To celebrate the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA 2015 the Centre for Yoga Therapy, Education and Research (CYTER) at MGMCRI of the Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth organised a week-long programme with various multifaceted activities from the 21st to 26th of June 2015. This included: 1. A public awareness programme with free Yoga therapy consultations and lecture-demonstrations in collaboration with the Pondicherry Yogasana Association at MGMCRI City Centre from 7am to 1.30pm on June 21st. More than 300 participants performed the AYUSH Common Yoga Protocol and more than 300 members of the public had free Yoga and medical consultations, health checkup and Yoga therapy awareness sessions were given by eminent Yoga teachers and therapists of Pondicherry. 2. Yoga awareness programmes were conducted for more than 600 staff and students of the constituent colleges of SBVU from 22nd to 25th June. 3. National Seminar & CME on “THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF YOGA” was organised in collaboration with Dept of Physiology at MGMCRI campus on 26th June 2015.

1. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA CELEBRATIONS 2015
Organised from 21st to 26th June 2015 by the Centre for Yoga Therapy, Education and
Research (CYTER) at Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute under
auspices of Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth University, Pondicherry.
While addressing the 69th session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on
September 27, 2014, the Honorable Prime Minister of India Shri NarendraModi urged
the world community to adopt an International Day of Yoga.
"Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body;
thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic
approach to health and well-being. Yoga is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness
with ourselves, the world and Nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it
can help us to deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga
Day," Shri Modi said.
On December 11, 2014, the 193 member UNGA approved the proposal by consensus
with a record 177 co-sponsoring countries a resolution to establish 21st June as
"International Day of Yoga". In its resolution, the UNGA recognized that Yoga provides
a holistic approach to health and well-being and wider dissemination of information
about the benefits of practicing Yoga for the health of the world population.

2. To celebrate the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA 2015 the Centre for Yoga Therapy,
Education and Research (CYTER) at MGMCRI of the Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth organised a
week-long programme with various multifaceted activities from the 21st to 26th of June
2015. This included:
1. A public awareness programme with free Yoga therapy consultations and lecture-
demonstrations in collaboration with the Pondicherry Yogasana Association at
MGMCRI City Centre from 7am to 1.30pm on June 21st. More than 300
participants performed the AYUSH Common Yoga Protocol and more than 300
members of the public had free Yoga and medical consultations, health checkup
and Yoga therapy awareness sessions were given by eminent Yoga teachers and
therapists of Pondicherry.
2. Yoga awareness programmes were conducted for more than 600 staff and students
of the constituent colleges of SBVU from 22nd to 25th June.

4. 3. National Seminar & CME on “THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF YOGA” was
organised in collaboration with Dept of Physiology at MGMCRI campus on 26th June
2015.
NATIONAL SEMINAR and CME on “THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF YOGA”:
The National Seminar & CME on “Therapeutic Potential of Yoga” was conducted on 26
June 2015 in the Ground Floor Lecture Hall, College Block of MGMCRI. The event was
organised by CYTER in collaboration with the Department of Physiology. The day-long
event began with a lecture on “Psychosomatic mechanisms of yoga” by Prof
Madanmohan, Director CYTER and Professor & Head, Dept. of Physiology, MGMCRI.
This was followed by the inaugural function with a Special Address by Prof KR
Sethuraman, Vice Chancellor of SBVU who said that CYTER combines rigorous scientific
approach with faithful adherence to the traditions of Yogic practice to create an effective
therapy that is complementary to modern medicine. He reiterated the whole hearted
support of the management of SBV for Yoga therapy as an effective complementary
therapy and that these services are offered totally free to all patients. He emphasized the
need for clinicians to move from “pathogenesis, the search for factors causing
pathology to salutogenesis a search for factors supporting health and wellbeing”.

5. The keynote address was given by Ammaji Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani,
Director of ICYER at Ananda Ashram, Pondicherry. She stressed on the need to have a
questioning attitude as exemplified by the great Rishis in the Vedic and Upanishadic
lore. "The question is more important than the answer for the question determines our
viewfinder, our trajectory and pathway towards higher evolution." said she in an
inspiring address.

6. Felicitations were offered by Prof N Ananthakrishnan, Dean PG, Research Studies and
Allied Sciences as well as Prof M Ravishankar, Dean Administration.
In the forenoon session, there were invited presentations on “Yoga in mental health” by
Prof BN Gangadhar, the Dean (Behavioural Sciences) who enlightened the auidance
about the effects of yoga in schizophrenia, depression and dementia as supported by the
work at NIMHANS in Bengaluru.

7. This was followed by a dynamic lecture-demonstration on the “Therapeutic potential of
yoga” by Dr Manoj Naik, Consultant physician and direct student of Padma Bhushan
BKS Iyengar from the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune. Dr Naik
blew the minds of all participants with his amazing skillful presentations done while
taking up the most complicated Asanas on the lecture table itself.
The afternoon session consisted of a presentation on “The heart of yoga therapy” by Dr
Kausthub Desikachar, son and successor of Yogacharya TKV Desikachar of the Sannidhi
of Krishnamacharya Yoga from Chennai. He stressed the need for experitial models
rathan than experimental trials. “How can we measure and analyze through modern
science something like Prana that is non-physical” said he.

8. A Panel Discussion on “Integrating yoga therapy in mainstream medicine” was
conducted with panelists including Dr Prakash Rao, Senior Homeopath and Scientist,
Central Council for Research in Homeopathy, Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani and Dr
Meena Ramanathan of CYTER and Sri J Mohanakrishnan, Physiotherapist from JIPMER.
The event concluded with an open forum and valedictory.
This week long event received messages of blessings from Shri OP Tiwari (Secretary
Kaivalyadhama, President Indian Yoga Association and Chairperson Council for Yoga
Accreditation International), Dr HR Nagendra (Chancellor SVYASA Yoga University,
Vice President Indian Yoga Association and Vice Chairperson Council for Yoga
Accreditation International), as well as the heads of many major National and
International Yoga institutions.

9. Modern medical advancements provide the rationale for the integration of various
traditional healing techniques including Yoga to promote healing, health, and longevity.
It is imperative that advances in medicine include the holistic approach of Yoga to face
the current challenges in health care. Under the dynamic leadership of the Chairman
Shri MK Rajagopalan, authorities of Pondicherry’s Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth University, one
of the innovative universities in the country set up in 2010 a full-fledged Centre for Yoga
Therapy, Education and Research in its Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research
Institute. This initiative is being personally guided by the Chancellor Prof P Rajaram, the
Vice Chancellor Prof KR Sethuraman and the Dean (Research and PG Studies) Prof N
Ananthakrishnan under the SBVAIM HIGH initiative for Alternative and Integrative
Medicine. Numerous research studies have been completed and 35 papers published
under guidance of Dr. Madanmohan, Professor and Head, Department of Physiology
and Director CYTER.
A scientifically sound Yoga therapy programme is imparted through the Yoga Therapy
OPD that is functioning daily from 9 am to 1pm. Consultations are offered by Dr.
Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, Deputy Director and Dr. Meena Ramanathan, Coordinator
and Yoga Therapist and qualified Yoga instructors are imparting the schedules.
Individualized and group Yoga therapy sessions are being conducted for various
medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, musculoskeletal and psychiatric
disorders with excellent feedback from participants. More than 12000 patients have
benefited from Yoga Therapy consultations and sessions till date.
The souvenir of the International Day of Yoga 2015 celebrations at Sri Balaji
Vidyapeeth, Pondicherry is available for free download from
http://www.slideshare.net/anandabhavanani/souvenir-of-the-
international-day-of-yoga-2015