Prime Minister Narendra Modi today led the nation in the 8th International Day of Yoga (IDY) celebrations as he took part along with thousands of participants in a mass yoga demonstration at the Mysore Palace ground.

Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal were among those present on the occasion.

Integrating the ”Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” with IDY celebrations, mass yoga demonstrations were held at 75 iconic locations across the country under the leadership of 75 Union Ministers, along with the demonstration by the PM at Mysore. The yoga demonstrations were also being held by various educational, social, political, cultural, religious, corporate and other civil society organisations across the country.

Indian embassies in different parts of the globe also organised yoga demonstrations. Several foreign missions in India too actively participated in the IYD celebrations.

Speaking on the occasion, the PM said the yogic energy, which has been nurtured for centuries by the spiritual centers of India like Mysuru, was giving direction to global health.

”Today yoga is becoming a basis for global cooperation and is providing a belief of a healthy life to mankind,” he added.

He said that today Yoga has come out of the households and has spread all over the world and this was a picture of spiritual realisation, and that of natural and shared  human consciousness, especially in the last two years of an unprecedented pandemic.

“Yoga has now become a global festival. Yoga is not only for any individual, but for the entire humanity. Therefore, this time the theme of International Day of Yoga is – Yoga for humanity,” he said. He thanked the United Nation and all the countries for taking this theme globally.

Quoting Indian sages the PM emphasised; “Yoga brings peace for us. The peace from yoga is not merely for individuals. Yoga brings peace to our society. Yoga brings peace to our nations and the world. And, Yoga brings peace to our universe.”

He said; “This whole universe starts from our own body and soul. The universe starts from us. And, Yoga makes us conscious of everything within us and builds a sense of awareness”

The PM remarked that India was celebrating Yoga Day at a time when the country was celebrating its 75th year of independence, the Amrit Mahotsav. This widespread acceptance  of Yoga Day,

The Prime Minister said,  was the acceptance of that Amrit spirit of India which gave energy to India’s freedom struggle.

”That is why Mass Yoga demonstrations are being organised at 75 iconic locations across the country which have been witness to the glorious history of India and have been the centre of cultural energy. The experience of collective yoga at the historical sites of India is like tying together India’s past, India’s diversity, and India’s expansion,” he elaborated.

He also informed about the novel programme ‘Guardian Yoga Ring’ which was a collaborative exercise between 79 countries and United Nations organisations along with Indian missions abroad to illustrate Yoga’s unifying power that surpasses national boundaries.

As the sun apparently moves from the east to the west across the world, the Mass Yoga demonstrations in the participating countries, if seen from any one point on Earth, would seem to be happening one after the other, almost in tandem, thus underlining the concept of ‘One Sun, One earth’. “These practices of yoga are giving wonderful inspiration for health, balance and cooperation”, he added.

The PM’s yoga programme at Mysuru was also part of the novel programme ‘Guardian Yoga Ring’ which is a collaborative exercise between 79 countries and United Nations organisations along with Indian Missions abroad to illustrate yoga’s unifying power that surpasses national boundaries.

Since 2015, the IDY has been celebrated worldwide on 21 June every year. The theme for this year’s Yoga Day is “Yoga for Humanity”. The theme portrays how yoga served humanity in alleviating suffering during Covid pandemic.