International Yoga Day Celebrations in Washington DC Bring Hundreds Together

After a two-year hiatus, the Indian Embassy in the US organised an outdoor yoga event for International Yoga Day.

International Day of Yoga 2022: Quotes, Images & Wishes

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The yoga session organised by the Indian Embassy at the Washington Monument ahead of the International Yoga Day was well-received after a two year hiatus, according to PTI.

Along with the organisation of 'Friends of Yoga,' the Indian Embassy in Washington held a yoga event that attracted hundreds of yoga enthusiasts on the Washington Monument grounds on Saturday, 18 June.

Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu said he was delighted to be greeted by a large gathering of members of the Indian diaspora from different spheres of life. The enthusiasm for yoga is evident among people of different ages, from pre-K to universities, from public to private sectors. Moreover, with more than 37 million people who are active practitioners of yoga in the US, yoga studios have opened up across the country to cater to the rising demand.

"Yoga has come into a much sharper focus in the post-COVID scenario. Yoga is helping people to build resilience, health, unity, togetherness, compassion and happiness."

Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Indian Ambassador to the US

For the last two years, the yoga day celebrations were held virtually because of the pandemic. It was precisely why bringing everyone together outdoors was a way of reiterating the benefits of yoga. It is an exercise in connecting with oneself, with nature and the living beings around.

"Yoga joins an individual with one's consciousness, with the higher self, with fellow human beings and nature. Yoga is an enhancer--physical, mental, spiritual, and intellectual."

Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Indian Ambassador to the US

Yoga and unity

Dr Sethuraman Panchanathan, the 15th director of the National Science Foundation, attended the event on the National Mall and remarked on the undeniable connection between yoga and science.

As a uniting force, yoga is now enabling people from different walks of life to come together. The ancient practice of yoga is a "great gift from India to all of humanity," Panchanathan said, as reported by American Bazaar.

Both Panchanathan and Sandhu joined the participants in performing yoga asanas on their mats with hundreds of others on the lawns of the Washington Monument.

"Yoga connotes unity, uniting in every form of every type, uniting the body, the mind and spirit so that we might have a healthy, happy and prosperous life. At the same time, yoga is also uniting the world, bring people together."

Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, the 15th director of the National Science Foundation (NSF)

(With inputs from PTI, The American Bazaar, India West, The Hindu)