June 24, 2015 Many of us know that June 21st was father’s day, but did you know it was also International Yoga day? Well United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon definitely did; he was one of hundreds of people who took part in the activities marking the day at the UN visitor plaza.
The Secretary General had some things to say about the day in his keynote address in New York.
“This is a wonderful addition to the United Nations calendar. I commend the His Excellency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the government of India for taking this initiative to spread the practice of yoga far and wide across the world,”
“Yoga is already immensely popular around the world. It’s good for your health. It’s good for the spirit. And yoga does not discriminate to varying degrees, all people can practice regardless of their strength, age or ability,”
Also present at the event was Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who led those present through a yoga drill after talking about the benefits of the practice to individuals and in the world:
“Every child is entitled to a violence free society and yoga can provide us that. The violence free society, disease free body, stress free mind, inhibition free intellect, drama free memory, and sorrow free soul is the birth right of every child, every individual,”
The U.N. General Assembly established the day, at the request of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year.