Letters to The EDITOR: Yoga or aerobic exercise is the greatest mantra to make our bodies healthy forever

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Yoga or aerobic exercise is the greatest mantra to make our bodies healthy forever

The practice of yoga makes our bodies fit and fine. In modern life, packed schedules and artificial comforts have pushed us away from simple, natural care. We often say "health is wealth" in public places yet fail to do so. I have seen in my hometown, Dibrugarh - artificial beauty kills the natural beauty day by day. In intolerable heat in our country and also our home state, Assam, many of us prefer the cool of an air-conditioned room to the ventilated rooms where sunlight and breeze can enter. My twelve year old daughter, Annika Sarma, like many children today, chooses AC over open windows and playgrounds. Educated parents like us may know the benefits of aerobic exercise or Yuga, but too few take the time for regular aerobic activity with their children in the early morning.

Morning regular aerobic exercise is the key mantra to make our bodies fit for ever. Even forty five minutes of yoga or aerobic movement at dawn supplies oxygen to tissues, helps expel carbon dioxide, and fills us with energy to perform activities throughout the day. Yoga is not only a physical practice; it is a bridge, or joining the lines, between body, breath, and mind. Regular practice improves flexibility, posture, and strength, making the body more attractive and resilient. It also fortifies the immune system, reduces respiratory problems, and supports healthy digestion. Small daily habits-sun salutations, deep breathing, and gentle asanas-bring lasting benefits.

When I recall my student days, yoga was taught as a subject. Our instructor guided us through sequences and explained their purpose: to open the chest for better breathing, to awaken the spine for fluid movement, and to calm the mind for clear focus. Those mornings taught discipline and gave a sense of belonging. The benefits were visible: fewer colds, steadier moods, and stronger bodies able to keep up with life's demands. That memory remains proof that consistent practice, even in short daily doses, pays rich dividends.

We can make small changes in our daily routine. Step outside before sunrise with our child for breathwork and movement; make it a family ritual rather than a chore. Replace one hour of screen time with playful yoga games for children-balance poses, stretches, and partner postures.

At last I am appealing to you all throughout this beautiful platform: encourage open windows and cross ventilation when the heat is bearable, and use shade, hydration, and light clothing rather than sealing the house off from fresh air. Teach children that comfort is not the same as health; resilience comes from gentle but regular challenge. "Yoga is the artwork of awareness on the canvas of body, mind, and soul." Let this mantra or art form shape your family's daily life. "The body is our temple; keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in." By bringing yoga back into our routines, we reconnect with natural rhythms, strengthen our bodies, and gift our children a healthier future. Small morning rituals create large, lifelong rewards-because true wealth begins with good health.

Indrajit Sarma,

Dibrugarh

State's tourism potential

Believe it or not, Assam is blessed with breathtaking natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and warm hospitality, making it an ideal destination for tourists. There is no reason why this lucrative industry should remain underdeveloped despite its vast potential.

The editorial 'Boost to tourism' rightly said that Assam's tourism sector has received a big boost after the European Union lifted the travel restriction advisories on Assam and other northeastern states. The number of tourists from several European countries visiting the state's Kaziranga National Park has increased in the past few years. This is indeed good news.

Now, the task before the government is to remove the major hurdles such as lack of proper infrastructure and inadequate marketing. It should therefore focus on development of infrastructure and adopt effective marketing and promotion strategies to improve the sector. This is not enough. The state government should also support local entrepreneurs and involve local communities in this entire process, keeping in view that foreign visitors mostly prefer to spend on experimental travel, local street food, authentic handicrafts and so on. All stakeholders should brainstorm together to develop the sector to ensure that wealth flows into grassroots, rural and semi-urban entrepreneurs.

At the same time one cannot deny the fact that the broader travel and tourism sector is a powerful GDP-improving weapon. It immensely helps to strengthen the all-time weak rupee, balance the country's trade deficit and improve the balance of payment. So, 'Atithi Devo Bhava' (a guest is akin to God) is the need of the hour.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati

Celebrating International Day of Yoga

As the dawn broke out on the 21st June, people across the world rolled out their mats and breathed deep to celebrate the 12th International Day of Yoga. From the glossy plazas of New York to the beaches of Sydney and to the deserts of the UAE, people observed the day with reverence and as a promise towards well-being. With every yogasana there is a conviction of getting healed. From young to old, yoga now teaches everyone to burn calories without going to the gym and running for hours on the treadmills. The global participation has proved that amid the chaos of wars, sanctions and geopolitical uncertainty, the world has chosen yoga as a recourse to composure. The various yogasanas not only purify the body, but they also help in detoxifying the soul too.

But it would be dishonest not to mention the name of yoguru Baba Ramdev on this yoga day. His contribution in making yoga an international symbol of well-being is irrefutable and ineffable. He started his yog shivirs (yog camps) around the year 2002. Since then, his regular shows on television have helped millions to connect with yoga. He taught and proved to the world how "pranayam" can bring down the sugar and pressure levels quickly without performing high-intensity workouts. Long before the UN recognition of Yoga Day, his relentless effort took this ancient Indian way of healing to an international level. The benefits of his teaching not only compelled people of all faiths to join his yoga camps but also to look at yoga as an alternative treatment where other medicines fail. It cannot be repudiated that many of the people who have learnt to do yoga properly today are from his television shows, which come every morning and evening on the Astha channel. Yoga is an ancient tradition of India, and yogguru Ramdev Baba has helped it to become a global philosophy by disclosing the science behind it. In an era when six-pack abs built in the gym is emphasized as a symbol of fitness, Baba Ramdev demonstrated how regular pranayam could be the real cure for illness.

Yoga demands discipline and perseverance. It has the power to cure the body and unite the soul with the divine energy. It is a fact which the Vedas and Upanishads have been telling for centuries. The world has recognized it. Now it's our turn to embrace it fully as a way of life.

Kabir Ahmed Saikia,

Rajabari, Jorhat