Visakhapatnam, Jun 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that Yoga gives the world the direction of peace at a time when it is witnessing conflicts, unrest and instability.

On the 11th International Day of Yoga, he urged the international community to let this Yoga Day mark the beginning of yoga for humanity 2.0 where inner peace becomes global policy.

The Prime Minister was addressing the national event to mark the 11th International Day of Yoga in Visakhapatnam.

The Prime Minister, who performed the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) along with over three lakh people at RK Beach, emphasised the importance of yoga in ensuring happiness and peace.

He believes that yoga can bring peace by leading the world from clash to cooperation and tension to resolution.

"Unfortunately, today the entire world is going through tension and unrest. Instability has been increasing in many regions. In such times, yoga gives us the direction of peace. yoga is the pause button that humanity needs to breathe, to balance, and become whole again,” he said.

PM Modi stated that yoga should not be mere personal practice but become the medium of global partnership where every country and society make yoga part of their life and public policy.

Congratulating people across the world on 11th International Day of Yoga, the Prime Minister said that yoga isn't just an exercise but it is a way of life.

“Yoga in simple terms means to connect. It has connected the world,” he said.

He recalled that in 2014 when India moved a resolution in the United Nations to celebrate June 21 as the International Yoga Day, 175 countries supported the resolution in a short time.

“This support was not just for a resolution but it was the collective effort of the entire world for the well-being of humanity,” he said.

"After 11 years, we can now see that yoga has become a part of the lifestyle of crores of people around the world...Whether it’s the steps of the Opera House, the peak of Mount Everest, or the vastness of the sea, every place echoes the same message: Yoga is for everyone and belongs to all. Yoga is for everyone, beyond boundaries, backgrounds, age or ability,” he added.

PM Modi said that he feels proud to see Divyang friends study Yoga Shastras in Braille, scientists practice yoga in space and young friends participate in the Yoga Olympiads in villages. He pointed out that yoga is also being performed on the Navy ships off Visakhapatnam coast.

The Prime Minister underlined the spirit of oneness behind yoga. “The theme for this year’s International Day of Yoga is 'Yoga For One Earth, For One Health'. This theme reflects a deep truth: The health of every entity on Earth is interconnected. Human well-being depends on the health of the soil that grows our food, the rivers that give us water, the health of the animals that share our ecosystems, and the plants that nourish us. Yoga awakens us to this interconnectedness, leads us on a journey towards oneness with the world, and teaches us that we are not isolated individuals but part of nature."

Andhra Pradesh Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prakash Jadhav, central ministers K. Ram Mohan Naidu, Chandrasekhar Pemmasani, Bhupati Raju Srinivasa Varma, state ministers Nara Lokesh and Satya Kumar, MPs D. Purandeswari and M. Bharat were present.

(IANS)

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