24 Jun 2019

Speaker of National Assembly, Gladys Kokorwe says sport and recreation have tangible benefits as well as significant impact on various life aspects.

Kokorwe said this at the fifth International Day of Yoga organised by the Indian High in Gaborone on Sunday.

She explained that yoga was both preventive and therapeutic as it offered both physical and mental benefits to the body and mind.

“Yoga also helps the body to relax tight muscles, anxious and overstressed minds ensuring well-rounded development. It also helps with relaxation and as such a more relaxed body would also aid in athletic performance,” Kokorwe said.

She further indicated that yoga also encouraged proper breathing, giving rise to flexibility, strength and vitality in the body, while at the same time calming the mind and reducing stress.

Meanwhile, she noted that the yoga day was in line with the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development’s mandate to promote active and healthy lifestyles.

Again, she said it was also part of the National Development Plan goals, which emphasised on the country’s national fitness and wellness and the national sport and recreation policy.

Kokorwe further said the United Nations General assembly (UNGA) in pursuit of long term objective of global health, recognised yoga as one of the health choices of lifestyle patterns that fostered complete wellbeing.

Nevertheless, she appreciated that yoga was now successfully observed annually in Botswana, saying even other modern populations across the universe had started performing it.

She thus commended the Indian High Commission in Botswana for hosting the yoga day as well as other services it rendered to the country.

High commissioner of India to Botswana, Dr Rajesh Ranjen thanked government for supporting their event, which he described as an invaluable gift of India ancient tradition that embodied unity of mind and body. Dr Ranjen also explained that yoga was not about exercise but helped individuals to discover sense of oneness within themselves, the world and the nature.

He highlighted that yoga was a way of living that aimed towards a healthy mind in a healthy body, adding it was also a holistic approach to a complete wellbeing owing to its immense potential for achieving peace, internal and external harmony and happiness.

Thus, he called on individuals to further support promotion of yoga and join different centres around the country. ENDS