PM Modi leads Yoga Day celebrations at UN Headquarters: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Yoga comes from India and is free from copyrights and patents at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
"We've gathered here at the meeting point of entire humanity. I am delighted to see you all and thank you all for coming. I am told that almost every nationality is represented here today. Yoga means to unite, so your coming here together is another form of yoga." He said that Yoga comes from India and it is a very old tradition. PM Modi said Yoga is free from copyrights, patents and free from royalty payments. "Yoga is portable and adaptable to any age and fitness level, embracing all ethnicities, faith and cultures. It is truly universal," said PM Modi.
'Yoga is a way to live in harmony with self'
Modi said that Yoga is a way to live in harmony with self, with others and with nature. "Yoga is a way of life. A holistic approach to health and well-being. A way to mindfulness in thoughts and actions. A way to live in harmony with self, with others and with nature," said the Prime Minister. He said, "Yoga is adaptable to your age, gender and fitness level. Yoga is portable and is truly universal."
'It's wonderful to see entire world come together for yoga'
The Prime Minister said that last year, the entire world came together to support India's proposal to celebrate 2023 as the International Year of Millets. "Today, it is wonderful to see the entire world come together for yoga," said PM Modi.
PM Modi performs Yoga at UN Headquarters in New York
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the ninth International Yoga Day celebration at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The historic yoga session was attended by top UN officials, ambassadors, envoys, delegates from Member States as well as prominent members of the global and diaspora community.
The Yoga session was held at the expansive North Lawn in the UN Headquarters, where a bust of Mahatma Gandhi, a gift from India to the UN, was installed in December last year during the country's Presidency of the UN Security Council. People from more than 180 countries participated in Prime Minister Modi-led Yoga Day celebrations, representing different walks of life and comprising diplomats, artists, academicians and entrepreneurs among others.
Prime Minister Modi also paid his respects to the bust of Mahatma Gandhi that now "proudly adorns" the North Lawn of the UN headquarters where the yoga was conducted.
Prime Minister Modi had first proposed the concept of a Yoga Day during his address at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly in 2014. All members of the UN later agreed to observe International Yoga Day. The event was first observed on June 21, 2015, and has since then been a global phenomenon.
