No need for politics over Yoga promotion

PM leading Yoga Day at UN is good for India’s image, and for his

For the past nine years on, June 21, summer solstice day, India and the world have woken up to celebrate International Day of Yoga (IDY). People across the globe undertake a set of asanas that combines physical, mental and spiritual practice. On Tuesday, a powerful demonstration of this event came alive in New York, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the Yoga session for the first time at the UN Headquarters, with people from across the spectrum and an estimated 180 countries joining him.

Yoga remains a unique contribution of ancient India to the world and has over the centuries travelled across the globe. People in different countries have adopted it as their own, leading to the evolution of the practice in different forms.

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Since the second half of the 20th century, especially, many schools and variations of Yoga have arisen, especially in America and Europe, and gathered immense popularity all over the world. That’s why, when Prime Minister Modi suggested the idea of the International Yoga Day to the United Nations, it found ready support, with some 175 countries endorsing the resolution at the UN General Assembly.

In Modi’s words, “Yoga is not just about exercise, it is a way to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world, and nature.” As concerns have risen around the world over the increasing burden of lifestyle diseases, people across continents realised the potential of Yoga to offer a low-cost, preventive healthcare practice that could be followed at one’s own pace and time of choice.

The benefits of Yoga have assumed even more importance in a world hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and its debilitating after-effects, with the South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organisation leading the global momentum to advocate the practice for its benefits on overall physical and mental health.

Since 2015, it is a common feature to see people perform Yoga in different parts of the world, with iconic locations forming impressive backdrops. In India, the scenes are beamed from locations ranging from the heights of the Himalayas to the ships on the high seas.

The promotion of Yoga worldwide by Modi comes at a cost – rallying countries to any cause at the UN involves some heavy lifting for Indian missions abroad and requires money, time and diplomatic effort -- but celebrating International Yoga Day with the Prime Minister personally heralding the event brings to fore India’s leadership and reinforces ownership of this ancient practice. Yoga is India’s lasting contribution to humanity, and it may help India achieve ‘soft power’ best by promoting it subtly and letting everyone feel it as their own.