NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Unit 4 Sports and Wellness Chapter 03 Yoga A Way of Life

Let Us Do These Activities Before We Read

Question 1. What do you know about yoga? Discuss in pairs and share with the whole class.
Answer: Here are some interesting facts about yoga:

* Types of Yoga: Some popular styles are Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Bikram, and Kundalini.
* Benefits: It makes the body strong, flexible, and balanced, while keeping the mind relaxed.
* Common Poses: Famous positions include Downward Dog, Warrior, Tree Pose, and Child's Pose.
* Today's Practice: People all over the world practice yoga at home, in fitness centers, and in special classes.
In simple words: Yoga is a world-famous exercise that uses different body poses to make us strong, healthy, and calm.

Exam Tip: Mention basic, well-known benefits like flexibility and simple poses like the Tree Pose to show you understand what yoga is.

Question 2. What is 21st June known for? What do we do on this day?
Answer: Here is why this date is famous:

* International Yoga Day: June 21st is marked as International Yoga Day, which was started by the United Nations in 2014.
* Aim: The day helps teach people everywhere about the amazing health benefits of yoga.
* What we do: People globally join outdoor yoga camps, learning classes, and group events.
* Fun Fact: This date is also the Summer Solstice, making it the longest day of the entire year.
In simple words: June 21st is International Yoga Day, when people around the world practice yoga together to stay healthy.

Exam Tip: Remember that the United Nations declared this day in 2014, and it falls on the longest day of the year.

Question 3. List as many words you know related to yoga. Share them with your classmates.
Answer: Here are several terms and words connected to yoga:
Asana (body poses), Pranayama (breathing exercises), Meditation, Chakra, Namaste, Mantra, Savasana (relaxation pose), Yogi (a person who does yoga), Om, Mudra (hand gestures), Bandha, Yoga Mat, Balance, Flexibility, and Mindfulness.
In simple words: Words like 'Asana' (poses), 'Pranayama' (breathing), and 'Yogi' are all terms we use when talking about yoga.

Exam Tip: Keeping a vocabulary list of special terms (like 'Asana' or 'Pranayama') is helpful for scoring well in language and comprehension tests.

Let Us Read

Let Us Discuss

Question. Read the passage again and fill in the blanks with words from the box.
[sleep | lifestyle | health | strength | calm | stress | balance]
Answer:
(i) health
(ii) lifestyle
(iii) strength
(iv) balance
(v) calm
(vi) stress
(vii) sleep

Here is the completed passage:
Yoga is a practice that not only improves physical flexibility but also improves mental health and leads to a healthier lifestyle. It involves a series of asanas, which increase muscular strength. Practicing yoga also leads to a better body and mind balance and reduces body pain such as the lower back. Moreover, the focus on breathing techniques and meditation makes the mind calm, lessens stress, and improves the quality of sleep. This helps to adopt a more positive lifestyle.
In simple words: Yoga helps us stay physically strong and flexible, while breathing and meditation keep our minds calm, reduce stress, and help us sleep better.

Exam Tip: Read the entire paragraph once before filling in the blanks to ensure the selected words make logical and grammatical sense.

Let Us Think and Reflect

Question 1. What is the aim of yoga?
Answer: The main goal of yoga is to quiet the mind and remove any disturbing thoughts. It helps bring our mind, body, and actions together in a peaceful way, and creates a healthy balance between humans and the natural world.
In simple words: Yoga aims to calm our minds, keep our bodies healthy, and help us live in peace with nature.

Exam Tip: Use key terms like 'calm the mind' and 'harmony with nature' to explain the true purpose of yoga.

Question 2. Explain the idea of unity in yoga.
Answer: The word 'yoga' comes from the Sanskrit word 'yuj', which means to join or unite. In yoga, unity means bringing together our physical body and our mind. It also connects our thoughts to our actions, and helps humans live in perfect balance with the environment.
In simple words: Unity in yoga means joining our body, thoughts, and actions together, and living in peace with the world around us.

Exam Tip: State the origin of the word (Sanskrit root 'yuj') when explaining the concept of unity in yoga.

Question 3. What does the launch of the WHO mYoga app tell us about the importance of yoga?
Answer: The release of the WHO mYoga app shows that countries worldwide recognize how good yoga is for our body and mind. It highlights the goal of making yoga training easy to access for everyone on Earth, helping people stay healthy through this ancient system.
In simple words: The WHO mYoga app shows that global health leaders believe yoga is a very important and useful exercise for everyone.

Exam Tip: Mention the World Health Organization (WHO) and 'global access' to show how yoga has spread worldwide.

Question 4. Describe one long-term effect that the practice of yoga can have on a person's qualities.
Answer: Over a long period, yoga helps make the mind peaceful and lowers daily stress. By practicing regularly, people learn to stay calm during difficult times, which improves their overall happiness and helps them behave kindly toward others.
In simple words: Practicing yoga for a long time makes us very calm, reduces our stress, and helps us behave nicely with others.

Exam Tip: Focus on mental benefits like 'patience', 'stress reduction', and 'calmness' when discussing long-term personal qualities.

Let Us Learn

Question 1. Let us play the game of Antakshari. The first word is 'yoga'. The next word must then begin with the letter 'a'. This activity will go on and the whole class will participate and will write the words on the blackboard. How many new words have you learnt?
Answer: Here is an example chain of words for the game:
Yoga -> Apple -> Elephant -> Tiger -> Rabbit -> Tornado -> Oasis -> Snake
In simple words: This is a fun vocabulary game where each new word starts with the last letter of the previous word.

Exam Tip: Pay attention to the spelling of each word so you know which letter to use for the next word in the chain.

Question 2. Make as many words as you can using the letters shown. Use the letter ‘A’ in all the words that you make.
Answer: Some words we can form using these letters with 'A' are:
Yearn, Rayon, Near, Organ, Gravy, and Earn.
In simple words: We can rearrange these letters to make different words like 'near', 'earn', and 'organ', making sure 'A' is in every word.

Exam Tip: Look for common letter patterns (like 'ea' or 'ar') first to easily find and build new words.

Let Us Listen

Question. You will listen to a girl talk about practicing yoga. As you listen, select four true statements from the sentences given in the table. (refer to page 129 for transcript)
Answer: The four correct (True) statements based on the listening passage are:

* Statement 1: The girl sees people at the park doing breathing exercises.
* Statement 3: The girl practises some easy yoga exercises with her grandfather.
* Statement 4: The girl practises breathing exercises to relax.
* Statement 6: Her grandfather's regular yoga practice has kept him strong.
In simple words: The true facts are that the girl sees park-goers exercising, practices easy poses with her grandfather, does breathing to relax, and her grandfather stays strong through yoga.

Exam Tip: Match the audio sentences with the choices in the table, noting details like 'sixteen years ago' versus other time periods to avoid wrong options.

Let Us Speak

Question 1. Participate in groups of four to share your 'yoga thoughts'.
Answer: Here are sample ways to complete these thoughts:

If you have tried yoga:
* I practise yoga because *it keeps my body strong and lowers my daily stress*.
* My favourite thing about yoga is *how it blends quiet breathing with simple stretches*.
* I feel *very energetic* after a yoga session because *it relaxes my muscles and clears my busy thoughts*.
* The one thing in yoga that I want to practise is *silent meditation* because *it helps me pay attention better during classes*.

If you have not tried yoga yet:
* I wish to practice yoga because *I want to see if it can help me stay healthy and calm*.
* I hope that once I begin practising yoga, *I will become much more flexible and active*.
* The kind of exercise I want to try in yoga is *the tree pose (asanas)* because *it looks like a fun way to practice balancing*.
In simple words: This speaking exercise lets you share why you like yoga, how it makes you feel, or what poses you want to try in the future.

Exam Tip: Use personal feelings (like 'energetic' or 'peaceful') and simple reasons to make your speaking prompts sound natural.

Question 2. Take turns to speak and listen to others when they share their thoughts.
Answer: This is a classroom speaking and active listening activity. Students should listen politely without interrupting while their partners share their personal thoughts on yoga.
In simple words: Always listen carefully to your classmates when they speak, and wait for your turn to share your thoughts.

Exam Tip: Good communication involves both speaking clearly and listening attentively to others with respect.

Let Us Write

Question. Write a short paragraph on 'The Benefits of Yoga'. You may use the following sentence starters along with your own ideas to create the paragraph.
Answer: Here is a completed paragraph on the benefits of yoga:

The Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is important because it keeps both our mind and body very healthy. One benefit of yoga that interests me is its power to calm us down and lower our daily worries through quiet breathing. Doing yoga regularly can help people improve their balance, physical strength, and flexibility, which are excellent for staying fit. A popular yoga pose is the Downward Dog because it stretches our legs and arms while helping blood flow. Yoga is not just physical exercise; it also helps us think clearly and stay happy. Finally, yoga can be a great way to live a very active, peaceful, and joyful life.
In simple words: This paragraph explains how yoga makes us strong and flexible, lowers our stress, and helps us lead a happy, peaceful life.

Exam Tip: Use transition words (like 'firstly', 'also', and 'finally') to connect different benefits smoothly into a single paragraph.

Let Us Explore

Question 1. Do you know?
A few seals of the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation, dating back to 2700 BC, indicate that yoga was prevalent in ancient India. Many people contributed to its development and now, yoga has spread all over the world. On 11th December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) with 193 members accepted the proposal to celebrate '21st June' as 'International Yoga Day'.
Answer: This is an amazing historical fact! It proves that yoga is thousands of years old and began right here in ancient India. Today, because of its wonderful health benefits, almost every country in the world celebrates and practices it on International Yoga Day every year.
In simple words: Yoga is an ancient Indian treasure that is more than 4,000 years old, and now the whole world celebrates it every June.

Exam Tip: Note down historical facts like the 'Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation' and '2700 BC' to use as supporting details in essays.

Question 2. Find out about two asanas and their benefits, and share your findings with your classmates and teacher. You may visit the following websites to learn more about yoga.
Answer: Here are two great asanas and their benefits:

1. Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana):
* How to do it: You bend down and place your hands and feet on the floor to make an upside-down 'V' shape with your body.
* Benefits: It stretches your shoulders, calves, and legs. It makes your arms much stronger, improves blood flow to the head, and calms your thoughts.

2. Tree Pose (Vrikshasana):
* How to do it: Stand on one leg, place the other foot on your inner thigh, and hold your hands together high above your head.
* Benefits: It helps you practice balancing on one foot. It strengthens your ankles, spine, and thighs, while helping you focus better.
In simple words: Downward Dog stretches the whole body and improves blood flow. Tree Pose is great for learning how to balance on one leg.

Exam Tip: When describing an asana, name its physical shape (like 'upside-down V') and list its specific muscle benefits.