International Day Of Yoga 2022: President, PM Modi And Other Ministers Perform Yoga

New Delhi: The eighth International Day of Yoga is being celebrated today (June 21) in India and across the world with the theme of ‘Yoga For Humanity’. June 21 was picked as the date to celebrate Yoga Day as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggestion at the UN, explaining that it is the longest day of the year. This year, in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the Yoga Day celebrations from Mysore Palace grounds in Karnataka while 75 other ministers joined him from 75 iconic locations. This was planned keeping in mind the theme of 75 years of independence.

Also Read: International Day of Yoga: Here’s All You Need To Know

While addressing the nation on Intermannational Yoga Day, PM Modi spoke about the thought behind this year’s theme and said, “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.”

“Yoga is no longer a part of life, but is becoming a way of life. 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 work”, said PM Modi.

Also Read: International Day Of Yoga 2022: ‘Yoga Is Becoming The Way Of Life’, Says PM Modi From Mysuru

President Ram Nath Kovind performed Yoga at Rashtrapati Bhavan and said, “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.”

Union Minister for Health, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya participated in the eighth International Day of Yoga Celebrations at Statue of Unity, Kevadia, Gujarat. Giving the message of “do yoga and stay healthy”, he wrote, “Today the whole world is doing yoga in unison. Take this priceless gift of sages and make it a part of your life.”

Underlining the benefits of the ancient practice, Dr Mandaviya, who performed yoga asanas along with hundreds of participants, said the citizens of a country need to be healthy for it to become a developed nation, according to a health ministry statement. Dr Mandaviya said yoga embodies unity of mind and body, and thought and action. It is a holistic approach that is invaluable to health and well-being.

Yoga is not just about exercise, it is a way to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and nature. For a Samruddh Bharat (prosperous India), we need a Swasthya Bharat (healthy India) and for a Swasthya Bharat, we need Swasthya Nagrik (healthy national). Only a healthy national can build a developed nation, he said.

Wishing people on the International Day of Yoga 2022, Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, said, “Yoga is a priceless legacy of India and blessing for all humanity. This International Yoga Day, let us inspire one and all to embrace the timeless teachings of yoga and enhance our lives through this ancient wealth of knowledge.”

Mr Goyal also led the International Day Of Yoga celebrations near the iconic Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra, Haryana.

Also Read: International Yoga Day 2022: The Importance Of Yoga For The Mind, Body and Soul

Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal participated in ‘Dilli Ki Yogshala’ organised by the Delhi Government at Thyagraj Stadium. CM Kejriwal urged everyone to pledge to practise yoga and pranayama everyday.

Addressing participants at the event, CM Kejriwal said the Delhi government’s aim is to ensure that every Delhiite practices yoga daily. He said,

If the habit (of practising yoga) is inculcated among children, they will be associated with it throughout their lives. It is our objective to teach yoga to children and see how it can be started in schools.

Speaking about the ‘Dilli ki Yogshala’ programme, CM Kejriwal said he learnt yoga free of cost and it will be free for Delhiites too. He said,

We have to take yoga from the stage where thousands are practising it to one where lakhs practice it. Some people criticise me for free yoga classes. I learnt it (yoga) for free in Class 8, so it will be free for the people as every essential thing in life, like air, is free.

Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs joined the International Yoga Day celebrations from Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Ms Sitharaman thanked “young enthusiastic instructors and practitioners from the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga in New Delhi” for the smooth conduct of the celebration.

Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister of India also did some yoga today. Sharing pictures of him doing yoga on the micro-blogging site Twitter, he wrote, “Yoga practice is an integral part of my life.”

In Pics: International Day Of Yoga 2022: India Celebrates Eighth Yoga Day, See Pics

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath wished the eighth International Day of Yoga to everyone and said, “The medium of ensuring the health of body and mind and the awakening of spiritual consciousness, ‘Yoga’ has become a ‘world fund’ today. Let’s all do yoga and stay healthy!”

CM Adityanath performed yoga at a mass yoga practice event organised at Raj Bhavan in Lucknow. He said, “The aim of ‘International Yoga Day’ is to connect the entire humanity with ‘Yoga’, the provider of spiritual flourishing, spiritual peace and wellness.”

“The first rule of yoga is related to discipline. Yoga binds us in discipline and leads to health and physical and mental development. Yoga serves to take all of us from a small system to a larger dimension”, he wrote on social media.

Also Read: International Yoga Day: WHO Regional Director Highlights That Yoga Is For All Since It Has Helped Millions Of People Globally

Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs and Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas participated in Yoga Day celebrations at Delhi’s Red Fort – one of the 75 iconic locations chosen for the day. He wrote, “Yoga teaches us to remain tied in one thread.”

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel practiced yoga by participating in a state level program organised at Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad where nearly 7,500 people participated. Addressing the crowd, he said, “More and more people have understood the importance of a healthy lifestyle based on yoga and ‘pranayam’ after the coronavirus outbreak.”

In a social media post, he wrote, “Let’s embrace yoga in life with all our heart. Let’s practice yoga for the welfare of the self and the community.”

“Yoga is music that connects your body with your soul”, wrote Bhupesh Baghel, Chief Minister, Chhattisgarh as he shared pictures of him practising yoga.

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways took part in the Yoga Day program organised at the historic Kasturchand Park in Nagpur. He urged people to practise yoga for humanity and universal well-being and wrote, “Yoga is a priceless gift from our ancient Indian traditions which symbolises the unity of mind and body.”

Also Read: International Yoga Day: Top 5 Easy Yoga Asanas To Perform At Your Workplace

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.