Underlining the transformative impact of yoga, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a video blogging competition 'My Life, My Yoga' (also called 'Jeevan Yoga') on his latest 'Mann Ki Baat' address to the nation.
The My Life, My Yoga contest, said the PM, called for the participation of all the citizens to promote the practice of yoga on behalf of the sixth International Day of Yoga set to be celebrated on 21 June amid the rising Covid pandemic.
My Life, My Yoga contest
The contest is a joint effort by the Union Ministry of AYUSH and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
The competition that has gone live on the social media handles of the Ministry of AYUSH on Sunday focuses on the transformative impact of yoga on the lives of individuals.
"Due to the contagious nature of Covid-19, no mass gathering would be advisable this year. Hence, this year the ministry is encouraging people to practice Yoga at their homes, with participation from the entire family," the AYUSH Ministry said in a statement.
The celebrations and activities on the IDY included mass demonstrations of yoga in public places where over thousands gathered to join the function.
Contest held in two phases
The competition will be held in two legs, added Modi. Through the competition, the Ministry of AYUSH and ICCR seeks to raise awareness about yoga and meditation, while inspiring people to prepare for and become active participants in the observation of this year's IDY programs.
The contest will have two phases of which the first deals with an international video blogging contest, wherein winners will be picked within a country. In its second stage, global prize winners will be selected from winners from different countries.
Based on the entries to the competition, a total of six categories of participants will be differentiated. Both male and female contestants belonging to youth (aged below 18), adults (above 18 years) and yoga professionals can send their entries to the competition.
The contestants can upload a three-minute video of three yogic practices (kriya, asana, pranayama, bandha, or mudra), including a short video message or description on how the said yogic practices influenced their life.
The video may be uploaded on any of the social media pages with the contest #MyLifeMyYogaINDIA and other appropriate category hashtags.
Additionally, the statement also mentioned that within the first leg of the contest, participants from India will be awarded a prize amount worth Rs 1 lakh, 50,000 and 25,000 for first, second and third-ranking respectively within each of the categories.
