Army personnel guarding the Siachen glacier, the highest battleground on earth, in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir will have a special guest this Yoga Day to impart training to tackle the challenges posed by high altitude.
Padma Vibhushan Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev will visit the personnel at the Siachen base camp on International Day of Yoga on June 21.
Sadhguru, the founder of Coimbatore-based Isha Foundation, arrived at Leh Army base this morning and addressed a group of 350 soldiers and officers ahead of his interaction with army personnel at Siachen, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the foundation Rahul Dubey told PTI.
“It will be a privilege to be at Siachen on this very special occasion of International Day of Yoga. Our soldiers posted in high altitudes, particularly in Siachen i.e. one of the most challenging and vulnerable battlefields on the planet, put their lives at stake to protect the nation,” he said quoting the spiritual leader.
“It is paramount to equip them with Yogic tools of transformation for health, inner balance and wellbeing on all levels,” Dubey said.
The PRO said over 200 soldiers deployed at various posts at Siachen Glacier, located between 18,000 to 21000 feet, would attend the Yoga session and Sadhguru’s talk at Siachen base camp.
Isha Foundation’s Hatha Yoga teachers are conducting Yoga sessions, designed by Sadhguru especially for people at high altitude, at Leh and Siachen Army bases.
“At Leh, Sadhguru spoke to the soldiers about the importance of Yoga for health, wellbeing and inner balance at high altitudes,” Dubey said.
Indian soldiers often face several health complications at high altitudes, including high altitude pulmonary oedema, acute mountain sickness, frost bite chilblains, hypothermia, snow blindness among many others.
“Under Sadhguru’s guidance, this year, the foundation teachers and volunteers are in the process of imparting scientifically designed Yoga modules to the country’s armed and paramilitary forces, including the Army, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) , Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Railway Protection Force (RPF),” the PRO said.