Watch exclusive visuals of international day of yoga organised by hindu swayamsevak sangh in United States of America 2016
From Capitol Hill in the American Capital to the UN in New York, yoga events are being planned across US many cities where people are increasingly getting health conscious and look at yoga as an effective way to stay fit and healthy.
On the Second International Yoga Day, Jaggi Vasudev, also known as ‘Sadhguru’, would participate in a conversation and panel discussion on “Yoga for the Sustainable Development Goals.” The event will also include a musical incantation on Yoga by Tanya Wells, musician. Former Miss America Nona Davuluri would be the masters of ceremony.
Through a historic resolution, the UN General Assembly designated 21 June International Day of Yoga.
But the Yoga Day commemorations begins over the weekend, wherein yoga enthusiasts are planning to gather at small and big parks with their mats to flex their muscles under the guidance of trained yoga teachers.
Possibly for the first time, a classical dance programme is being organised at the lawns of the US Capitol in Washington DC.
Eminent artists would be presenting Indian classical dance forms — Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi and Mohiniattam.
The event is being organised by Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh in association with India International School & Cultural Center, with the support of Embassy of India.
The Indian Embassy here has planned a special screening of the award-winning documentary film about the father of Yoga in the West Awake: The Life of Yogananda on Tuesday, June 21.
Indian Consulates in New York, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco have joined hands with local community organisations to celebrate the International Day of Yoga.
A large number of yoga studios are offering free demonstration classes and giving incentives for people to join their classes.
Many churches too are organising special yoga classes on the occasion.
A huge “Christian Yoga” bill board could be seen outside a Church in a suburb of Washington DC.
Over the past few years, health conscious Americans see yoga as an effective tool to stay fit and healthy.
Given its popularity, even federal government including the Pentagon and a number of State governments are encouraging people to take up yoga.
Some of them have even allocated budgets for such free classes.
For instance, according to Congressional record just two agencies, the State Department and the Department of Energy in the last five years spent more than USD 168,000 on yoga and pilates
The Indian embassy partnered with the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) to celebrate the International Day of Yoga (IDY) at the Capitol Hill on Saturday. The HSS is affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has 150 branches across the U.S and organises weekly shakhas or assemblies where “physical and intellectual” training on the lines of traditional RSS shakhas in India is imparted.
The event at the West Lawns of the Capitol — the place where the inauguration ceremony of U.S. Presidents occurs — had various Indian classical dance performances, a yoga training session, and was attended by senior diplomats including Ambassador Arun K. Singh. Mr. Singh congratulated the organisers for the selection of the venue. The event was organised jointly with the India International School.
Mr. Singh recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress recently where he mentioned how yoga had become part of the cultural connect between the two countries. Nearly 30 million Americans practice yoga, Mr. Modi had said.
The UN declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga last year, following a diplomatic push by the Modi government. Promotion of yoga has become an objective of Indian foreign policy under Mr. Modi. Commentators call it an expansion of Indian soft power; conventional RSS volunteers say it is in line with the organisation’s vision for India as the ‘vishwa guru.’
The joint statement of India and the U.S. when Mr. Modi visited earlier this month had a paragraph on promoting yoga, healthy life style and moderating the intake of sugar and salt.
And Indian diplomat who did not want to be named said the HSS was only one of the several organisations that the embassy was partnering with for various events this week. “By having several small programmes at various locations around DC, we are trying to reach out to different crowds at different geographical locations,” he said.
He said other events have Patanjali Yogpeeth, Gayatri Parivar, Isha Foundation, and John Hopkins University as partners. The IDY last year was celebrated as a single event that had several Indian origanisations partnering, including the HSS.
Source: Youtube