However, he said that while he recommended Yoga for good health, he failed to understand why it was being made a 'religio-political' issue.
Members of Indian Armed Forces on Thursday morning celebrated the fourth International Yoga Day in some the most difficult terrains. Spectacular pictures showed the Armed Forces practising yoga asanas in desert, river and on naval ships.
Rediff.com brings you the government's Yoga Day photo album.
As the world on Sunday celebrated the inaugural International Day of Yoga, in Pakistan it remained confined to the premises of Indian High Commission in Islamabad with the staff of the mission along with other foreign diplomats in the country performing 'asanas'.
Sadhus and seers of Haridwar on Tuesday threatened to launch a countrywide agitation if surya namaskar is not included.
Naidu said it is just a sort of exercise or discipline which unifies the body and the mind and has been accepted even by the International community.
The BJP slammed the Bihar CM for not organising an official function to promote the exercise in Bihar.
"Yoga is a natural treatment process but liquor addicts cannot perform it. Yoga would be irrelevant unless a ban is imposed on sale of liquor across the country," the Bihar CM said at meeting in Palamau district.
People across the world woke up to an early-morning call to celebrate the second International Yoga Day on Tuesday with much enthusiasm.
Amidst objections by certain minority groups to doing Yoga, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said there is "no compulsion" in this regard and that the practise of Yoga should not be related to any caste, creed or religion.
The pictures tell the story of the grand success of the first International Yoga Day.
From ice-capped Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world, to the warships off South Korea, Indian armed forces on Tuesday joined the International Yoga Day celebrations.
India on Sunday set two new Guinness World Records for Yoga with 35,985 participants performing asanas at one venue and as many as 84 nationalities joining in the official observation of International Yoga Day on Rajpath in New Delhi.
Reebok ambassador Malaika Arora tells you how to begin your day with the right asanas.
Chinese Premier Li wants to get UN recognition for Tai Chi.
Na-meow-ste! With International Yoga Day just around the corner, here's a look at this interesting yoga class in Brooklyn, United States where participants -- human and cats alike -- stretch into various poses!
A Muslim yoga expert will teach yoga to BJP president Amit Shah at a special yoga camp in Patna on June 21 to mark the International Yoga Day celebrations. M I Khan Reports.
While Modi will be performing yoga along with thousands of people at the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh, his cabinet colleagues Singh and Jaitley have been assigned the task of leading the 2nd IYD programmes in Lucknow and Mumbai respectively.
Know the difference between Padmasana and Bhujangasana?
Amid snow-capped mountains and on board warships, India's armed forces demonstrated their impressive yoga skills. Let's take a bow!
Amidst opposition in some quarters to observing International Yoga Day, Vishwa Hindu Parishad International Executive President Dr Praveen Togadia on Sunday said that the discipline was never secular and was more of "Vedic and sanatan".
Terming the participation of thousands of people during the first International Yoga Day at Rajpath as "overwhelming", a representative of Guinness Book of World Records hoped that the event will set a world record.
'Yoga is magic!' 'Other than keeping me physically fit, it helps me be calm and emotionally balanced. It gives me a lot of energy that keeps me productive throughout the day.'
Top government functionaries, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended International Yoga Day events across the country on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a yoga event at the Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi said everybody should practice the ancient Indian discipline lifelong.
After 24 months of slowdown beginning in January 2018 before the pandemic and then 18 months of collapse since January 2020, we have become the world's worst performing economy, observes Aakar Patel.
Share your inspiring stories and transformation journey with us.
Some 30,000 enthusiastic people performed the ancient spiritual practice, celebrating the first UN International Yoga Day.
Indian companies realise several business opportunities ahead of International Yoga Day on Sunday
The state-run carrier Air India will on June 21 show a film on yoga across its flights, along with a special in-flight announcement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a keen practitioner of yoga and on Wednesday he took to the yoga mat to prove it.
They set a new world record of performing Yoga at the highest altitude.
In his monthly "Mann ki Baat" radio address, the prime minister also urged people to participate in an online yoga competition being organised by the ayush ministry.
'Nobody is making yoga compulsory. If you don't want to do it, it is okay. Yoga has no religion.'
The age-old Indian practice has brought people from different cultures and countries together.
Staying fit isn't easy as it looks!
Lolo has been exploring the French Riviera and London.
Many across Corporate India seem to have taken a leaf out of Modi's endorsement of healthy living through yoga.
Celebrations will take place in 150 countries with Indian missions coordinating activities in landmark places such as Eiffel Tower in Paris, Trafalgar Square in London and Central Park in New York.
With close to 40,000 people expected to take part in the 'International Yoga Day' event on June 21, the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) ministry is contemplating on registering the mega event into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Adityanath, who had in the past lashed out at a section of Muslims for terming the practice of 'surya namaskar' as un-Islamic, said the sun salutation was a beautiful example of religious harmony. "The namaz offered by Muslims resembles different postures and asanas of surya namaskar including pranayam.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances