Pictures: India PM Narendra Modi leads Yoga Day celebrations from Mysuru, says yoga brings peace to society

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) performs yoga with others to celebrate the International Day of Yoga in front of the Mysore Palace. He said that yoga is not only for any individual but for the entire humanity.

Addressing the main event of the eighth edition of the International Day of Yoga in the heritage city of Mysuru in Karnataka, PM Modi said, "I extend my greetings to all on this 8th International Yoga Day. Today, Yoga is being practised in all parts of the world. Yoga brings peace for us. The peace from Yoga is not only for individuals, it brings peace to our nations and the world."

Since 2015, the International Day of Yoga (IDY) has been celebrated worldwide on June 21 every year. The theme for this year's Yoga day is "Yoga for Humanity". The theme portrays how Yoga served humanity in alleviating suffering during the Covid Pandemic.

Modi waves as he arrives to perform yoga with others in front of the Mysore Palace. "This whole universe starts from our own body and soul. The universe starts from us. And, Yoga makes us conscious of everything within us and builds a sense of awareness," Modi said.

Prime Minister's Yoga programme at Mysuru is also part of the novel programme 'Guardian Yoga Ring' which is a collaborative exercise between 79 countries and United Nations organisations along with Indian Missions abroad to illustrate Yoga's unifying power that surpasses National boundaries.

As the sun apparently moves from the east to the west across the world, the Mass Yoga Demonstrations in the participating countries, if seen from any one point on Earth, will seem to be happening one after the other, almost in tandem, thus underlining the concept of 'One Sun, One earth'.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said the yogic energy, which has been nurtured for centuries by the spiritual centers of India like Mysuru, is today giving direction to global health.

"Today yoga is becoming a basis for global cooperation and is providing a belief of a healthy life to mankind," he added. He said, "Today we see that Yoga has come out of the households and has spread all over the world and this is a picture of spiritual realization, and that of natural and shared human consciousness, especially in the last two years of an unprecedented pandemic," PM Modi stated.

Quoting the Indian sages, the Prime Minister emphasized "Yoga brings peace for us. The peace from yoga is not merely for individuals. Yoga brings peace to our society. Yoga brings peace to our nations and the world. And, Yoga brings peace to our universe."

It was during his speech at the UN General Assembly in September 27, 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi first floated the idea of the International Yoga Day. The draft resolution passed by India was supported by 177 nations. With universal recognition and growing popularity of Yoga, the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga on December 11, 2014. The first International Yoga Day was celebrated on June 21, 2015.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga with others to celebrate the International Day of Yoga in front of the Mysore Palace in Mysore.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga with others to celebrate the International Day of Yoga in front of the Mysore Palace in Mysore.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga with others to celebrate the International Day of Yoga in front of the Mysore Palace in Mysore.