as long as Jindal Sanjeevani Hospital continues to serve as a COVID-19 Care Centre. A dedicated team has been appointed to ensure smooth admissions on priority for availing the inpatient care at these hospitals. This team will also assist in cashless hospitalization as well as Third Party Administration (TPA) related matters.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content.

Keralites Ensure Online Education to all Students Amid COVID-19

COVID-19 lockdown in India caused a major disruption in the schedule of school-going children of the country. With new norms to be followed, the schools across the country were shut down resulting in compromised education status of young students of India. Considering the uncertainty regarding the duration of COVID-19 lockdown or social distancing norms, many schools across the country started taking online classes of students. However, many students were left bereft of this because of inaccessibility to the internet or smartphones.
Digital penetration in India has been very successful. But it has not been enough to ensure that every citizen is able to avail the benefits of the digital world. This has left many students at a disadvantaged position than their peers.
Kerala has been pioneering in the education sector. Keralites have time and again asserted that education is a major priority for them. The state has often gone out of its way to ensure that all of its have access to education irrespective of costs or circumstances. The state could not accept that 2.42 lakh of its students will not have access to online classes as they did not have access to the internet or smartphones.
In order to ensure education for all its students, the entire state of Kerala started a mass movement that included collaboration among government, businesses, alumni associations, MLAs, MPs and local civic bodies. This unprecedented intervention has helped reduce the number of students without access to online classes to 1.20 lakh. However, this was not enough for the Keralites.
To make the accessibility of education more inclusive, in some villages, WhatsApp groups and alumni associations donated money to buy TVs or smartphones. Furthermore, many local businessmen provided TV sets as part of a “TV challenge’’ launched by the state’s Industries Department to enable digital learning for students. In addition to this, with approval from the government MLAs used their local development fund to buy TVs and laptops for students. And the state’s local self-governing bodies stepped in to complete the chain.
Almost all villages in Kerala have at least one common centre, be it an Anganwadi, a reading room or a sports club. The availability of these spaces made it easier for the education department to set up a classroom. Teachers of government and aided private schools were placed in charge at these centres.
For instance, Wayanad had the largest number of students without individual access to online classes. Therefore, common study centres were set up for 9,200 children in the district.
The state has resumed the classes for the next academic year and is being telecast on the educational channel IT@School Victers channel.
Because of dedicated hard work by the stakeholders, the state of Kerala has set a precedent by ensuring in the duration of two weeks, that online classes reach every school student in the state.

Houses built under Federal Bank’s CSR initiative handed over

Federal Bank handed over houses rebuilt for the benefit of flood-affected villages of Batswad and Rajapurwadi in Kolhapur (Maharashtra) to beneficiaries today. The Bank has rebuilt 80 houses under its CSR project for these villages.
Formal handing over of garbage pick-up vans, water ATMs and solar power system was also done today. Dr. Rajendra Patil Yadravkar (Minister for State, Govt. of Maharashtra for Public Health, Medical Education, Textile, Food & Drugs Administration and Cultural Activity) presided over the meetings at both the villages.
In October 2019, Federal Bank had announced a comprehensive package for rebuilding of villages of Kolhapur. The Bank allocated an amount of ₹ 3.06 Crore towards this project. The Bank is funding for reconstruction of two school buildings in these villages. These schools are being furnished with benches, tables, computers, projectors etc. The Bank has also sponsored milch animals to people who lost their livelihood, and given away machinery for cottage industries. Other public amenities like fogging facilities, public toilet and first aid items have also been provided as part of the CSR of Federal Bank. It has planted 500 trees.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content.

Pride Month 2020: Trans-inclusion in corporate India

As Pride Month 2020 comes to a close, let’s turn our attention to trans-inclusion at corporate houses in India. All central government departments were recently asked to include ‘transgender’ as a separate category of gender for recruitment in civil services and other posts, according to an order by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
The move is based on the provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, notified in December last year. ‘All ministries/departments of the government of India are requested to modify the relevant examination rules providing for inclusion of ‘Transgender’ as a separate category of gender, so as to make the said Rules in conformity with the provisions of The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019,’ the Ministry said.
While the transgender community has been a topic of discussion, it still remains to be accepted into the workplace due to the lack of actionable policies and programmes across organisations. Deep-rooted stigma has unfairly marginalised the transgender community. Its members struggle to be included at every level of the society — right from homes to corporate offices. LGBT+ ally companies like Essar Group, Godrej, TCS and Lalit Hotels have trans-inclusive policies which are constantly updated to be more sensitive to the community.
Essar Group has taken baby steps towards transgender sensitisation at the workplace. Back in 2018, it associated itself with Tweet Foundation, a self-help group for transgender welfare. The Group ensures that festivals are celebrated inclusively within the organisation. In-house platforms are provided to showcase the entrepreneurial talent of transgender persons. Through another initiative, called ‘Sattar Minute’, employees proactively participate to support transgender training and development projects.
Sattar Minute is a blend of employee engagement and community outreach. It is a platform inviting employees to contribute towards community outreach either in an individual capacity or in association with the Essar Foundation, the CSR wing of the Essar Group. The organisation has a flagship transgender sensitisation umbrella programme, called the Rainbow Project.
Under this project, its partners with NGOs and SHGs to carry out activities for the welfare of the trans-community. It has partnered with Kineer Services India a self-help group for transgender people, to provide hands-on training on professional housekeeping services and a workshop on interview techniques and resume writing. This was followed by a job fair, where Essar collaborated with other organisations to provide scope of employment to the community members.
The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group stands out for trans-inclusion in the hospitality sector due to its commitment to the UN Business Standards of Conduct. All employees go through sensitization programmes on LGBT issues. Kitty Su, the nightclub, also hosts fashion shows and drag shows featuring those from the transgender community.
The Lalit has drafted a policy for hiring transgender employees. It includes basic processes such as all forms having the option of three genders, gender being a non-mandatory detail to fill, gender-neutral restrooms, and gender-neutral communication. They have also hired transgender employees and placed them in positions of visibility in their establishments.

योग अपनाएं, कोरोना भगाएं

कोरोना संक्रमण को लेकर पूरे देश में भय का माहौल बना हुआ है। ऐसे में लोग कोरोना से बचने के लिए अलग-अलग उपाय कर रहे हैं। लोग कई प्रकार के नुस्खे अपनाने के साथ-साथ शरीर की रोग प्रतिरोधक क्षमता को बढ़ाने के लिए पुरानी परंपराओं की ओर भी लौट रहे हैं। इसमें सबसे महत्वपूर्ण है योग। योग के नियमित अभ्यास से शरीर स्वस्थ तो रहता ही है साथ-साथ हमारी प्रतिरोधक क्षमता को मजबूत बनाने में काफी मददगार साबित होता है। योगासन से यह खांसी, जुखाम, वायरल बुखार, कमर दर्द, सांस लेने की तकलीफ आदि बीमारियां भी दूर भागती हैं। योग करने वाले व्यक्तियों में स्फूर्ति व ऊर्जा का संचार होने के साथ-साथ शरीर के नस नाड़ियों की शुद्धि भी होती है। साथ ही रोग से लड़ने की क्षमता भी मिलती है।

कोरोना काल में बढ़ी योग को लेकर जागरूकता

जहां अभी तक कोरोना की दवाई को लेकर सिर्फ रिसर्च ही जारी है, जहां वैक्सीन को लेकर अभी तक सिर्फ शोध ही चल रहा है वही भारत की पुरानी परंपरा दुनिया को कोरोना से लड़ने के लिए एक रास्ता दिखा रही है। कोरोना काल में आयुर्वेदिक औषधियों का इस्तेमाल कर लोग काढ़ा से अपना इम्युनिटी बूस्ट कर रहें है तो वहीं कोरोना के कारण लोगों में योग को लेकर जागरूकता भी बढ़ी है। अपने आप को स्वस्थ रखने के लिए लोग इन चीजों पर विशेष ध्यान दे रहे हैं।

21 जून को है विश्व योग दिवस

आज विश्व योग दिवस है। हर साल पुरी दुनिया 21 जून को विश्व योग दिवस मनाती है। लेकिन क्या आपको पता है कि योग को दुनियाभर में चर्चित भारत ने ही किया है। साल 2015 में ही विश्व योग दिवस की शुरूआत हो गई थी। भारत के प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी ने संयुक्त राष्ट्र को योग से 11 दिसंबर 2014 को अवगत कराया था। इसी समय विश्वभर में योग को पहचान दिलाने को लेकर भारत की तरफ से कवायद तेज कर दी गई थी। अंत में जाकर संयुक्त राष्ट्र के 193 देशों के सदस्यों ने योग दिवस मनाने को लेकर प्रस्ताव को मजूरी दे दी थी। आंकड़ों की बात करें तो साल 2015 में जब पहली बार विश्व योग दिवस मनाया गया उस दौरान लगभग 10 करोड़ लोगों ने दुनियाभर में योग किया था। साथ ही इसमें से लगभग 3 करोड़ लोगों ने अकेले अमेरिका में योगाभ्यास किया था।

कोरोना की वजह से लोग घरों में कर रहें है योग

कोरोना महामारी की छाया इस बार योग दिवस पर भी देखने को मिलेगी। कोरोना के कारण योग दिवस पर इस बार कोई बड़ा आयोजन नहीं हुआ और इसकी थीम रखी गई है ‘घर पर योग, परिवार के साथ योग’। आयुष मंत्रालय के मुताबिक इस वर्ष योग दिवस पर सामूहिक रूप से किसी स्थान पर योग करने के बजाय लोग अपने घरों में एक तय समय पर योग करेंगे।

इन योगाभ्यासों से कोरोना से लड़ा जा सकता है

दरअसल कोरोना का संक्रमण उन लोगों को जल्दी अपना शिकार बना सकता है, जिनकी इम्युन पावर बहुत कमजोर होती है। आमतौर पर होने वाले संक्रमण में भी अगर किसी व्यक्ति की इम्युनिटी कमजोर होती है, तो वह जल्दी बीमार हो जाता है। ऐसे में योग इम्युन पावर बढ़ाता है, तो आईये जान लेतें है कुछ आसन
कपालभाति एक प्रचलित प्राणायाम है। इस प्राणायाम को करने की प्रक्रिया में सांस लेते हैं और छोड़ते हैं। रोजाना करीब पांच मिनट तक इस प्रणायाम को करने से आपकी रोग प्रतिरोधक क्षमता मजबूत होगी और आप किसी भी प्रकार के संक्रमण से बचे रहेंगे।
कैसे करें –
सबसे पहले एक योग मैट बिछा लें।
अब इस पर बैठ जाएं।
सांस लीजिए और पेट पर जोर देते हुए तेजी से सांस को छोड़ें।
प्रतिरोधक क्षमता मजबूत करने के लिए इस प्राणायाम को आप रोज सुबह और शाम को पांच मिनट तक करें।

अनुलोम विलोम से भी मजबूत होती है इम्युनिटी

अनुलोम विलोम से आपको सामान्य रूप से होने वाली सर्दी खांसी और जुकाम तक नहीं होती है। दरअसल अनुलोम विलोम प्रणायाम को करने से श्वसन क्रिया बेहतर हो जाती है। इसके अलावा डॉक्टरी रिसर्च के मुताबिक यह भी बताया जा चुका है कि इससे आपके शरीर की इम्युनिटी काफी मजबूत होती है।

कैसे करें –

एक शांत वातावरण में योग मैट या किसी भी आसन पर बैठ जाएं।
अब अपने बाएं हाथ के अंगूठे से, बायीं नाक के छिद्र को बंद करके, दायीं नाक के छिद्र से सांस लें।
अब दायीं नाक के छिद्र को अपनी एक उंगली से बंद करें और बायीं नाक के छिद्र को खोलकर, इसके जरिए सांस छोड़ें।
दूसरी ओर से भी इस प्रक्रिया को दोहराएं।
कोरोना वायरस के संक्रमण से बचे रहने के लिए इस प्राणायाम को रोज सुबह करीब पांच मिनट तक करें।

भस्त्रिका प्राणायाम भी कोरोना को रखेगा दूर

भस्त्रिका प्राणायाम के जरिए भी आप कोरोना वायरस से संक्रमित होने से बचे रहेंगे। भस्त्रिका प्रणायाम को करने से शरीर की कोशिकाएं स्वस्थ बनी रहती हैं और श्वसन क्रिया से जुड़ी कोई भी बीमारी आपको नहीं होगी। साथ ही साथ आपकी इम्युनिटी भी मजबूत रहेगी। इसके कारण आप कोरोना वायरस के संक्रमण से बचे रहेंगे भी।

कैसे करें

सबसे पहले किसी योग मैट पर बैठ जाएं।
अब एक गहरी सांस लें।
अब पेट पर जोर देते हुए सांस छोड़ें।
इस प्रणायाम को करीब 3-5 मिनट तक करें।
आप इसे सुबह और शाम दोनों समय कर सकते हैं।
प्राणायाम को आप रोज सुबह खुद तो करें ही, साथ ही अपनी फैमिली को भी इसे करने के लिए कहें। इससे न केवल आप कोरोना के संक्रमण में आने से बचेंगे बल्कि भविष्य में भी आप कई बीमारियों से बचे रहेंगे।
युगों से चला आ रहा है योग की परंपरा, जिसे दुनिया ने अपनाया
भारत में योग को निरोगी रहने की करीब पांच हजार वर्ष पुरानी मानसिक, शारीरिक और आध्यात्मिक पद्धति के रूप में मान्यता प्राप्त है, जो भारतीयों की जीवनचर्या का अहम हिस्सा है। सही मायनों में योग भारत के पास प्रकृति प्रदत्त ऐसी अमूल्य धरोहर है, जिसका भारत सदियों से शारीरिक और मानसिक लाभ उठाता रहा है, लेकिन कालांतर में इस दुर्लभ धरोहर की अनदेखी का ही नतीजा है कि लोग तरह-तरह की बीमारियों के मकड़जाल में जकड़ते गए। वैसे तो स्वामी विवेकानंद ने भी अपने शिकागो सम्मेलन के भाषण में सम्पूर्ण विश्व को योग का संदेश दिया था लेकिन कुछ वर्षों पूर्व योग गुरु स्वामी रामदेव द्वारा योग विद्या को घर-घर तक पहुंचाने के बाद ही इसका व्यापक प्रचार-प्रसार संभव हो सका और आमजन योग की ओर आकर्षित होते गए। देखते ही देखते कई देशों में लोगों ने इसे अपनाना शुरू किया। आज की भागदौड़ भरी जीवनशैली में योग का महत्व कई गुना बढ़ गया है।
योग के गुणों को देखते हुए आईये विश्व योग दिवस के ख़ास मौके पर प्रण करें कि हर दिन कम से कम एक घंटा योग करेंगे और निरोगी रहेंगे।

International Yoga Day 2020 – How does Yoga Help Calm the Mind?

By Bharti Gitay
The link between mental health and physical health is often misunderstood. They’re often thought of as separate entities, but the two go hand in hand. In fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. According to Dr Michael Craig Miller, professor at Harvard Medical School, exercise and physical activity can be as effective in treating some depressive symptoms as therapy or medication.
Amid growing concerns about the global spread of COVID-19, which has exacerbated mental health concerns globally. According to WHO, over 90 million Indians, or 7.5 per cent of the country’s population of 1.3 billion, experience from some form of mental health concerns. India faces a significant gap between the prevalence of mental health issues among the population and the availability and effectiveness of mental health care in providing adequate treatment. This discrepancy results in structural stigma toward mental illness which in turn is one of the main reasons for the persistence of the treatment gap, whereas societal factors such as religion, education, and family structures play critical roles.  Due to this and other reasons, many individuals dealing with mental health issues turn to alternative approaches like yoga. Research shows that doing exercise influences the release and uptake of feel-good chemicals such as endorphins and dopamine in the brain, helping you feel good in the short term. Low-intensity exercise sustained over time can promote the production of neurotrophic proteins. These proteins cause nerve cells to grow and form new connections and as a result can improve brain function, making you feel better in the long term.
Yoga means “to unite” in Sanskrit. Uniting mind, body and individual and collective being is the essence of this ancient practice. Yoga provides individuals with the opportunity to concentrate on their body and mind through their breath, which can help alleviate tension and stress. Stress creates cortisol and that builds up in our system, making it difficult to metabolise them. We can address this is by putting other chemicals in our body, a perfect chemical that can address them is endorphins, which generates with exercise. As an exercise, yoga is a natural way to increase endorphins and serotonin production. According to the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, recommend that serotonin production plays a role in the treatment of depression. Also, serotonin is believed to play a major role in happiness and can be generated with regular yoga practice.
In this fast pace life, we are being driven to distraction by our own increasingly sophisticated and seductively addictive technologies. We are being enslaved by our impulses to look outside of ourselves for affirmation that we’re OK, or that there’s something more interesting than now that we should be checking because maybe this moment’s not good enough.
“We’re actually imprisoned by what we’re unconscious of. Not a moment goes by in which we don’t like this rather than that or want this more than that suggest the American Professor, Jon Kabat-Zinn
Yoga incorporates several techniques for taming the monkey mind One is breathwork, each breath is tied inextricably to the present moment, you are not breathing in the past or the future, but only right now. And, Yoga is a physical exercise that involves different body poses, breathing techniques, and meditation. It may help with depression and symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating or loss of energy.
Yoga as a form of exercise focuses mainly on deep, controlled breathing. This allows to clear the mind and strengthen the body-mind connection. Additionally, breathing is one of many components of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which also includes your heart rate, digestive system, and more. The vagus nerve runs from the brain all the way down through to the opening of the diaphragm to the gut, and its purpose is to send signals to adjust the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system that form the ANS. This positively impacts on heart rate, digestion, and general feelings of being calm and centred.
Yoga is also especially helpful because of its gentle, calming, and fluid nature. Each pose is flexible, so people of all levels can practice and can gradually build the practice.
Bharti Gitay MpowerBharti Gitay is Psychologist & Outreach Associate at Mpower – The Centre, Mumbai. She is a compassionate Mental Health professional dedicated to providing effective and empathetic care. She is passionate about mindfulness practice with individuals and families to help live a meaningful and authentic life. She is a trained ACT therapist.
Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.
To read more stories by Mpower, click here.

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