Yoga Day 18: 'From Dehradun to Dublin, Shanghai to Chicago, yoga's everywhere', says PM Modi

PM Narendra Modi is leading over 55,000 volunteers at Forest Research Institute, Dehradun today to mark the fourth International Yoga Day celebrations. He was accompanied by Uttrakhand Governor K.K. Paul, State Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and Ayush Minister Shripad Naik.

Addressing a gathering at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun, Modi said in today's fast changing time, Yoga binds together a persons body, brain and soul.

Commenting on International Yoga day, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, said that he wants the event to become a people's movement because it is not something political or religious. Yoga can be used to enrich individual lives, said Naidu.


M Venkaiah Naidu was speaking at an event organized by a non-profit organisation run by BJP's Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar.

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N Chandrababu Naidu leads a Yoga session in Amravati

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Highlights of Modi's opening address
1. From Dehradun to Dublin, from Shanghai to Chicago, from Jakarta to Johannesburg, Yoga is everywhere.
2. Yoga presents a ray of hope for future of the world.
3 Instead of dividing, Yoga unites. Instead of further animosity, Yoga assimilates. Instead of increasing suffering, Yoga heals.
4. Yoga is beautiful because it is ancient yet modern, it is constant yet evolving.
5. If we regularly practice pranyam and asanas, we can minimise illness around us. Yoga plays an important role in promoting health. I urge all the people in the nation to practice yoga and those too who have never tried it.

Yoga sessions are being held across the world to mark the day, picked by the United Nations to celebrate the ancient Indian practice that has spread across the globe.

The United Nations General Assembly in December 2014 had declared that June 21 would be observed as International Day of Yoga every year.