Australia welcomes International Yoga Day celebration

Australia has welcomed the celebration of yoga on 21 June, which has been declared by the United Nations as International Yoga Day.

Along with India and the rest of the world, Australians too will celebrate the day. In Melbourne, Yoga Australia will jointly host with the Indian Consulate the 8th Annual International Yoga Conference on the theme 'Yoga for Health - Physical, Mental, Social and Spiritual'.

Australia's High Commissioner to India, Patrick Suckling, said the celebration was an affirmation of the universal acceptance of yoga as a practice for mental and physical well-being.

"The celebration is also a success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's belief in yoga," said Mr Suckling.

During his visit to Australia in November 2014, Mr. Modi, a keen yoga practitioner, presented a book on yoga to the Australian Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Abbott.

Mr. Modi said he was aware that yoga was "enormously popular" in Australia.

Making the call to recognise yoga's contributions at the UN General Assembly on 27 September 2014, Mr. Modi said "yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well being."

"The fact that the United Nations General Assembly resolution on the commemoration of International Yoga Day was co-sponsored by 177 member nations and did not have to be voted upon, is testament to the universal recognition of the benefits of yoga in the context of the health challenges of the 21st century," added the High Commissioner.