Hundreds attend yoga session in Washington ahead of International Yoga Day

Washington, Jun 19 (PTI) Hundreds of people participated in a yoga session organised by the Indian Embassy at the iconic Washington Monument here ahead of the International Yoga Day (June 21).

The participants of the event held on Saturday were from different walks of life, including the US administration, Congress, industry, diplomatic corps, media and the Indian diaspora. Yoga is India’s greatest gift to the world, US National Science Foundation (NSF) director Dr Sethuraman Panchanathan said. Dr Panchanathan was the guest of honour at the event organised by the embassy in association with several diaspora and US organisations.

Asserting that yoga is a strong uniting force across geographies and boundaries, the NSF director said science and yoga are in synergy towards the prosperity of the mind and body. As part of the celebrations, a common yoga protocol session was conducted which saw enthusiastic participation from those present. India’s Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu said yoga is an enhancer of physical, mental, spiritual and intellectual well-being.

In the emerging post-Covid scenario, yoga is helping build resilience, health, togetherness, compassion and happiness, he said. With the United States, yoga is deepening the vital people-to-people link and connect, which is at the core of the India-US bilateral partnership guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden, Sandhu added.

All the five Consulates of India in the US – New York, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, and San Francisco – are also holding various programmes to mark the International Day of Yoga 2022.

These include events at the iconic Times Square in New York, Niagara Falls, Golden Gate National Park in San Francisco, California Museum, Sacramento, Crown Point Park in San Diego, Newtown Park in Atlanta, Grant Park in Chicago, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial of North Texas in Dallas, Discovery Green in Houston and the River Walk in San Antonio.

In the run up to the International Yoga Day 2022, several curtain-raiser events were organised by the embassy and the consulates across the United States.