On June 21, 2023, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the International Yoga Day celebration.
Prior to the 9th International Yoga Day ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in New York, PM Modi spoke to the crowd. He expressed gratitude to the public for attending the Yoga Day event in great numbers and commended the city administration for making all the necessary preparations to ensure the event’s “huge” success. The event was held on the big North Lawn of the intergovernmental organization.
Excerpt from Prime Minister Modi’s Speech:
“Yoga comes from India and it is a very old tradition. Yoga is free from copyrights, patents and free from royalty payments. Yoga is adaptable to your age, gender and fitness level. Yoga is portable and is truly universal,”.
“We are gathered here at the UN, the meeting point of entire humanity…I am delighted to see you all…I am told that every nationality is represented here today…what an amazing cause to bring us together…coming together for Yoga is an expression of another form of yoga”.
“Yoga means to unite, so you coming together is an expression of another form of Yoga.”
“9 years ago, right here at UN I had the honour to propose celebrating the International Day of Yoga on June 21. It was wonderful to see the entire world coming together to support the cause….I just paid respect to the brave UN peacekeepers…I had called in 2015 to build a memorial at UN for them…as the largest contributor to peacekeeping forces, we are grateful to all the nations in making this a reality.”
“…Let us use the power of Yoga not only to be healthy, happy but also to be kind to ourselves and to each other. Let us use the power of Yoga to build bridges of friendship, a peaceful world and a cleaner, greener and sustainable future. Let us join hands together to realise the goal of One Earth, One Family, One Future,” he said.
“Last year, the entire world also supported India’s proposal to observe 2023 as the international year of millets…millets are a super food, they promote holistic health and environmental well-being…and today it is wonderful to see entire world come together to this (Yoga) day’s celebration.”
“Yoga has its roots in ancient Indian traditions…a very old tradition which is living and dynamic. It is free from copyright and patents, royal payments. It is adaptable for all age groups, genders and fitness levels. It is portable – you can do it at home or work or even internship…it is flexible and can be done either alone or in a group, can be learnt from a teacher or self taught”
“Yoga as a unifying practice, open to people of all faiths and cultures, and truly universal in nature…it promotes physical fitness, mental calmness, emotional contentment but it is not just about the exercise as yoga is a way of life….a holistic approach to health and well-being, yoga fosters mindfulness in thoughts and actions…”
