Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that yoga has evolved from being a part of everyday life for people around the world to being a way of life for them.
He was speaking at the Karnataka state's Mysore Palace during an event organized to mark the eighth "International Day of Yoga".
On this occasion, he added that: "Yoga brings peace to our society, our nations, the world, and to our universe. We need to understand yoga and live it as well."
Thousands of people joined the Prime Minister in the mass yoga work-out held at the palace.
While speaking before the gathering, Modi said: “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 it builds a sense of awareness.”
Modi also mentioned the new “Guardian Yoga Ring” program, a collaborative exercise held by 79 countries and the United Nations along with Indian missions abroad to illustrate yoga’s unifying power that crosses national boundaries.
India's President Ram Nath Kovind also greeted the nation on the occasion, and participated in Yoga Day work-out at the President’s House in New Delhi.
President Ram Nath Kovind Participated in Yoga Demonstration at President's House
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To tie the celebration of International Day of Yoga in with the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (the day of India's 75th anniversary of independence (15 August)), yoga demonstrations were organized at 75 famed locations across the country.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel also performed yoga at different Himalayan ranges on the borders of India and China including Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Several ITBP troopers performed yoga at a height of 17,000ft in Ladakh and similar yoga sessions were organized in the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand at 16,500ft and 16,000ft respectively.
ITBP Troopers Performing Yoga in Ladakh
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ITBP Personnel Performing Yoga near Rohtang Pass
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ITBP Troopers Performing Yoga in Himachal Pradesh
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ITBP Troopers Performing Yoga in Uttarakhand
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On 11 December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly announced that 21 June would be known as the International Day of Yoga.