The sixth International Yoga Day is being observed across the world. "Yoga unites, spreads brotherhood," Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who played an instrumental role in popularising yoga in the world after coming to power in 2014, said in his message on Sunday. Since 2015, International Yoga Day, is a United Nations designated day. Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family, is the focus this year as experts advised people to stay home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lead by example... that's the adage our netas followed on Thursday as several of them took to performing various asanas across the country to mark the country's fourth Yoga Day. Here's a look at some of them.
The state doesn't only have religious and spiritual significance, but also electoral significance as it is the last Yoga Day celebrations before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, reports Archis Mohan.
The Delhi Police has asked commuters to avoid Rajpath and its connecting roads on Friday morning as nearly 30,000 people are expected to throng the Red Fort on the occasion of International Day of Yoga, traffic officials said.
On the occasion of International Yoga Day, ministers from the Centre and various state cabinets came out and practised yoga to mark the third anniversary of the event.
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 age-old Indian practice has brought people from different cultures and countries together.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that he would keep promises he had made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, a statement seen as an oblique reference to the demand for restoration of statehood voiced strongly by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Five cities -- Delhi, Shimla, Mysore, Ahmedabad and Ranchi -- were shortlisted by the Ayush ministry and sent to the Prime Minister's Office for final selection.
Indian Army soldiers perform asanas to mark Yoga Day in the Rajasthan desert.
Amid chants of 'Om' and recitation of 'Mantras' for universal peace, millions across the globe today joined in spectacular celebrations to mark the inaugural International Day of Yoga, in a tribute to the ancient Indian spiritual and exercise discipline known to balance mind, body and spirit.
Expressing concern that young people are becoming vulnerable to heart ailments, Modi said, "Yoga can play a huge role in tackling the issue and hence, this year's theme is 'Yoga for Heart'." He also appealed to the people to take yoga to all sections of society.
The PMO said mass yoga demonstrations will be organised at 75 iconic locations across the country under the leadership of 75 Union ministers, with Modi attending the exercise at Mysore.
On Sunday, under the shadow of Covid-19, several leaders and politicians, including President Ram Nath Kovind, chief ministers of various states, and several Union ministers, among others, performed yoga at their residence, along with their families. For the first time since June 21, 2015, Yoga Day is being celebrated digitally. This year's theme is 'Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family'. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on the occasion of Yoga Day and said that due to the coronavirus pandemic, the world is feeling the need for yoga more than ever.
In a statement, the police said that they were treating the incident as a serious issue, and the Serious and Organised Crime Department was investigating it with "utmost urgency."
With the matter snowballing into a political controversy, both the Janaat Dal-United and the BJP tried to play down the issue.
Ayush Minister Shripad Naik on Wednesday said there was "no compulsion" to say 'Om' during the World Yoga Day programme.
Umar Ganie captures glimpses of Prime Minister Narendra D Modi doing yoga on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar to mark the 10th International Yoga Day on Friday, June 21, 2024.
The Yoga celebration led by Prime Minister Modi at the UN headquarters created the Guinness World Record for participation of people of most nationalities, officials said.
For health enthusiasts in the US, popular yoga guru Baba Ramdev is scheduled to conduct a virtual session on common yoga protocol with postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation during an online event organised by the Indian Consulate in Houston in collaboration with various community organisations.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has released a list of 50 ministers with their assigned locations, where they will participate in the Yoga Day celebrations on Tuesday.
Doordarshan would be deploying more than 20 hi-definition cameras for the coverage of the event on June 21.
Film folk celebrate International Yoga Day with pictures of them doing, well, yoga!
A look at the pictures from the event!
Several Bollywood stars took part in various yoga sessions across India.
Indian Army personnel on Wednesday conducted yoga sessions at more than 100 locations along the country's land and maritime borders, forming a 'Bharatmala' on the occasion of the International Day of Yoga.
As we prep for International Yoga Day, here's a quiz to test you on all things Yoga.
On the International Day of Yoga, Rediff.com's Hitesh Harisinghani captures Mumbai in its fittest form.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the early morning session on the first International Yoga Day at Rajpath in New Delhi.
Thousands of Yoga enthusiasts and practitioners assembled at the iconic Times Square in New York for day-long sessions of the ancient Indian practice on the eve of the commemoration of the International Day of Yoga.
Brimming with excitement and energy, thousands of people across the country gathered in large numbers at various parks and public squares to mark the third International Day of Yoga.
There has been a controversy over this asana, with Muslim groups saying their faith does not allow such a practice.
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.
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.
Indians celebrated the second International Day of Yoga on Tuesday at different parts of the country.
'Nobody is making yoga compulsory. If you don't want to do it, it is okay. Yoga has no religion.'
Among the hoards of Yoga enthusiasts who marked International Yoga Day on Sunday was India's Olympic boxing champ Mary Kom.
Sadhus and seers of Haridwar on Tuesday threatened to launch a countrywide agitation if surya namaskar is not included.
After Yoga got a strong leg up on the world stage following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for observing an International Yoga Day, the European Union has backed the initiative.
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