Paris to host its third International Yoga Day
Yoga is garnering popularity globally and is actively supported by the Indian government as a soft power tool. After putting together a successful, free and open Yoga session for people at La Villette in 2016, the Embassy of India in Paris is coming up with yet another session on June 17 this year.
In September 2014 during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi put forward the idea of celebrating International Yoga Day. The proposal was readily accepted and the world celebrated its first International Yoga Day on June 21, 2015. The event was celebrated around the globe, with many yoga demonstrations organised criss-crossing many nations.
India, which is acknowledged as the birthplace of yoga, hosts a wide range of Yoga-themed events throughout the year, not only in the country but also overseas.
One such gathering is being organised by the Embassy of India in Paris. The free and open yoga session on June 17 at the Prairie du Triangle, La Villette 211, Avenue Jean Jaurès, aims to offer a unique collective yoga experience with thousands of people in the same movement, same respiration, at the same time and in the same rhythm.
No matter if you join in to discover Yoga or to develop your techniques further; whether you are a beginner or you have years of experience, the session is open for everyone.
A similar programme was organised last year on June 18 where around 1,500 enthusiasts and novices participated at the Parc de la Villette, which was an ideal way to promote the ancient practice of yoga and its Indian roots to the French. The session, helmed by Kiran Vyas – founder and head of Tapovan ayurveda and yoga centres in France – attracted a diverse audience, eager to pursue this beneficial practice.
As a healthy lifestyle gets trendy, practicing yoga positions for fitness or a more dedicated practice of a yogic lifestyle is gaining popularity. Yoga has also been inscribed on UNESCO’s representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as an ‘ancient Indian practice’.
To experience the invaluable benefits of yoga, learn to use yoga as a means of physical development and spiritual quest as well as to discover the ancient traditions of India, log in to http://journeeinternationaleduyoga.com/indexeng.php to register for the event.
Session schedule:
0900 hrs: Indian classical music
0930 hrs: Yoga asanas (positions)/postures and pranayama
1030 hrs: Dhyana – guided meditation