AROGYA participation at the North Wellington Community Day

PRESS RELEASE (18 Nov 2010)

AROGYA participation at the North Wellington Community Day

A special North Wellington Community Day primarily aimed at Health and Well-being will be held at the Newlands Community Centre on Saturday 11 December 2010. This is coordinated by Wellington Mutamizh Sangam and the Newlands Community Centre, with support from the Office of Ethnic Affairs.

“We are requesting community organisations, agencies and businesses to participate and support the community day. This has potential to grow” said Mr Selva Ramasami, President of Wellington Mutamizh Sangam and also one of the key coordinators of this event.

AROGYA (Aotearoa Research Organisation for Generic Yoga and Ayurveda), a division of Hindu Council of New Zealand, is participating in this event, with exhibitions and demonstrations on Yoga, Pranayam, Dhyan (meditation) and Ayurveda throughout the day to increase community awareness of the health benefits of these Hindu practices.

AROGYA team also expects this event to build towards a nationwide ‘Health for Humanity’ Yogathon from 2 to 16 April 2011 which aims to create awareness about Yoga and its advantages in achieving a healthy body, mind, and spirit. The Sanskrit word “arogya” itself means “disease-free and healthy”.

Yoga and related techniques are growing increasingly popular worldwide, including in New Zealand. During the two-week ‘Health for Humanity’ Yogathon, the Hindu Council of New Zealand and participating organisations will encourage their members and others across the country to perform as many 'Surya Namaskars' as possible. A set of Surya Namaskar is a sequence of Yoga postures coordinated with breathing techniques related to Pranayam.

AROGYA is also planning to disseminate free information on Hindu and Maori natural remedies for physical ailments during the weeks of Yogathon programme in April.

The AROGYA team in Wellington has been very active in organising a number of activities since starting in February 2010 during the first Wellington region Hindu Conference.

The first session of Yoga classes (covering techniques of Asanas, Pranayam and Meditation) was held on 23 May 2010 in Johnsonville community centre. Classes continued with an increase in the number of students for the second term during August and September 2010. The classes consist of 8 sessions, each 2 hours long, over a period of two months. The third term of these Yoga classes is currently being held in Lower Hutt.

The number of instructors has also increased; in early 2011 we have plans of running instructor training programs – train the trainer as they say! There is a very nominal fee charged for the classes to cover the expenses; and the only materials required for practicing this tested ancient Hindu wisdom for physical, mental and spiritual health and growth is a Yoga mat.

“As a token of the students’ appreciation of this course, I have been presented with a hand painted sign of the primordial syllable OM” said Ram Bharadwaj, the instructor of the Yoga class, leader of AROGYA (Wellington chapter), and the President of Hindu Council of New Zealand (Wellington chapter).

AROGYA (Wellington chapter) also conducted an introductory Pranayam/ breathing techniques presentation at the fair for senior Expo on 1 October 2010, which was organised by the Wellington City Council. It has conducted an introductory Yogasana and Pranayam techniques presentation at the Lower Hutt Senior citizens centre.

“From our experience of conducting these programmes, and also the interest shown by the students, we are looking for a big turn out on 11 Dec for the North Wellington Community Day at the Newlands Community Hall” said Ram Bharadwaj.

As announced earlier, AROGYA team will conduct its first activity in Christchurch to help the victims of the earthquake. Free sessions of Pranayam and Meditation will be held, with an aim to disseminate these techniques to help calm and control the mind, and thus reduce long term anxiety and stress that psychologists warn earthquake victims may suffer from. The Rotorua Deepawali Festival committee has already committed funds towards the organisation of these free sessions for the Christchurch community. The AROGYA team in the North Island has sought and obtained local support in Christchurch to help organise these sessions and the dates will be announced once the plans are finalised.