Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in Yoga Day celebrations at Kolkata's Red Road on Sunday, June 21. He was joined by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and several ministers, including Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul and Dipak Barman.
PM Modi, dressed in a white T-shirt and white pants, performed the exercises with the participants at the venue.
The official theme for the 12th International Day of Yoga is "Yoga for Healthy Ageing". This year's focus highlights yoga's potential in improving not just lifespan, but "healthspan"—promoting vitality, emotional resilience, and mobility as we grow older, the government said in a release on June 1.
In an address during the event, PM Modi said, "When we speak of yoga for healthy ageing, we can work to ensure that age does not reduce human potential."
Highlighting the importance of Yoga, the Prime Minister said, "Yoga is not only essential for our personal lifestyle today. Yoga is also a necessity for a better future for the world...We will not limit yoga to just one day, we will not limit yoga to just one program, we will make yoga a part of our lives"
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While emphasising on the significance of healthy ageing, PM Modi said, "When we speak of Yoga for healthy ageing, it means that we can work to ensure that age does not reduce human potential. Yoga can help human life aspire for constant growth. Our target must be to be more flexible at 40 than we were at 20. Our target must be to be more energetic at 50 than we were at 30...Yoga helps us tune our bodies to be flexible. It keeps our energy level high."
He added, "It also helps us maintain a calm, stress-free life...With regular practice, yoga teaches us to remain lifelong learners of our own bodies and minds. The more we know about ourselves, the better we can manage ourselves. That is why Yoga for Healthy Ageing, this theme must be seen as one for people of all ages, not just for the elderly"
Highlighting the importance of the day, PM Modi said, "June 21, which marks the longest day on Earth, has now become the largest community celebration day because of yoga. Yoga brings people together. I congratulate the people of the world on this occasion."
PM Modi also advocated people to not restrict yoga to only particular occasions, but to make it a part of everybody's daily lives. "Yoga is not just physical exercise. It is not restricted to any age group. It is an expression of the human spirit," he said.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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