On the picture H.E. Mr J.S. Mukul, Ambassador of India to the Netherlands.
The Embassy of India and the Gandhi Centre, Cultural Wing of the Embassy, organised a massive event commemorating the International Day of Yoga 2016 (IDY 2016).
H.E. Mr J.S. Mukul, Ambassador of India to the Netherlands, and his spouse Mita Mukul led more than six hundred people on a Saturday morning to practice a healthy yoga session at The Hague City Hall Atrium.
Yoga has become immensely popular and is now practised by more 200 million people worldwide, including more than 100 million in India and 37.7 million in the U.S.
On arrival, guests were greeted with the almost futuristic sight of hundreds of yoga mats, all in the same colors and symmetrically positioned, filling up the huge atrium of the City Hall.
Each guest was given a healthy goody bag from the counter by the Embassy staff with two fruits, a bottle of water, a brochure on the Gandhi Centre and a t-shirt promoting International Yoga Day 2016.
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Dutch civil servants, business people, representatives from the Indian diaspora, yoga lovers and novices alike all got at the same rhythm into the yoga mat to breath, and stretch under the direction of Mr. Amit Khanna, the Yoga Teacher at the Gandhi Centre.
Yoga, a 5,000-year-old physical, mental and spiritual practice having its origin in India, aims to transform body and mind. The word ‘yoga’ which derives from Sanskrit means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness.
The United Nations recognized the universal appeal of yoga through the Adoption of its Resolution 69/131 on the International Day of Yoga.
The declaration came after the call for the adoption of the same by Indian Prime Minister during his address to UN General Assembly on September 27, 2014 in which he stated: “Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and nature.”
Ambassador Mukul addressed the gathering on the significance of Yoga Day for India and the value of practising yoga for health and wellbeing.
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, spoke by video conference to every nation in the world celebrating Yoga Day on 18 June. Deputy Mayor Rabin Baldewsingh was also present and gave encouraging words to the hundreds of attendees before the session began.
The Secretary General to the United Nations stated that through the Adoption of the UN Resolution on the International Day of Yoga, “the General Assembly has recognized the holistic benefits of this timeless practice and its inherent compatibility with the principles and values of the United Nations”.
He further stated: “Yoga offers a simple, accessible and inclusive means to promote physical and spiritual health and well-being. It promotes respect for one’s fellow human beings and for the planet we share. And yoga does not discriminate; to varying degrees, all people can practice, regardless of their relative strength, age or ability.”
After two hours of training, professor Khanna thanked the audience and invited all to practise Yoga regularly.
