Yoga Wave Sweeps India as Sea of People Perform Ancient Practise With A Twist

From freezing temperatures in the backdrop of snow-capped mountains to deep waters and despite breezy sunny mornings, people all over the world are celebrating the International Day of Yoga by putting their own twist on the ancient Indian practice.

In India, several prominent politicians, Indian Army personnel as well as general public united in the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (one earth, one family, one future), performing yoga and drawing public attention to raise awareness about the numerous health benefits and promote its holistic approach to physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Indian President Droupadi Murmu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Uttar Pradesh State Chief Yogi Adityanath, and several others performed yoga with various others while urging the public to adopt yoga in their daily lives.

The Indian Army organized a yoga session on the world’s highest battlefield, Siachen Glacier with temperatures plummeting to minus 40 degrees.

The army personnel also performed Yoga at Pangong Tso in Ladakh, Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir, and Rajasthan.

A group of Yoga practitioners in Tamil Nadu state's Rameswaram city performed a unique form of yoga known as 'Jal Yoga', requiring participants to perform yoga asanas (exercises) in water, offering a different experience and set of benefits.

Yoga enthusiasts NJ Bose and Sudalai spent three hours floating and practicing asanas in the Agni Theertham Sea at Rameswaram.

In Gujarat's Rajkot city, people gathered to perform water yoga in a swimming pool.

The International Yoga Day, which falls on June 21 every year, was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the UN General Assembly in 2014.

Since then, yoga has gained immense popularity worldwide promoting its ability to improve flexibility, strength, balance, and overall fitness.