Yoga For Healthy Ageing

My generation, having completed about sixty revolutions around the Sun, has gathered experience by doing, or perhaps by not doing. Most middle-aged people have one health issue or another. I wonder why most of us are slack in taking care of our health. As children, we learn to do PT at school. Had those simple Physical Training exercises been ingrained in our lifestyle, we would have been healthier. Sadly, most of us left those learnings behind in school.

Our parents made sure we had certain things in our daily routine in childhood, like brushing our teeth, bathing, doing homework, and praying… I often wonder why they did not insist that we have a daily fitness regimen, too. Children play a lot, so they do not need structured fitness regimens, but as we grow, our lifestyles become sedentary due to work or other factors. Once middle age hits, the body changes, and we suddenly wake up, alarmed. The body may be plagued by aches and pains, issues with blood pressure, blood sugar, thyroid and more. If we go to a doctor with complaints of any health problem, he would likely prescribe medicines or therapies to ‘manage the disease’, not cure it. Why is the upkeep of health not a part of our upbringing? A diseased body is essentially a dis-eased body. Most of us value good health only after having lost it.

With the 12th International Day of Yoga coming up on June 21, 2026, it is yet another reminder of the paramount importance of physical fitness. The theme for Yoga Day this year is ‘Yoga for Healthy Ageing’. The day reminds us that yoga should be incorporated into our lifestyle at an early age for its inherent health benefits. Worldwide, physical inactivity is a leading cause of disease as well as death.

While there are contemporary workout options like Aerobics, Pilates, Sky yoga, and weight training, the good old options are yoga, walking, jogging and cycling. Yogic asanas and Pranayama are a small part of the ambit of Yoga. The ultimate goal of Yoga is Yog (union with God). The asanas help achieve and maintain a sound body. A sound body is essential to house a sound mind. Through other yogic kriyas, one can achieve synchronisation between thought, word and deed. Sri Sathya Sai Baba advocated achieving harmony in the Head, Heart and Hand because unless the three H are in sync, one cannot perform well in any field. Baba says that it is only in silence that we can hear the voice of God. And yoga teaches us to silence the mind. It’s only in silence that we can connect to the energy of the universe and listen to the Anahad-Naad (the eternal humming sound of the universe).

Yoga is divided into eight parts:  

Yama - basic moral values

Niyama - discipline, hygiene  and personal care

Asana - postures

Pranayama - breathing exercises to cleanse the frontal sinuses

Pratyahara - sense control and looking within

Dharana - concentration

Dhyana - constant integrated awareness

Samadhi - being one with Divinity

A yoga session usually starts with chanting the primordial sound OM or AUM. Research has proven that the vibrations produced by chanting OM bring balance within us.

Mental stress and tensions are rampant in today’s world. Even youngsters are having backache, migraine, sleeplessness, etc. All these lifestyle diseases are addressed by yoga.

In today’s times of specialisation, where consultants are available in diverse branches of medicine for the care and cure of the physical self, Yoga stands out as holistic. In Punjabi, they say, ‘Hum maray; jag pralay’. Meaning: If we are dead, it doesn’t matter if the world comes to an end because we won’t be there to see it. Here, I tend to disagree. Is it not our duty to leave behind a legacy of wellness for our progeny, even after we die? Should we not, in addition to taking care of our own health, enlighten our progeny of the importance of good health? With due respect to modern medicine, it is a system that helps manage disease. It does not cure anything. It does not prevent ill health. Yoga, on the other hand, is preventive, as well as curative.

The lens should be on how to maintain good health from childhood to old age. If we work on our health from the beginning, we shall not lose it. Disease shall not set in. The management of health would have to focus on healthy dietary habits, fitness, disciplined sleep timings and much more. Sathya Sai Baba taught us, “Let food be your medicine. Not medicine be your food.”

Way back, play back: Our school textbook said: ‘We should eat a balanced diet’. A list of foodstuffs having carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, etc. was annexed. Literally, a speck in the ocean for one of the basic components of our health.

Mental health is another issue that was never addressed. In recent years, while several youngsters are suffering from depression, anxiety and stress, and are even having suicidal tendencies, mental health has suddenly become important. In a world where everyone is mindlessly surfing the internet, Yoga teaches one to surf the inner-net. Because that brings mental peace. In a world where there are friends and followers aplenty on digital platforms, loneliness is real!

On a higher plane, all the answers to all the questions that plague the human soul are within us. Yoga teaches us to elicit those answers from within by practising the eight steps mentioned above. The purpose of human birth is to achieve union with God. The human body is a vehicle to cross the ocean of life. Let’s keep it in good standing so that it serves the purpose for which it has been given to us.

Yoga is a valuable part of India’s ancient wisdom and plays a vital role in preventive healthcare and balanced living. It is a holistic option.

Lord Shiva is the Adi Yogi. Adi means the oldest/first/primeval and Yogi means one who practises yoga. Shiva or Mahadeva is a father figure. Coincidentally, this year Father’s Day falls on June 21^st, which is also the 12th International Day of Yoga. This Father’s Day, while you celebrate with your children, do enlighten them about yoga and fitness. Whether they give you a gift or not, do give them the gift of this knowledge on Father’s Day!

After the United Nations adopted June 21^st as the International Day of Yoga in 2014, at the behest of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Yoga has evolved into a global phenomenon for holistic health and wellness. While the world is practising this great Indian wisdom, why should Indians be so far removed?

If each of us keeps ourselves healthy in youth and middle age, the chances of a healthy old age shall be brighter. It is said that beautiful young people are accidents of nature; beautiful old people are works of art! Do find time to work towards a healthier ‘you’. Good physical and mental health should give us better chances of a beautiful old age!

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This piece has been published in the Daily Guardian on 20.06.2026 https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/2026/06/19/e-paper-today-delhi-20-june-2026/