Yoga – a practice not alien to any Indian and now becoming a global phenomenon. With the growing awareness around health and mindful living around the world, Yoga has seen a marked popularity in not just the east but in the westerns world as well. Most wellness gurus preach the body, mind and spiritual benefits that the practice of yoga brings. Needless to say that Prime Minister Modi is a living example of this practice. Yoga has invariably found mention in Modi's exchanges with important world leaders including with President Obama. He explained the benefits of Yoga to Obama over their White House dinner, while Modi sipped warm water as he was fasting and the President expressed admiration for Modi's "energy and vigour". Modi also gifted a book on Yoga to his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott.
Calling for a change in lifestyle and for creating consciousness, Modi in his UNGA speech said Yoga could even help deal with climate change. "Yoga is an invaluable gift of our ancient tradition. Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature," he said. Following his speech the proposal to celebrate June 21 as International Yoga Day was tabled.
In a huge global endorsement for yoga, 175 out of 193 members of the UN, countries as diverse as the US and Syria, Russia and Britain, and China and the Philippines, agreed by acclamation to declare June 21 the International Yoga Day, recognizing the ancient Indian science's "holistic approach to health and well-being". The UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution said a goal of the Yoga Day was the "wider dissemination of information about the benefits of practising yoga would be beneficial for the health of the world population.
This is a clear testimony to the enthusiastic cross cultural and universal appeal that yoga enjoys amongst member countries of the United Nations.
In his own unique style the Prime Minister Modi tweeted upon hearing the news -"Elated! Have no words to describe my joy”.
“Countless people across the world made yoga an integral part of their lives. Congrats to them! This will inspire many more people towards yoga. Yoga has the power to bring the entire humankind together! It beautifully combines Gyan (knowledge), Karm (work) and Bhakti (devotion)." he stated. It is estimated that 250 million people around the world practice yoga, over 20 million of them in the US. June 21 has a cultural and cosmic significance as it is the day of the Summer Solstice in the northern hemisphere when the daylight hours are the longest.
B.K.S. Iyengar, one of yoga’s great modern propagators explains: "Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity. Yoga means union - the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul. Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day to day life and endows skill in the performance of one's actions."
"For centuries, people from all walks of life have practiced yoga, recognizing its unique embodiment of unity between mind and body. Yoga brings thought and action together in harmony, while demonstrating a holistic approach to health and well-being," Portuguese Ambassador Alvaro Mendonca e Moura told the UNGA in a speech delivered on Kutesa's behalf.
Going beyond the view of yoga as physical and mental disciplines, Modi promoted it as a holistic way of life that stresses "harmony between man and nature" and simpler lifestyles and can help fight climate change.
Introducing the resolution, India's Permanent Representative Asoke Kumar Mukerji said it recognizes "that wider dissemination of yoga's benefits would be beneficial for the health of the world population". The resolution was adopted along with a package of measures dealing with international health and cooperation. On the relevance of yoga to the problems of climate change and environment, Mukerji cited Modi's remarks on how the broader vision of yoga can have an impact. "We need to change our lifestyles," he quoted from Modi's September speech. Yoga can bring communities together in an inclusive manner that generates respect" and can "promote peace and development". The diverse benefits it brings, he said, were promoting "resilience against non-communicable diseases" and even helping people deal with stress in emergency situations.
"Energy not consumed is the cleanest energy. We can achieve the same level of development, prosperity and well-being without necessarily going down the path of reckless consumption... By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change."
Talking on this, Sushma Swaraj said: "While on one hand, we consistently advocate a proactive and innovative approach for making India and the greater South Asian region more prosperous, at the same time, we are thinking and acting on new measures to project India's soft power- the unparalleled cultural richness, diversity and uniqueness of India and its people."
She said an unprecedented 177 of the total 193 member states of the UN co-sponsored a resolution on the International Yoga Day."In the history of the United Nations, this is the highest number of co-sponsors ever for any resolution of this nature," Sushma Swaraj said.
"Co-sponsorship', quite simply, meant that these countries not just supported India, but expressed their public willingness to own the initiative as well," she added. "The sheer number of supporters as well as the smooth adoption also symbolises the strong international support that the recent diplomatic endeavours of our government have evoked on the world stage," she said while decribing it a "new breakthrough" in Indian diplomacy.
Terming these as a critical part of "a new India's breakthrough diplomacy", the external affairs minister said: "From Make in India to Swachh Bharat and now International Yoga Day they are all small steps in our journey to ensure a vibrant, happy and prosperous India, whose imprint and influence are felt far beyond our own shores."