Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a special Yoga session at the UN headquarters in New York to mark the 9th edition of the International Day of Yoga, which has been celebrated worldwide annually on June 21 since 2015. In attendance were people of 135 nationalities, which set the world record for the most nationalities performing yoga together. Michael Empric, the official adjudicator of Guinness World Records, announced the news saying they beat the mark to beat of 140 nationalities. This is a significant milestone considering yoga has its roots in India and is an ancient Indian fitness routine.
In his address, PM Modi spoke about yoga coming from India and being a very old tradition. He reminded attendees that yoga is free of copyrights, patents, and royalty payments, making it universally adaptable to one’s age, gender, and fitness level. He added that last year, the entire world came together to support India’s proposal to celebrate 2023 as the ‘International Year of Millets’, and it was wonderful to see people, across nationalities, coming together again to celebrate Yoga Day.
PM Modi urged everyone to use the power of yoga to be healthy, happy, and kind to ourselves and each other. He encouraged people to use the power of yoga to build bridges of friendship, a peaceful world, and a cleaner, greener, and sustainable future, which all align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. He boldly shared about there being one Earth, one family, and one future and urged everyone to work together to achieve this.
The International Day of Yoga has grown in global popularity since its inception. PM Modi proposed June 21 to marking International Yoga Day as it is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and has special significance in many parts of the world. As a result, the United Nations General Assembly formally accepted his proposal in 2014, recognizing the value of this ancient Indian practice. People worldwide continue to benefit from the physical, mental, and spiritual practice of yoga, which promotes overall health and wellbeing.
