Hindus have commended Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) and the Montgomery County Veterans Center in Pennsylvania (USA) for offering free yoga and meditation for female veterans.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, called it a “step in the right direction” and urged the community colleges all over USA to offer similar free yoga and meditation programs for both female and male veterans in collaboration with US Department of Veterans Affairs.
Yoga, referred as “a living fossil”, was a mental and physical discipline, for everybody to share and benefit from, whose traces went back to around 2,000 BCE to Indus Valley civilization, Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out.
Rajan Zed further said that yoga, although introduced and nourished by Hinduism, was a world heritage and liberation powerhouse to be utilized by all. According to Patanjali who codified it in Yoga Sutra, yoga was a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical. It was the repository of something basic in the human soul and psyche, Zed added.
No prior yoga experience is needed but documentation of military service is required for this program called “Warrior Yoga”, which is starting April one in Blue Bell campus of MCCC. “Studies have shown that yoga has several health benefits, including improved sleep, better management of stress and anxiety, improved focus and increased fitness”, its announcement says.
According to National Institutes of Health, yoga may help one to feel more relaxed, be more flexible, improve posture, breathe deeply, and get rid of stress. According to an estimate, about 16 million Americans, including many celebrities, now practice yoga.
MCCC, founded in 1964 which believes in “thinking Big”, with campuses in Blue Bell and Pottstown, ranked first in the nation in its use of technology. With about 31,000 students, it offers 85 degree/certificate programs and Michael J. D’Aniello and Dr. Karen A. Stout are its Trustees Board Chair and President respectively. Deborah Jesseman is Team Leader at Montgomery County Vet Center. National Register of Historic Places has 147 listings in Montgomery County, which claims to be one of the most “economically-vibrant” counties in America.