PM Modi says Yoga has become a way of life

Tribune News Service

Shubhadeep Choudhury                                                                                                  

New Delhi, June 21

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said Yoga had become a way of life for Indians.

Modi participated along with thousands of others in a mass yoga demonstration held at Mysore Palace ground, Mysore, this morning on the occasion of the 8th International Day of Yoga (IDY). Governor of Karnataka Thawar Chand Gehlot, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal were among those who attended the event.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said yogic energy has been nurtured for centuries at spiritual centres like Mysore. The energy is now giving direction to global health. “Yoga has now become a global festival. Yoga is not for individual betterment only, it is meant for humanity.

Therefore, this time the theme of International Day of Yoga is - Yoga for Humanity”, Modi said. He thanked the United Nations and the international community for embracing the theme.

The Prime Minister said India was celebrating Yoga Day at a time when the country was also celebrating its 75th year of independence, being called “the Amrit Mahotsav”. It was “Amrit” spirit that gave energy to India's freedom struggle, Modi said and added that to pay tribute to the spirit, mass yoga demonstrations have been organised at 75 iconic locations across the country.

A new feature of this year’s International Yoga Day celebrations was the ‘Guardian Yoga Ring’ As the sun moved from the east to the west, mass yoga demonstrations were held in the participating countries beginning from Fiji in the east to San Francisco in the west. If seen from a satellite located above the earth, the demonstrations would have presented the appearance of happening one after the other in a seamless flow. Modi said it was a collaborative exercise between 79 countries, various UN organisations and Indian Missions abroad.

Meanwhile greeting people on the occasion of the Internatiomnal Yoga Day, President Ram Nath Kovind said in a tweet, “Yoga is a part of our ancient Indian heritage. India's gift to humanity, it is a holistic approach to health and well-being, balancing our mind, body and soul. I urge everyone to make Yoga a part of your daily life & experience its benefits".

Since 2015, the International Day of Yoga is being celebrated worldwide on June 21 every year.

The theme for this year’s Yoga day -“Yoga for Humanity”- also portrays how Yoga served humanity in alleviating suffering during the Covid Pandemic.

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