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Yoga Enthusiasts Across the World Gear Up for International Yoga Day

Treena Mukherjee

International Yoga Day celebrations at Governors Island in New York.

Thousands of yoga enthusiasts across the world are bringing out their yoga mats to gear up for the 4th International Yoga Day on June 21. Preparations are on in full swing in many countries.

Ahead of the International Yoga Day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to the social media, urging people around the world to make it a part of their lives. “Yoga is the journey from ‘me’ to ‘we.’ It promises balance, calm, helps boost concentration and gives immense strength,” Modi tweeted on June 18.

In a first, a yoga session was organized in the Australian parliament on June 18, with former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and many lawmakers performing asanas, PTI reported.

“It’s great that we are acknowledging that (Yoga Day) here in Australian parliament today. It’s wonderful to see that so many Australians of Indian background are practicing yoga and it’s also great to see that so many Australians generally are interested in yoga,” Abbott was quoted as saying by the news agency.

The two-hour long event was organized by the Melbourne-based Vasudeva Kriya Yoga group at the parliament’s community hall in Canberra.

In the United States, the week-long Yoga Day celebrations began on June 16, with people gathering at historic American monuments, including the Capitol Hill, to kickstart a number of events for the occasion.

Several people gathered at the Governors Island in New York, with the iconic Statue of Liberty in the background, to participate in the Yoga Day celebrations organized by the Consulate General of India in New York.

The event in New York, called Let Yoga Govern Your Life, was attended by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who was the chief guest at the event. “Practicing yoga has been shown to decrease stress, fatigue, and alleviate chronic pains, as well as improving physical fitness. I know first-hand the benefits of practicing yoga. It is an essential part of my life, I practice it as often as I can, and it helps me to find balance and peace,” Maloney said, PTI reported.

The event is also being celebrated and observed in many other nations, like China.

Yoga enthusiasts from all over the world have been posting pictures and updates on the social media about observing International Yoga Day.

Over a thousand people in Johannesburg gathered at the Wanderers Stadium for a yoga session in South Africa. “This is quite a historic day for us, as the Wanderers, where the IPL was played a few years ago, has never been used for an exercise of this nature,” Consul General KJ Srinivasa said, as per PTI.

Preparation for the event are also on at full steam in Singapore, with over 80 centers being set up from June 16 to 24.

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