Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, led world record attempt in New Delhi for largest single yoga classMillions of yoga enthusiasts stretched and twisted in unison across India and much of the world on Sunday to mark the first International Yoga Day.
on.aol.com
June 21, not only marks the Summer Solstice, but also marks the first International Yoga Day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to his yoga mat along with millions of people around the world, who set up alongside one another. From New Delhi's main thoroughfare to the space under the Eiffel Tower and from New York's Times Square to Seattle’s Fremont Fair, people from all walks of life showed up for a practice that also carries a positive message. "We are not only celebrating a day, but we are training the human mind to begin a new era of peace and harmony," Modi said. "This is a program for the benefit of mankind, for a tension-free world and to spread the message of harmony."
Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
CBSNews reports that Modi had lobbied the United Nations last year for the special day to be declared. Sunday, people of every age and from every walk of life gathered for yoga. Practitioners met in almost 30,000 places in Modi’s home state alone. Millions more met in numerous locations around the world.
According to Modi, although yoga’s origins have been traced back to Indiathousands of years, it “belongs everywhere” and is a practice that is very much needed in these modern times. With this “holistic approach to health and well-being,” practitioners can create a space where they’re able to tune in to themselves and observe what is happening inside of themselves. Yoga is reported to calm the mind and is a great leveler that brings people together. "If you go up from where I am and look from the sky down, you don't see borders, you don't see religions, you don't see nationalities, you just see one group of people,” Fazel Shah, an Indian pilot working for a Middle Eastern airline, told the Associated Press.
Although the massive event is met with some controversy by members of minority religious groups in India who believe that Modi is imposing Hindu religious practices upon them (especially with the chanting of mantras, like OMand salutations to the sun), government officials have promoted the event as a way to advance India’s soft power throughout the world. They have also stressed that participation is not mandatory in any way whatsoever. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon relates that “Yoga offers a simple, accessible and inclusive means to promote physical and spiritual health and well-being. It promotes respect for one’s fellow human beings and for the planet we share.”
No comments:
Post a Comment