“Yoga is the Key to a Healthy Life,” Says Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar in Udupi

UDUPI: Women and Child Development Minister and Udupi District In-charge, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, urged people across the globe to embrace yoga as a daily discipline, emphasizing that just 30 minutes a day can enhance well-being.

Addressing the crowd at the 11th International Yoga Day celebrations at Mahatma Gandhi District Stadium, Ajjarkadu, on Saturday, the minister remarked that yoga is the ultimate path to inner happiness.

Sharing her personal experience, she said, “I’ve been doing yoga for 25 years. It gives me the strength to work 15 hours a day.” Although recovering from a January 14 accident, which prevented her participation that day due to back pain, she added that yoga remains an essential part of her routine.

Hebbalkar mentioned practicing yoga five times a week, often performing 25 to 50 Surya Namaskars daily, and credited Bhujangasana, Veerabhadrasana, and Pranayama for her health and energy.

She applauded Udupi district’s academic achievements, securing second rank in SSLC and first in PUC, and encouraged society to value traditional Indian values. “Children often hear that they are their parents’ assets. Let children also see their parents as treasures,” she said.

Highlighting the global acceptance of India’s health philosophy, she credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for introducing yoga to the international stage. “Yoga is not merely physical movement; it’s a holistic lifestyle. Where there’s yoga, there’s health and dignity,” she concluded.