International Day of Yoga Highlights: PM Modi-led mega event creates World record

Guinness world record for most nationalities in a Yoga session created at the Yoga Day event led by PM Narendra Modi, at the UN headquarters in New York. 

Terming the mega yoga event as a "Lovely Message", Hollywood actor Richard Gere said, " It is a lovely message. He (PM Modi) is a product of Indian culture and comes from a vast place like Indian culture does. This message of universal brotherhood and sisterhood is the one we want to hear again and again,"

Sharing his thoughts about the PM Modi-led International Yoga Day event at the UN Headquarters in New York, three-time Grammy Award-Winning Musician Ricky Kej, said that he has never seen an event of this magnitude in the UN.

"PM Modi had ensured that World Day of Yoga is instituted in 2014," he added. 

Yoga comes from India and it is a very old tradition. Yoga is free from copyrights, patents and free from royalty payments. Yoga is adaptable to your age, gender and fitness level. Yoga is portable and is truly universal: PM Modi at UN HQs

Hollywood actor Richard Gere arrives at UN headquarters ahead of the International Yoga Day celebrations led by PM Narendra Modi.

The hollywood actor said, "...It is a very nice feeling here today,"

H.E. Mr. Csaba Korosi
A Hungarian diplomat currently serving as President of the 77th
United Nations General Assembly.

Mr. Eric Adams
American politician and former police officer, serving as the 110th mayor of New York City

H.E. Ms. Amina J.Mohammed
Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.

Mr. Richard Gere
Famous Hollywood actor; He is an advocate for human rights in Tibet; He is a co-founder of the Tibet House, US and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the International Campaign for Tibet.

Mr. Vala Afshar
He is Chief Digital Evangelist at Salesforce, and shares motivational stories / immigrant successes / tech in society stories.

Mr. Jay Shetty 
Award-Winning Storyteller, Podcaster, and former monk

Mr. Vikas Khanna
Award winning Indian chef and restaurateur; Host of the TV Show MasterChef India. 

Mr. Mike Hayes
COO, VM Ware (Cloud computing tech major) based in Silicon Valley. Highly Decorated former US Navy SEAL Commander, has served as a White House Fellow, and as Director, National Security Council.

Mr. Britt Kelly Slabinski
Highly decorated US Navy SEAL officer, has won several distinguished military honours for his services in Afghanistan and Iraq. Currently, Consultant at LeadWright Enterprise

Mr. Francisco D’Souza
Founder & CEO, Recognize (private equity). Son of IFS officer P.P. D'Souza; ex-CEO of Cognizant, now runs a venture capital fund in the US.

Ms. Colleen Saidman Yee
Celebrated Yoga teacher. New York Times christened her “The First Lady of Yoga.

Mr. Rodney Yee
Celebrated Yoga instructor,presently actively involved into integrating Yoga with Western medical paradigm. He has written two books, “Yoga: the Poetry of the Body” and “Moving Toward Balance: 8 Weeks of Yoga with Rodney Yee”

Ms. Deidra Demens
She runs a popular Yoga studio in New York City. She combines Yoga with theatre.

Mr. Christopher Tompkins
He is a scholar of South and Southeast Asian Studies at Berkeley University, California, with an emphasis on the roots and evolution of Yoga in the tradition of Tantrik Śaivism

Ms. Victoria Gibbs
Celebrated Yoga teacher and meditation coach. She is a 3-time New York regional champion of Yoga.

Ms. Jahnavi Harrison
Also known by her spiritual name, Jahnavi Jivana dasi, is a British musician. Known for her mantra meditation music (kirtan). She regularly appears as a presenter on BBC Radio.

Mr. Kenneth Lee
Community Health Chaplain at University Hospital, Newark, New Jersey. He is the husband of Ms. Jahnavi Harrison.

Mr. Travis Mills
Travis Mills is a war veteran who lost all four limbs in Afghanistan; He promotes yoga, meditation, and wellness to overcome adversity

Mr. Jeffrey D Long
Professor of religion and Asian studies at Elizabethtown College,
Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania,

Ms. Seema Mody
She is currently global markets reporter for CNBC with focus on foreign policy and Wall Street.

Ms. Zain Asher
Prime Time news anchor at CNN popularly known for global news show ‘One World with Zain Asher’ .

Mr. Ricky Kej
Three-times Grammy Award-winning, three-times Grammy
nominated Indian music composer and environmentalist. 

Ms. Falguni Shah
American singer whose music blends ancient classical Indian
melodies with contemporary western sounds

Ms. Mary Millben
American singer and actress. 

The function will also be attended by personalities and influencers from all walks of life including Diplomats, Officials, Academicians, Health professionals, Technocrats, Industry leaders, Media personalities, Artists, Spiritual leaders, Yoga practitioners,  among others. People from more than 180 countries will be joining the PM for Yoga Day programme.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said yoga is a gift from India for the welfare of humanity.

Addressing an event at the Mahant Digvijaynath Smriti Sabhagar here on International Yoga Day, the chief minister said when the world was in the grip of the Covid pandemic, India's Ayush system of medicine was in high demand across the world.

Yoga is a gift from India for the welfare of humanity. Yoga asanas not only provide stability, but also physical strength, Adityanath said.

Only yoga can take us forward on the road to world's welfare, said the chief minister who also performed yoga on the occasion, the PTI reported.

Adityanath said yoga dates back to thousands of years and is a part of India's heritage and tradition.

Today, yoga is visible on the global stage and attracts the whole world. We should be proud of this achievement, he said.

For a 'yogi', yoga is a way to enter the spiritual realm which leads to a wider dimension of consciousness, he said.

Adityanath also urged people to include yoga in their daily routine.

(With agency inputs)

"Celebrating International Yoga Day in Western Australia with nursing, healthcare and aged-care students, educators of IHNA and IHM representing nationals from around the world. The yoga session led by @ArtofLivingAU volunteer Vishwanath Deshmukh saw enthusiastic and diverse participation," tweeted the Consulate General of India, Perth. 

"Commemorating the 9th International Day of Yoga in the 'Land of Rising Sun', by practising SuryaNamaskar (Sun Salutation) at Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple Tokyo," the Indian Embassy in Japan tweeted. 

Yoga retreats are more accessible than ever before because of digital technology. Virtual yoga retreats have made it possible for participants to immerse themselves in yoga practice, without travelling to distant locations or breaking their daily routines. 

One of the primary benefits of virtual yoga retreats is that it has the potential to reach a vast number of people. Traditional retreats are often expensive and have limited availability. Virtual retreats, on the other hand, break down these barriers and provide a more inclusive experience. Anyone with an internet connection, regardless of geography, background or financial means, can participate in these retreats. READ FULL STORY HERE

Prison inmates and prison staff perform yoga at the Central Jail on the occasion of the 9th International Yoga Day in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.  

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh performed yoga in Jammu to mark the 9th International Yoga Day. During the occasion, he said, "Today, on the occasion of International Yoga Day, Prime Minister Modi is going to do yoga in New York, Yoga events are being organised at different places in the country as well. Every caste, every class, and every community in the world is propounding that Yoga is useful for health, said Union Minister Jitendra Singh.  

The 9th International Yoga Day celebrations were held at Indian Embassy in Kuwait on June 21. The event was well-attended by yoga trainers and enthusiasts, members of the diplomatic corps, friends from Kuwait and members of the Indian community, tweeted the Indian Embassy in Kuwait. 

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the celebrations of the ninth International Day of Yoga in the US, the BRO jawans performed Yoga at the Umlung La pass in Ladakh. READ FULL STORY HERE 

"Yoga session was held from 5 am to 7:30 am, I congratulate all those who participated and urge them to incorporate yoga into your daily life. I also thank PM Modi for leading yoga on the global stage," said Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on the occasion of International Yoga Day 2023.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant participated in a Yoga program organised at Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on the occasion of International Yoga Day.

One of the canine members of the dog unit of ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) along with ITBP personnel, performed Yoga at Pranu Camp in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir on the occasion of International Yoga Day. "Not just our Jawans but our canine squad also practice Yoga. The canine squad has to work under pressure, we use them for law and order duty so we make them practice Yoga," Gourav Shav, Dy Commandant of 15th ITBP said.

First time in history, Indian Army personnel and students from the Army Goodwill School performed yoga at North Kashmir's Line of Control (LoC), Uri. Yoga was performed near the Kaman Aman Setu Bridge that connects India with PoK.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari along with defence personnel practised Yoga at Air Force Station in New Delhi. 

Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya performed Yoga in Delhi to mark the 9th International Yoga Day. He said, "People's attraction towards yoga is increasing around the world. Yoga is practised everywhere in the world."

"Today, International Yoga Day is being celebrated with enthusiasm not only in India but all over the world. It is a matter of pride for all of us as yoga is being celebrated globally and the world is acknowledging India's rich culture and adopting it," said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the 9th International Yoga Day in Kerala. 

President Droupadi Murmu performed yoga on the 9th International Yoga Day. On Twitter, she said, "Greetings to all on the International Day of Yoga! Yoga is one of our civilisation’s great accomplishments and India’s great gift to the rest of the world. Yoga brings together the body and the mind and it is a holistic approach to life. Yoga helps us all to be in a better position to meet the increasing challenges around us. On this day, I urge everyone to adopt yoga in their daily lives and experience its transformative power." 

BSF officers and Jawans perform yoga on the 9th International Yoga Day at the International Border in the R S Pura sector of Jammu.  

"It's a matter of great pride and privilege for 140 crore Indians who swell with pride at the thought that our beloved PM will be leading the Yoga Day celebrations at the UN headquarters, it symbolises India's increasing relevance on the world stage," says Union Minister Piyush Goyal on the occasion of 9th International Yoga Day. 

'Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' or 'Yoga for the Welfare of All as One World-One Family,' is the theme for the International Yoga Day 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the same during the 102nd episode of 'Mann ki Baat.'

Health benefits of Yoga: 

1. Improves mental health
2. Improves flexibility
3. Improves quality of life
4. Reduces stress
5. Prevents aches and pains
6. Improves heart health 
7. Helps maintain a healthy weight
8. Promotes calmness

"On this occasion of International Yoga Day, it is a matter of pride for all Indians that PM Modi will convey the message of a developing India to the world from the UN headquarters," said Union Minister Smriti Irani.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis perform Yoga at Savitribai Phule University, in Pune to mark the 9th International Yoga Day. 

"Today, PM Modi will celebrate Yoga Day at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York. He will send a message to the whole world from there, this is a proud and blessed moment for us," said BJP chief JP Nadda. 

While yoga has been around for centuries, innovative variations have gained popularity in recent years, offering exciting twists to traditional routines. Three popular yoga trends - aerial yoga, laughter yoga and paddleboard yoga- have gained prominence around the world and many yogis practice them for their various benefits. 

First up is Aerial Yoga, also known as anti-gravity yoga. It's a form of yoga that combines traditional poses with the use of silk hammocks suspended from the ceiling. Originating from the performing arts, aerial yoga allows practitioners to experience a sense of weightlessness while performing asanas (poses). 

Laughter Yoga is a joyful and uplifting practice that aims to combine deep breathing, stretching and laughter. Laughter Yoga was developed by Dr Madan Kataria in Mumbai, India in 1995, and has since gained prominence around the globe. Unlike traditional yoga, which focuses on silence and stillness, laughter yoga encourages participants to engage in intentional laughter exercises and playful interactions. 

Paddleboard Yoga, also known as SUP yoga (Stand-up Paddleboard Yoga), combines the serenity of yoga with the challenge of balancing on a paddleboard in the water. Practising yoga poses on a paddleboard requires additional core stability, concentration and adaptability to the ever-shifting water beneath. READ FULL STORY HERE

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar performed Yoga on board INS Vikrant to mark the celebrations of the 9th International Yoga Day.