‘Yoga a way of life’: PM pioneers the asanas

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru

The word ‘Yoga’ reverberated in the premises of Mysuru Palace on Tuesday as the International Day of Yoga programme in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated got underway. As many as 15,000 people gathered in the precincts of the royal palace to perform yoga on the historic occasion.

Breaking protocol, Modi declined to perform yoga in a special enclosure created for him, and went towards a normal enclosure where citizens were ready to perform. This sent the PM’s security personnel into a tizzy as Modi entered an enclosure and sat on the yoga mat amidst common people. The yoga performers were shocked and surprised to see the PM in their enclosure. Modi performed yoga for over one hour with ease.

Speaking on the occasion, Modi said yogic energy, which has been nurtured for centuries by spiritual centers of India like Mysuru, is today giving a new direction to global health. Today yoga is becoming a basis for global cooperation and is providing the hope of a healthy life for mankind, he added. “Yoga has now become a global festival. Yoga is not only for individuals, it is for the whole of humanity. Therefore, this time the theme of International Day of Yoga is - Yoga for humanity”, he said.

Quoting Indian sages, the PM said “Yoga brings peace for us. The peace from yoga is not merely for individuals. Yoga brings peace to society. Yoga brings peace to nations and the world. And yoga brings peace to our universe. And yoga makes us conscious of everything within us and builds a sense of awareness”

He remarked that India is celebrating Yoga Day at a time when the country is celebrating its 75th year of independence, the Amrit Mahotsav. This 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. The PM also spoke of the novel programme called ‘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.

As the sun apparently moves from east to west across the world, the Mass yoga demonstrations in the participating countries, if seen from any one point on Earth, will seem to be happening one after the other, almost in tandem, thus underlining the concept of ‘One Sun, One Earth’.

“No matter how stressful we are, a few minutes of meditation relaxes us and increases our productivity. Therefore, we do not have to take yoga as an extra burden. When we start living yoga, Yoga Day will become a medium for us not to do yoga, but to celebrate our health, happiness and peace.”