Yoga is for everyone, beyond boundaries: PM

The 11th International Day of Yoga celebrations was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the picturesque Visakhapatnam-Bheemunipatnam beach stretch in Andhra Pradesh with a record number of participants taking part in performing various asanas on Saturday.

In his address before taking part in the yoga exercises along with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, Union Minister for Ayush Pratprao Ganapathrao Jadhav, Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, representatives from 50 foreign countries and several others, Modi said "yoga is for everyone, beyond boundaries, backgrounds, age or ability' and called for making it a mass movement and way of life."

Immediately after the big showdown, the State Government which hosted the event under the 'Yogandhra' campaign and received high praise from the Prime Minister, declared the setting of various world records viz. participation of over three and half lakh people in the celebrations at multiple compartments over the 27-km-long beach stretch and two crore people across the State at various places.

The Guinness Book of World Records recognised the record created by 'surya namaskar' performed by over 22,000 tribal students on the Andhra University grounds on Friday.

The Prime Minister extended warm greetings to people across India and the world on International Yoga Day, highlighting that this year marks the 11th occasion when the world has come together on 21st June to practice yoga collectively. He remarked that the essence of yoga is "to unite", and it is heartening to see how yoga has united the world.

Reflecting on the journey of Yoga over the past decade, Modi recalled the moment when India proposed the idea of International Yoga Day at the United Nations. He noted that 175 countries supported the proposal, a rare instance of such wide global unity. He emphasised that the support was not merely for a proposal but represented a collective effort by the world for the greater good of humanity.

“Eleven years on, yoga has become an integral part of the lifestyle of millions across the globe”, he added. The Prime Minister expressed pride in seeing how Divyang individuals are reading yogic texts in Braille and how scientists are practicing yoga in space. He also noted enthusiastic participation of youth from rural areas in Yoga Olympiads.

The Prime Minister underscored that whether it is the steps of the Sydney Opera House, the summit of Mount Everest, or the vast expanse of the ocean, the message remains the same,“Yoga is for everyone and for all, Beyond Boundaries, Beyond Backgrounds, Beyond age or ability."

Expressing satisfaction at being in Visakhapatnam, describing the city as a confluence of nature and progress, Modi commended the people for their excellent organisation of the event and extended congratulations to Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan for their leadership. The Prime Minister highlighted that under their leadership, Andhra Pradesh launched a remarkable initiative—Yogandhra Abhiyan. He also specially appreciated the efforts of IT Minister Nara Lokesh, stating that he

has demonstrated how yoga can be a true social celebration and how every section of society can be included.

Earlier, Chief Minister Naidu commended the people’s overwhelming response, highlighting how 22,122 tribal students recently set a Guinness World Record for mass Surya Namaskar. "From villages to cities, yoga has become a true people’s movement in Andhra Pradesh," Naidu observed, noting participation across all 26 districts was a new world record itself.