Raipur, Jun 20 (PTI) When Jayanti Chandra slipped into depression after being overwhelmed by the stress of preparing for civil services last year, she turned to yoga. A month later, the asanas suited her so much that she chose to become a trainer herself.

Chandra (24) teaches at a Raipur centre of Bharatiya Yog Sansthan (BYS), a non-sectarian, social and cultural organisation, where 1,500 people will perform yoga on International Day of Yoga, observed worldwide on June 21.

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“I have been preparing for the Union Public Service Commission exam for the last three years. I got so engaged with my studies that I confined myself to my room in the house. I stopped talking to others,” she said.

On the advice of family members, Chandra walked to a BSY centre here that holds free yoga classes.

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“Yoga completely changed me and helped me gain my confidence and maintain a positive attitude,” she added.

After one month of training, she decided to become a trainer at the centre. “My preparations for the civil services are also underway in full swing,” said Chandra.

Rekha Bajaj, a yoga teacher at the centre, said the organisation provides free yoga training across the country and abroad and also motivates its trainees to teach others.

On Wednesday, BSY will hold a yoga event at the Shri Gujrati school in Raipur where nearly 1,500 people will take part on the occasion of the International Day of Yoga, she said.

Like Chandra, many youths have defeated depression through yoga, which reduces stress, and boosts mental health apart from helping in weight loss and ensuring quality sleep, she said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)