On the occasion of the third International Day of Yoga, leading personalities at the United nations stated that yoga is beyond any religion and its benefits transcend from helping achieve physical and emotional wellness to contributing global sustainable development and peace.
On the occasion of the third International Day of Yoga, leading personalities at the United nations stated that yoga is beyond any religion and its benefits transcend from helping achieve physical and emotional wellness to contributing global sustainable development and peace.
A special session 'Conversation on Yoga for Health' was organized by India's Permanent Mission to the UN on June 21 at the world body's headquarters that brought together an eminent line of experts, including World Health Organisation (WHO) New York Executive Director Nata Menabde, actor Anupam Kher, Swami Chidanand Saraswati and Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati of Parmarth Niketan.
While addressing an audience that comprised of UN diplomats, envoys, officials and yoga practitioners, Menabde said that yoga can be used to "unite our complex and difficult world and to promote not only health lifestyles but also peace and security in the world."
She further added that the practise of yoga is playing a key role in achieving Sustainable Development Goal number three that focuses on healthy life and well being for all.
She termed yoga as a "holistic" and an integral science of life, adding that yoga is a "unifying concept" that can be beneficial to millions of people experiencing distress in situations of crisis. Underscoring this, she said, "Yoga is always there with you, it is for people of all religions, races and nationalities because yoga is not a religion. Yoga is a lifestyle."
Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati termed Yoga as a system of union and wholeness that brings people the "experience of being complete," not because of what degree they have, their bank balance or their physical appearance but with the spiritual wholeness and mental well-being.
Meanwhile, actor Anupam Kher, in a lively and engaging speech to the audience, shared how yoga played a very important role in his life and taught him to be content with what he has and to be truthful to himself.
Kher added, while describing the modest household he grew up in, "yoga taught us to be happy with whatever God gave us. Yoga is also about having a truthful and honest conversation with yourself. Yoga is not telling a lie to yourself. It teaches you to be happy with yourself."
While underscoring that yoga's contribution to one's life is that it empowers "you to be yourself", Kher stressed that people are constantly trying to be someone else "and in the process when you are trying to be somebody else you are neither yourself nor the other person."
He advised, "be yourself, that will be Yoga's contribution to your life."
Swami Chidanand Saraswati earlier told PTI that yoga on the mat is one thing but yoga off the mat is yoga in action.
He said, "Today the world needs music of peace, harmony more than anything else. Yoga can do that. Yoga does not create wars, walls and violence. It is for every color, creed and culture. That oneness can be brought through yoga."
According to him, "yoga imparts not only physical flexibility but also mental flexibility. Flexibility means it is not about my way or no way. Today what we need is that people think my way is also one of the ways."
Former NFL athlete turned yogi, Keith Mitchell, and CEO of Bluechip Marketing Worldwide, Stanton Kawer, who were the other panellists at the session shared the transformational impact that yoga has had on their personal and professional lives.
The Indian Permanent Mission organised the second flagship event to mark the International Yoga day this year.
Over 1,000 people, including UN diplomats and officials, assembled at the sprawling North Lawn of the UN headquarters and participated in the two-hour-long yoga and meditation session on June 20.
The city's iconic tourist destination, Times Sqaure, for the 'Solstice in Times Square' saw thousands of people gathering.
Yoga mats covered the crossroads of the world as yoga enthusiasts from diverse nationalities and ethnicities performed various asanas in unison and celebrated the onset of summer.
Ambassador Riva Ganguly das, India's consul General in the city, addressed the large crowd at Times Square saying that the world embraces yoga on its International Day.
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 "Yoga is beyond any religion, say UN experts")
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