UN General Assembly reverberates with chants of 'Om' to mark International Yoga Day

In a first of its kind yoga celebration, the iconic UN General Assembly hall reverberated with chants of 'Om', 'Shanti' as UN officials and diplomats joined hundreds others to commemorate the International Yoga Day with the underlying message of yoga's valuable contribution in addressing climate change and promoting tolerance and peace.

The General Assembly hall, where world leaders come together every year for the high-level UN session, was packed with UN diplomats, officials, yoga gurus and practitioners, children and people from various backgrounds as India's Permanent Mission to the UN organised the commemoration of the 5th International Day of Yoga Thursday.

It was the first time a grand yoga event was held inside the iconic UNGA hall, five years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi first proposed to mark June 21 as International Yoga Day in his 2014 address to the annual General Debate from the famed General Assembly podium.

The event 'Yoga with the Gurus', with the theme of Yoga for Climate Action' began with Prime Minister Modi's video message on Yoga Day, where he spoke about how yoga has connected the entire world in the present century.

Addressing the large gathering, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said the essence of yoga is balance, "not only within us but also in our relationship with humanity."
"I hope this indoor Yoga session, in the General Assembly Hall, the first of its kind, will reinforce the values of a cleaner, greener and more sustainable future that all you Yogis are committed to."
India's Permanent Mission kick-started its Yoga Day celebrations Wednesday with a special event during which the United Nations headquarters was lit up with postures of the Surya Namaskar' and the message of Yoga for Climate Action.'