"International Yoga Day is for individuals to adopt India's heritage and achieve health": Ambassador Kwatra
Washington DC, June 19
India's Ambassador to the United States Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Friday said yoga is a reflection of India's ancient cultural heritage that has gained global acceptance, while stressing the need to incorporate it into everyday life for better health and well-being. Speaking after a yoga session at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, Kwatra said, "Namaste, today on the 19th of June, we have all gathered here at the Lincoln Memorial to celebrate the 12th International Yoga Day. As you all know, the International Yoga Day was declared by a United Nations resolution in 2014. This is a cultural, historical, and ancient heritage of India, which has been embraced by every community, every religion, and every living being in the world."
"In many ways, today's festival of International Yoga Day is a day for individuals to adopt India's heritage, to achieve health through yoga, and to give it a new result," he added.
He further emphasised the importance of integrating yoga into daily life.
"This is the day when we can accommodate and adjust yoga in our daily lives and embrace India's heritage along with our health," Kwatra told ANI.
The event was organised by the Indian Embassy in the United States as part of a series of pre-Yoga Day celebrations leading up to June 21, which is observed globally as International Day of Yoga.
BJP MP Sangamlal Gupta also attended the event, saying the celebrations reflect India's cultural outreach.
"We are in the US today for International Yoga Day, and many people of India are here in DC celebrating our culture, our Sanatan, the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi had started this Yoga Day in 2014. Today, we celebrate it as International Yoga Day all over the world," Gupta said.
"I am very happy to meet my people here, and I extend my best wishes to our people who live in the US," he added.
Yoga practitioner and Kundalini teacher Kelle Jacob also participated in the event, describing yoga as a holistic practice beyond physical exercise.
"We are celebrating International Yoga Day. Yoga is a very powerful practice. It's more than postures; it's an invitation for us to connect deeply with ourselves," she said.
"It was such a beautiful day to move our bodies and to intentionally use our power to imbue ourselves with the feelings of peace," Jacob added.
The Washington DC event is part of global celebrations marking International Yoga Day, which is being observed under the theme "Yoga for Healthy Ageing," focusing on physical mobility, mental wellness, and longevity.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Love the vibe! But sometimes I feel we turn yoga into a show-off event. The real challenge is doing those 20 minutes of pranayama daily, not just the big photo ops. Hope people actually practice at home, not just attend the fancy embassy events. Still, good initiative overall! 😊
I've been doing yoga for years here in Chicago. It's interesting to see how it's been packaged as "India's heritage" — to me, it's just good for my back and my stress levels. But the history adds meaning. Thanks to India for sharing this gift with the world. Namaste! 🙏
The theme "Yoga for Healthy Ageing" is perfect for today's world. My parents started yoga at 60 and now at 75, they're more flexible than me! 😂 Seriously though, it's not about bending like a pretzel — it's about longevity and mental peace. Good job, Ambassador Kwatra, for taking this message to DC.
I respect the sentiment, but can we stop treating every Indian tradition as a "gift to the world" that needs to be adopted? Yoga is beautiful, but the "adopt our heritage" tone sounds a bit preachy. Let people enjoy yoga without the cultural baggage. The practice itself is enough.
Seeing BJP MP Sangamlal Gupta there too — nice to see cross-party unity on something like yoga. In today's divisive world, one thing we all agree on is that surya namaskar is good
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.