New Delhi, June 21 (IANS) Yoga is a time-tested and holistic approach to wellness, said Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday.

Pradhan said this while participating in a yoga session for the International Day of Yoga, under the theme ‘One Earth, One Health’, near the riverfront at Maa Samaleswari Temple Complex, in Odisha’s Sambalpur. Officials, dignitaries, and residents of Sambalpur also joined him at the session.

“As the time-tested and holistic approach to wellness, Yoga is India’s gift to the world,” Pradhan said. He expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his persistent effort to make yoga a global mass movement and a tool for global harmony and peace.

Pradhan urged everyone, especially the young generation, to embrace Yoga for health and well-being.

Ministry of Education also organised mass yoga sessions at the Delhi University Convention Centre and three other iconic locations, Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya, Bihar; Mysuru Palace, Mysuru, Karnataka; and Somanathapura Temple premises, Somanathapura, Karnataka.

The 11th International Day of Yoga is being celebrated across the country and globe with great enthusiasm and collective spirit.

This year, the global theme for International Yoga Day is “Yoga for One Earth, One Health” which highlights the profound interconnection between individual well-being and planetary health.

Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated that the essence of an asana (yoga posture) lies in maintaining a stable and healthy body. He participated in a mass yoga event at the Pusa Campus, New Delhi.

Sharing his journey, Chouhan recounted a life-changing experience from 1998, when he suffered serious injuries in a severe accident that impacted eight parts of his body.

“At that time, I could not even imagine walking again,” he said. “But it was yoga that played a pivotal role in my recovery. Today, I am able to lead a healthy, normal life free from the lasting effects of those injuries thanks to the transformative power of yoga.’

Chouhan urged individuals to treat yoga not as a one-day ritual, but as a consistent practice that promotes long-term well-being.

The yoga day also saw a grand celebration at Purana Qila, Qutub Minar Complex, and other iconic ASI-protected monuments, reinforcing the significance of yoga as a national movement.

–IANS

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