Stretch out to destress
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (centre), performing yoga with thousands of Indians to mark International Yoga Day in Lucknow. Millions of yoga enthusiasts across India took part in mass yoga sessions to mark the day yesterday.
LUCKNOW: Yoga has connected the world with India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, as he rolled out his mat along with millions of others across the globe to celebrate the ancient practice.
Enthusiasts across India rose at the crack of dawn, many braving monsoon showers, to mark the third International Yoga Day.
In the western city of Ahmedabad, 125,000 led by celebrity yoga guru Baba Ramdev gathered at an openair ground to try to set a new Guinness World record for the largest session.
Police in New Delhi closed roads to make room for a mass yoga session held amid tight security in the heart of the capital.
“When all of us, at the same time, do the same movements, it feels special. The energy is different,” said 24-year-old Abhi Aggarwal as he waited with his parents for the session to start.
India’s prime minister, a teetotal vegetarian who practises yoga daily, led some 50,000 people in an early-morning session in Lucknow, the capital of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
“Many countries which do not know our language, tradition, or culture are now connecting to India through yoga,” Modi said in an address to the crowd.
“Yoga connects body, mind and soul. It is playing a big role in bringing the world together too,” he said after performing various poses. — AFP