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United Nations declares 21 June as ‘International Day of Yoga’

A very positive news: Yesterday, 11 December 2014, the General Assembly of the United Nations unanimously adopted the ‘International Day of Yoga’. Starting next year, it will be celebrated on 21 June. The resolution was proposed by the Indian Prime Minister Modi in September.

“A record number of over 170 countries joined as co-sponsors, the highest number ever for any general assembly resolution – including the vast majority of member states of all the regional and sub-regional groups of the general assembly, as well as all the five permanent members of the UN security council,” said India’s ambassador to UN Asoke Mukerji. And Indian Prime Minister Modi said, “Yoga has therapeutic powers that could change people’s lifestyle and help tackle global problems.”

In his congratulatory message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon pointed out: “In proclaiming 21 June as the International Day of Yoga, the General Assembly has brought attention to the holistic benefits of this ancient practice on health and well being in our modern world.”

And Modi said in his Facebook post, ” I have been a practicer of Yoga for years & you can’t believe the positive difference it has made in my life. Yoga is the anchor of my life. I urge all of you, especially the youth to take up Yoga & practice it diligently & regularly. It will truly transform your lives as well. This speech of mine at the launch of a Yoga university in Gujarat may surely interest you.”

I’m practicing Yoga myself since about 4 decades – and it does me good and keeps the body supple. However, don’t stop with seeing it as a kind of gymnastics as most people in the West do. There is an eightfold path of Yoga, of spiritual discipline with the goal of leading to synthesis.

During my stay at the WTT group living in India, 2008, a local Yoga teacher gave us a performance together with a group of his students – that’s not just what I’m practicing….

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Yoga performance at the WTT Retreat Centre, January 2008

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