Friend of yoga? Then you were probably joining others on the mat during the world’s first International Yoga Day on Sunday June 21st. The brainchild of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the holiday is meant to herald “a new era of peace,” and his proposed idea was endorsed unequivocally by the U.N. member nations. Practitioners of yoga can benefit from the mental, spiritual, and physical well-being that the discipline brings. Modi himself is a big supporter of yoga and practices daily.
On Sunday, people all over the world gathered in large numbers at places like New York City’s Time Square and the Eiffel Tower in Paris to practice yoga together. But there was nothing as spectacular as the gathering in India’s capital New Delhi, led by Prime Minister Modi himself. The session attracted 35,985 participants, which was the largest yoga demonstration at a single venue, surpassing the global record of under 30,000 participants set by Indian school students in 2005.
Modi had not previously announced that he would join the yoga attendees. After addressing them on stage, he surprised the crowd by stepping down to join them on their mats and performed various poses. Check out people’s poses from all around the world at TIME magazine.
If you’ve missed International Yoga Day, or want to know how to get prepared for next year’s event, search up the nearest yoga instructor near you. For Towne Lake residents, we offer weekly yoga sessions every Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:45 - 6:45pm at the Towne Lake Clubhouse. Your first time session for residents is free, so bring a mat and join us or sign up here to have us reserve one for you.
