PERSONA THEME TRENDS WELL-BEING ISSUES RESEARCH NEWSCOPE
restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and wellbeing,” Mr. Modi had told UNGA, setting the tone for the international yoga day proposal.
On the first edition, Mr. Modi, had announced the arrival of a new yoga era, with the first International Day of Yoga being observed across the world. Leading a mass yoga demonstration at Rajpath in New Delhi, the Prime Minister had declared that “today”, as this day was being observed in various parts of the world, the sun would not set on the community of Yoga practitioners.
He said that “today” is not just the first-ever International Yoga Day, but the beginning of a new era that would inspire humanity in its quest for peace and harmony. The Prime Minister had recalled the contribution of ancient sages, yoga gurus, and practitioners across 22
Volume 3 | Issue 3 | July-September 2018
the world through the ages, for making Yoga what it is, “today”. He said that as mankind advances in various spheres of development and technology, individual human beings must progress too, and Yoga offered an avenue for this. Yoga is not merely an exercise but offered an opportunity for balancing the mind and body and could help harness an individual's inner strength. Yoga is widely considered as an “immortal cultural outcome” of the Indus Sarasvati Valley civilization dating back to 2700 BC – and has proven itself to cater to both material and spiritual uplift of humanity. A number of seals and fossil remains of Indus Sarasvati Valley civilization with yogic motifs and figures performing yoga sadhana suggest the presence of yoga in ancient India.
In 2016, the Prime Minister celebrated the second International Day of Yoga at Chandigarh, where
he joined approximately 30,000 participants in a mass Yoga demonstration. Addressing the gathering at the iconic Capitol Complex there, he said the people in all parts of the country have connected with Yoga.
“The Yoga Day is a day linked to good health, and it has become a mass movement. Yoga is not about what one will get, but it is about what one can give up. That with zero budget, Yoga provides health assurance, and does not discriminate between rich and poor.” PM said and stressed the need for focus, on how to mitigate diabetes through Yoga. He walked amidst people, joined and mingled with the participants of the mass Yoga demonstration. The event was marked across the world with more enthusiasm than it was on the first year. The third International Day of Yoga in 2017, too, was celebrated with great enthusiasm across the country with mass yoga demonstrations taking
