For the purpose of the betterment of its student’s health and standard of living, Ranchi University will soon introduce three new certificate courses in Yoga -- Yoga and Acupressure, Yoga and Naturopathy and Yoga and Lifestyle.

Not only students who are enrolled in the university but also students from other professional courses can apply for these six month long courses.

 “Yoga is a very broad and integrated topic. Naturopathy can help our body in many ways as it makes us aware about our eating habits as well as weight and can help us in bringing positive changes suitable for our body and condition,” said AK Thakur, the course coordinator. 

He added that the Vice Chancellor Ramesh Kumar Pandey came up with the idea of starting courses in wellness and healthy lifestyle.

“Participating in this would be beneficial for the students in future and open doors for possible career prospects in the field of yoga,” said Thakur.

Dr. Tulu Sarkar, Director of the Yoga courses, said that the courses have been planned keeping the health benefits of Yoga in mind and help students develop better coping skills mentally and physically. 

 “We will conduct regular classes as mentioned in the curriculum. The students can do it along with their regular courses,” said Sarkar.

The courses are likely to begin in June, she added.

Since the advent of the International yoga day by the central Government, which stresses the benefits of Yoga, many educational institutions across the country have started to encourage the practice of yoga by inculcating it in the curriculum. Yoga makes you stronger and has stress-relieving powers on students, say academicians.

With the successful running of its existing two years postgraduate and one year PG Diploma courses in Yoga, Ranchi University is all set to introduce these new courses in the curriculum and hopes to get a good response.

Thakur said, “The response for the existing two courses is great and all the seats are occupied. We are hoping that as the new courses are of short duration, more people are likely to show their interest.”