Bhubaneswar: The Kalinga Stadium today reverberated with the vedic chants as a yoga and meditation workshop was conducted by All Odisha Yoga Association in association with Sambad Group here today on the occasion of World Health Day.

Over 700 participants from different walks of life across age groups turned up at the sports complex here. The workshop started from 5.00 am and continued till 7.30 am.

Shivachidanand Saraswati, Prafulla Kumar Acharya, Chancellor of Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University and Sambad Group Managing Director Monica Nayyar Patnaik lit the inaugural lamp on the occasion.

“I did not expect that people would turn up in such large numbers. All did doing yoga asanas (postures) including 108 Surya Namaskar. It feels good,” Sambad Group Managing Director Monica Nayyar Patnaik said.

Bibhudutta Rout, Arun Rout, Subhas Das and Prashant Acharya deliberated on the benefits of yoga.

“Yoga was born in India and now is popular worldwide. It is an important mean to keep oneself fit and healthy. There is no better way for mental and physical well-being. We should practice it regularly,” an instructor expressed.

Not only young individuals, senior citizens, school children and housewives too were a part of the health awareness programme.