Hindus urge all 21 New Jersey counties to offer free yoga like Union County

Hindus are urging all the 21 counties in New Jersey to offer free yoga classes, on the same pattern as being offered by the Union County.

Union County is presenting a free yoga event titled “Empowering Union County Women…” on March third evening to celebrate “Women’s History Month”. Open to all, this yoga-meditation event is about three-hours long at 19th century Masker’s Barn on Hollow Road in Deserted Village. “It is an excellent opportunity to recharge after a long and difficult winter”, says Bruce H. Bergen, Chairman of the Board of Chosen Freeholders of Union County.

Calling it a step in the positive direction, distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, commended Union County for coming forward with this initiative and providing an opportunity to its residents to avail the multiple benefits yoga offered.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to work with various county boards and city councils in the state for offering free yoga classes to the residents, thus incorporating highly beneficial yoga in the lives of New Jerseyans.

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, Rajan Zed pointed out.

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 a “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, Rajan Zed added.

Union County, founded in 1857 and whose tagline is “We're Connected to You!”, has reportedly one of the highest property taxes among US counties. Headquartered in Elizabeth, it has created a unique “Office on Women” to “enable them to reach their full potential”. Corporate headquarters of global healthcare company Merck is located in the County. Alfred Faella is County Manager and Nicole DeAugustine will be the yoga instructor.