Karnataka: Yoga is helping lay groundwork for world cooperation, says PM Narendra Modi

MYSURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi led India in celebrating the eighth International Day of Yoga in the cultural capital of Karnataka on Tuesday, revealing yoga and fitness are forming a foundation for international cooperation and that it could be used to resolve conflicts and problems.
Clad in a white T-shirt and a pair of white trousers with an Assamese ‘Gamosa’ around his neck, Modi performed asanas and pranayamas for about 45 minutes in the backdrop of the iconic Mysuru Palace and alongside several thousand yoga enthusiasts. Karnataka governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Wadiyar, and Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, the family matriarch, also participated in the event.
This year’s celebration coincided with the 75th year of India’s independence, and for the first time, Modi led celebrations in South India. Mass yoga demonstrations were not held in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic. “Yoga today has become an international festival,” Modi said. “It is not limited to any individual, but it is for the whole of humanity. ” Quoting ‘maharishis’ and ‘acharyas’, Modi said, “The peace [obtained] from yoga is not merely for individuals. Yoga brings peace to our society, our nation, the world and eventually to our universe. ” He said yoga makes one conscious and competent towards challenges. Millions of people with a common consciousness and consensus, and millions with inner peace will create an environment for global peace and that’s how yoga can connect people and countries and can become a problem solver, he said. “When we become aware of ourselves and our world, we begin to spot things that need to be changed both in ourselves and in the world,” he said. “They may be individual problems or global problems like climate change and international conflicts. ”
Relax the mind
To boost productivity, Modi urged people to take time out and practise yoga. He said a few minutes of meditation would “surely relax the mind and soul” and increase productivity. He touched on the concept of the ‘guardian ring of yoga’, the exercise to celebrate Yoga Day in 75 countries across 16 time zones
with the movement of the sun. He also described yoga as “not a part of life, but a way of life”. Emphasising on the growing popularity of yoga, he said until a few years ago pictures of the mind-body wellness practice were limited to houses and spiritual centres. “Today, people are coming from every corner of the world, surpassing barriers of country, subcontinent and continent, that too with a pandemic around, to participate. This proves our vitality,” he said.