World’s citizens to gather at UN to showcase yoga’s power to unite

UNITED NATIONS — Citizens from around the globe will gather here on Friday to show the uniting power of yoga across boundaries and divisions as the world organisation celebrates the 10th International Day of Yoga.

The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Yoga for Women Empowerment’ and it will be featured on the North Lawn of the UN headquarters where diplomats, UN officials and employees, and aficionados of the ancient art will perform asanas in synchronicity.

Also read: PM Modi to lead International Day of Yoga celebrations in Srinagar

Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed is expected to participate in the event and a video message from General Assembly President Dennis Francis is anticipated.

The global celebrations with millions participating every year were set in motion by the General Assembly in December 2014 when it declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga in a resolution proposed by India, cosponsored by 175 countries and adopted unanimously.

The date was chosen because the Summer Solstice falls on that day in the northern hemisphere most years, although it is a day early this year and next.

The yoga celebration is here at 6 p.m. New York Time (3:30 a.m. IST Saturday) will be webcast by the UN (https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1b/k1bvb85iak).

With a blazing temperature of 35 degrees Centigrade, it will be held on a day that is forecast to be the hottest so far this year.

India’s UN Mission is cosponsoring it with the UN Secretariat.

Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the yoga celebration at the UN and it made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for the most nationalities — 135 — participating in yoga practice at one place.

On the day of the Solstice, Thursday, the annual ‘Mind over Madness’ event will be held at Times Square with day-long yoga sessions creating an island of calm and serenity amid the cacophony and the bustle of the place known as ‘the Crossroads of the World’.

India’s Consulate General is one of the sponsors of the event that runs from 7.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. and features seven yoga classes run by instructors of several ethnicities and national origin showing yoga’s universality.

PM Modi presented the idea of an International Day of Yoga in September 2014 at his first address to the General Assembly, declaring, “Yoga is an invaluable gift from our ancient tradition”.

Asoke Kumar Mukerji, who was then the permanent representative, rounded up the 175 cosponsors cutting across international divisions and had it adopted within three months — likely a record for the quickest passage of a resolution at the General Assembly.