International Yoga Day LIVE updates: In Mumbai for the Yoga Day celebrations, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu said that he want it to become a people’s movement because it is not political or religious. “It is for betterment of our lives. It shouldn’t be just for one day, it should be a part of our daily lives,” he told reporters. Personnel belonging to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police performed yoga at the height of 18,000 feet, while over a thousand navy personnnel are performing asanas on the INS Virat against the view of the Arabian Sea on the occasion of International Yoga Day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined thousands of volunteers performing yoga asanas in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun to mark the 4th International Yoga Day on Thursday. Many Union ministers will join similar events across the country on Thursday. The exercise in Dehradun was held in the picturesque lawns of the Forest Research Institute (FRI) in the lap of the Himalayas. “Yoga is not just a set of exercises that keeps the body fit. It is a passport to health assurance, a key to fitness and wellness. Nor is Yoga only what you practice in the morning. Doing your day-to-day activities with diligence and complete awareness is a form of Yoga as well,” a statement quoting Modi said. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Suresh Prabhu, Uma Bharti, Ram Vilas Paswan, Ravi Shankar Prasad will be in Lucknow, Nagpur, Chennai, Rudraprayag, Hajipur and Patna respectively, a BJP functionary said. Among other ministers, Ananth Kumar will be in Bengaluru, JP Nadda in Shimla, Narendra Singh Tomar in Gwalior, Piyush Goyal in Noida and Prakash Javadekar in Mumbai. A series of yoga related events are also being organised across the world to mark the occasion. Greeting yoga enthusiasts across the world on the occasion, the prime minister said that this exercise is one of the most precious gifts given by the ancient Indian sages to humankind. “Yoga is not just a set of exercises that keeps the body fit. It is a passport to health assurance, a key to fitness and wellness. Nor is Yoga only what you practice in the morning. Doing your day-to-day activities with diligence and complete awareness is a form of Yoga as well,” a statement quoting Modi said. In a world of excess, yoga promises restraint and balance. In a world suffering from mental stress, it promises calm. In a distracted world, it helps focus. In a world of fear, it promises hope, strength and courage, the statement added. The prime minister also took to social media to share the intricacies of various yoga asanas. He shared pictures of people performing the exercise at various locations across the world. Modi had earlier participated in yoga celebrations at Rajpath in New Delhi in 2015, the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh in 2016, and the Ramabai Ambedkar Sabha Sthal in Lucknow in 2017.
International Yoga Day 2018 updates: Venkaiah Naidu says he wants yoga to become people's movement
In Mumbai for the Yoga Day celebrations, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu said that he want it to become a people’s movement because it is not political or religious.
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Smriti Irani, Manohar Lal Khattar join celebrations in Haryana
International Yoga Day was observed across Haryana and Punjab on Thursday, with Union minister Smriti Irani and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar participating in programmes in Chandigarh and Jhajjar.
In the joint capital of the two states, Chandigarh, Punjab Governor and the Union Territory’s administrator VP Singh Badnore was the chief guest at a yoga event in Sector 17.
Union Textile Minister Irani performed asanas along with around 4,000 enthusiasts at the event. Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher and Chandigarh unit BJP chief Sanjay Tandon were also present. In Haryana, Khattar and agriculture minister OP Dhankar rolled out their Yoga mats along with several other people, including children, at a state-level event in Jhajjar.
PTI
JP Nadda performs yoga in Shimla
Union health minister JP Nadda joined Yoga Day event in Shimla where thousands of yoga enthusiasts participated. “Marching towards a healthy India,” the Ministry of Health said in a tweet.
Venkaiah Naidu says he wants Yoga Day to be a people’s movement
In Mumbai for the Yoga Day celebrations, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu said that he want it to become a people’s movement because it is not political or religious. “it is for betterment of our lives. It shouldn’t be just for one day, it should be a part of our daily lives,” he was quoted as saying by ANi .
China celebrates Yoga Day
Yoga enthusiasts in Beijing performed asanas at India House on the occasion of International Yoga Day.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police performs yoga at height of 18,000 feet
Personnel belonging to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police performed yoga at the height of 18,000 feet on the occasion of International Yoga Day.
Visuals from Noida; Piyush Goyal performs yoga
Union minister Piyush Goyal joined the International Yoga Day celebrations in Noida on Thursday.
Nitish Kumar unlikely to participate in Yoga Day events in Bihar
Unlike BJP leaders, those of the JD(U) have decided to stay away from the fourth edition of the International Yoga Day celebrations. “People have been doing yoga in their homes. Yoga is a part of India’ culture,” JD(U) state President Vashisht Narain Singh.
JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said there should not be any politics on Yoga Day in the name of promoting it. “Yoga is a personal choice of people. It is their private decision to do yoga or not. I also do yoga at my residence daily and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar too does yoga. But we never display it in public. Doing or displaying yoga in public place is wrong,” he said.
IANS
Watch: Narendra Modi’s address in Dehradun on 4th International Yoga Day
Chandrababu Naidu joins celebrations in Amaravati
Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu performed asanas in Amaravati on the occasion of 4th International Yoga Day.
Must include yoga in our day-to-day life, says Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan joined the celebrations in Bhopal on Thursday. “Practicing yoga for a day won’t make any difference. We should include yoga in our daily life. The state will be healthy if we are healthy. This way, the speed of development will also be faster,” he said at the event.
Navy personnel perform yoga onboard INS Virat
Over a thousand navy personnnel are performing asanas on the INS Virat in the naval dockyard against the view of the Arabian Sea.
On a ’lighter’ note: The ‘handy’ guide to Yoga for those who don’t really want to do much
We’ve got just the thing for for whom the whole idea of Yoga Day seemed like too much hard work. But first, let’s deal with the excuses:
-I’ve got no mat on which to do my exercise. Doesn’t matter, you don’t need one.
-I’ve got no snazzy Yoga pants to wear. Doesn’t matter, you don’t need them. Besides, those things are hideous.
-I’ve got meetings all day. Doesn’t matter, you can do this in your meeting.
-I don’t really want to get sweaty. You won’t, no one gets sweaty doing Yoga.
-I’m tired and hungry. Fine, grab a bite, take a nap and return.
-I just don’t want to. Fair enough, it’s a free country.
Our crack team of ascetics (yes, we have a lot of teams) which spent decades in the jungle to attain some sort of deeper peace, emerges once in a while to keep a track of the goings-on in the world. And also to seek answers to pertinent questions like ‘Who is the President of India?’, ‘Has global warming made it impossible to leave your home?’, ‘Does Ram Gopal Varma still make films?’, ‘Does the RSS still wear khaki shorts?’ and the like.
This time, however, the team emerged, in a manner of speaking, with a discovery to share: Compact Yoga.
Click here to read moreRajnath Singh,Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow for celebrations
Union minister Rajnath Singh reached Raj Bhavan to join Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow for the International Yoga Day event.
Image courtesy: Twitter@HMOIndia
Maharashtra governor Vidyasagar Rao performs yoga
Visuals from Dehradun’s Forest Research Institute
Narendra Modi is performing yoga asanas in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun with around 50 thousand volunteers to mark the 4th International Yoga Day.
‘We need more yoga teachers’
“Practicing yoga has the ability to increase brotherhood. That means it needs more teachers. New institutions are being set and even technology being used for it. May this yoga day become an opportunity to deepen our connect with people. This can have an enduring impact,” Narendra Modi said in Dehradun.
Asserting that yoga has “shown the way for wellness”, he said, “That is why yoga is being recognised and accepted so fast everywhere.”
‘Yoga unites, assimilates, and heals’
Narendra Modi said that the proof of how world has embraced yoga can been seen in how International Yoga Day has been marked. “From Tokyo to Toronto, from Stockholm to Sao Paulo, yoga has become a positive influence in the lives of millions.
“Yoga is beautiful because it is ancient yet modern, constant yet evolving. It is a ray of hope for our future. In yoga we have the perfect solutions to problems we face. Ours is a world that never sleeps, there is something happening in every part of the world.”
He quoted statistics on rise of diseases due to lifestyle choices. “Every year, almost 18 million people die due to heart-related diseases. 1.6 million people lose fight to diabetes. Yoga is the way to lead a calm, creative and content life. Instead of divinding, yoga also unites, instead of animosity, yoga assimilates, instead of increased suffering, yoga heals,” he said.
‘India’s Yoga Day proposal is the first that countries co-sponsored at UN in a short period of time’
Speaking on the occasion of International Yoga Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “In today’s fast-changing times, yoga binds together a person’s body, brain, and soul, hence making one experience a feeling of peace.”
He praised the role of yoga in connecting the “entire world”..“When we proposed Yoga Day at the UN, it was the first proposal that countries co-sponsored in a short period of time. Nations have accepted and adopted yoga as their own,” he said.
Yoga is developing life, says Narendra Modi
“Uttarakhand has been a centre of yoga for many decades. The mountains around inspire Yoga and Ayurveda here. Man experiences a divine intervention. For all Indians it is a matter of pride that wherever the sun rises, light spreads, people are welcoming the sun with yoga,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address in Dehradun.
“From Dehradun to Dublin, Shanghai to chicago, Jakarta to Johannesburg, there is only yoga. Be it in the Himalayas. or the acrid desert, yoga is developing life. When forces defeat us and break us, there is division within society and family. The person breaks from within, with loneliness increasing. yoga does the work of joining these pieces.”
Narendra Modi begins address in Dehradun
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has joined thousands of volunteers performing yoga asanas in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun to mark the 4th International Yoga Day on Thursday while many Union ministers will join similar events across the country.