London to Melbourne, yoga enthusiasts twist & turn

London/Melbourne, June 19

Hundreds of thousands of yoga lovers from London to Melbourne have rolled out mats to bend and twist their bodies in complex postures to mark the second International Day of Yoga with fervour.

The High Commission of India and the Indian Government’s Tourist Office in London, in collaboration with 14 British yoga institutions marked International Day of Yoga today, two days ahead of its second anniversary.

The day-long event at Potters Fields Park, near the iconic Tower Bridge, saw over 10,000 people from all walks of life participating in various yoga and meditation sessions.

In South Africa, thousands gathered at more than a dozen venues across the country to celebrate the International Day of Yoga that was adopted by the UN General Assembly two years ago.

Hundreds of Yoga enthusiasts of all religions and races performed yoga at the main event at Johannesburg’s Zoo Lake park.

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The Indian High Commission in Pretoria and its three Consulates in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg coordinated events with a host of community organisations.

The second International Day of Yoga was also celebrated across major Australian cities including Canberra and Melbourne with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hailing yoga as one of India’s gifts to the world.

Turnbull commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of supporting global peace and well-being and described the ancient practice of yoga as one of India’s gifts to the world and acknowledged its aim to develop resilience, thoughtfulness, respect and harmony, towards each other and the world.

Meanwhile, in China a large number of yoga enthusiasts yesterday participated in events held across the country in association with the Indian Embassy to mark the celebrations leading up to the second International Day of Yoga on June 21.

China’s Wuxi city organised the biggest yoga get together today in which 3,500 people took part. The event was hosted at the iconic Wuxi Hollywood Studios and nearly 3,500 yoga lovers from Wuxi registered and participated.

In America, Indian classical dances and yoga asanas at the US Congress yesterday kicked off the week-long celebrations. — PTI