Hindus have welcomed reports of yoga practice inside magnificent Duke University Chapel (DUC), which describes itself as “Christian church of uniquely interdenominational character”, on September 15.
Welcoming DUC for hosting yoga, distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, urged DUC to provide more opportunities of multi-beneficial yoga to students and others.
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, noted.
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.
According to US 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 “2016 Yoga in America Study”, about 37 million Americans (which included many celebrities) now practice yoga; and yoga is strongly correlated with having a positive self image. Yoga was the repository of something basic in the human soul and psyche, Zed added.
DUC, formally dedicated in 1935, claims to stand “as a beacon of Christian hope that bridges faith (religio) and learning (eruditio).” Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery, ordained by the Progressive National Baptist Convention, is the Dean.
Under “Duke Week of Wellness” of HealthyDuke, “Yoga at Duke Chapel” on September 15 at 12:30 p.m. was described as “Mid-day poses to reinvigorate for the afternoon”. “Vision” of HealthyDuke is to “Establish Duke as the healthiest University in the nation”. Julie Joyner is the Project Coordinator.
Founded by Methodists and Quakers in 1838, prestigious research institution Duke University in Durham (North Carolina) claims to consistently rank “among the very best”. Dr. Vincent E. Price is the President.