International Yoga Day 2023: PM Modi to lead unique yoga session at UN Headquarters today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead a unique yoga session on Wednesday in a historic celebration to commemorate the 9th International Day of Yoga at the UN Headquarters in New York that will see participation from top UN officials, envoys from across and the world and prominent individuals.

PM Modi is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Nine years after Prime Minister Modi first proposed from the United Nations General Assembly podium to mark International Yoga Day as an annual commemoration, the Indian leader will for the first time be at the UN Headquarters to lead the yoga session in a historic commemoration of the day.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj told PTI in an interview that the yoga celebration this year will be a very 'unique occasion' because it was Prime Minister Modi who had given this vision and it was his leadership that ensured that June 21 every year is celebrated as International Yoga Day.

The Yoga session will run from 8 to 9 am on June 21 at the expansive North Lawn in the UN Headquarters, where a bust of Mahatma Gandhi, a gift from India to the UN, was installed in December last year during the country's Presidency of the UN Security Council.

The historic yoga session is expected to be attended by top UN officials, ambassadors, envoys, delegates from Member States as well as prominent members of the global and diaspora community.

The advisory for the event encourages guests and attendees to wear Yoga-friendly attire for the special session and added that Yoga mats will be provided during the session. 
 People from more than 180 countries will participate in Prime Minister Modi-led Yoga Day celebrations in UN, representing different walks of life and comprising diplomats, artists, academicians and entrepreneurs among others, sources said.

The first International Day of Yoga was commemorated in 2015 and has since then been marked with several sessions and events highlighting the benefits and universal appeal of Yoga at the UN, Times Square and iconic locations across the world.

The UN underlined that Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word 'yoga' is derived from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolising the union of body and consciousness. Today it is practised in various forms around the world and continues to grow in popularity.

Recognising its universal appeal, in December 2014, the UN proclaimed June 21 as the International Day of Yoga. The draft UNGA resolution establishing the International Day of Yoga was proposed by India and endorsed by a record 175 member states. The proposal was first introduced by Prime Minister Modi in his address during the opening of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly.