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Denpasar (Metrobali.com)-

The Consulate General of India in Bali will mark the Third International Day of Yoga (IDY) on 18th June 2017 by holding a Yoga session at the LapanganPuputanMargaranNiti Mandala, Denpasar at 6 am.

The event is being organized with the active support of the Administration of Bali Province, under the benevolence of the Hon’ble Governor of Bali, H.E. I Made Mangku Pastika, who has kindly consented to be the Chief Guest on the occasion. The event will also be attended by other prominent dignitaries.

The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, on 27th September 2014, espoused the benefits of Yoga and proposed the adoption of an International Yoga Day in his address to the United nations General Assembly (UNGA). To quote him:

“Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. This tradition is 5000 years old. It 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. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.”

The Hon’ble Prime Minister’s statement closely echoes the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana.

On 11th December 2014, 193 members of the UNGA approved a resolution put forward by India, with a record 175 co-sponsoring countries, to establish 21st June 2016 as the International Day of Yoga. In its resolution, the UNGA recognized that Yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well being and stressed the need for wider dissemination of the information about the benefits of practicing yoga for the health of the world population. Daily practice of Yoga results in disease prevention, promoting good health and management of many life-style disorders we see today.

Accordingly, on 21st June 2015, the world celebrated the International Day of Yoga. In India alone, almost 36,000 people from 84 countries performed yogasanas at the Raj Path in New Delhi. Two records entered the Guinness Book of World Records that day- the largest yoga class (35,985) and most number of nationalities participating in one sitting (84 nations). The world over, IDY 2015 was celebrated with great fervor and enthusiasm.

Prime Minister Modi has described yoga as a weapon to peace “The whole world wants peace, not only from wars and conflicts but also peace from stress. And we have yoga. If body is the temple of mind, then yoga creates a beautiful temple,” he said. He also said that is integrating the world today. He added that Yoga guarantees both wellness and fitness.This year, he has expressed a desire to have three generations of a family doing Yoga together and then taking a picture and uploading it on International Yoga Day.
The Government of India (Ministry of Ayush) is also conducting various contests in connection with IDY 2017. The list of contests are as below:

  • An article writing contest on ‘Benefit of Yoga for Antenatal Care’
  • An article writing contest on ‘Benefits of Yoga and The Alternate System of Medicine’
  • Poster Making competition  on Health Benefits of Yoga’ for students from class 1st to 5th
  • Poster Making competition  on Health Benefits of Yoga’ for students from class 6th to 12th
  • Benefits of Yoga for Cancer
  • Yoga and Naturopathy Quiz Contest
  • Benefits of Yoga for Depression
  • Contest for writing Article on Diabetic Care through Homeopathy
  • Caption contest link on Facebook
  • Caption contest link on Twitter
  • MyGov Contest Link
  • Essay Contest Link on Facebook
  • Prevention and management of diabetes through Ayurveda in context of modern lifestyle

The details are available at the following link http://ayush.gov.in/idy-contest

The Consulate General of India and the India Culture Centre in Bali has been observing the IDY in Bali for the last 2 years, with a great deal of success. Both events saw massive public participation, a sure indication of the popularity of yoga in Bali. The Consuklate aand the ICC gratefully acknowledge the active support of the Balinese administration, led by the Governor, H.E. I Made Mangku Pastika. We also acknowledge, with gratiturde, the  efforts put in by the volunteers and the support of the various sponsors to the event.

This year, as you are aware, 21st June 2017 falls on a Wednesday. In order to avoid causing inconvenience to the yoga enthusiasts and to ensure that they got an opportunity to participate in the event, we have decided to shift the event to the Sunday prior to that date, i.e. 18th June 2017 so that maximum people can benefit by participating in the event. We expect the participation this year to surpass last year’s figures, making it an even bigger success and to bring awareness of yoga being a path to both physical as well as emotional strength, to the people of this lovely island. RED-MB