“Yoga Is the Pause Button Humanity Needs”: PM Modi at Yoga Day in Vizag
GG News Bureau
Visakhapatnam, 21st June: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday led the 11th International Day of Yoga (IDY) celebrations from the coastal city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, addressing a massive gathering and emphasizing yoga’s universal appeal and transformative potential. Joined by nearly five lakh participants at the beachfront, the Prime Minister performed the Common Yoga Protocol and delivered a rousing message of unity, well-being, and global harmony through yoga.
“Yoga has united the world. It is not just an exercise but a way of life that connects us with nature and each other,” said PM Modi, as he recalled how 175 countries had supported India’s proposal at the United Nations in 2014, leading to the global recognition of June 21 as International Yoga Day.
Reflecting on this year’s theme — Yoga for One Earth, One Health — the Prime Minister said it underscores the deep interdependence between human well-being and planetary health. “Yoga leads us from ‘Me to We’. It is a system that shows we are not isolated, but part of a larger ecosystem,” he noted. He described yoga as “the pause button humanity needs—to breathe, to balance, to become whole again,” and appealed to the world to adopt “Yoga for Humanity 2.0”, where “Inner Peace becomes Global Policy.”
India’s Yoga Mission Gathers Momentum
The event saw an overwhelming response not only in Visakhapatnam but also at over 3.5 lakh locations nationwide. The Prime Minister lauded Andhra Pradesh’s state-wide Yogandhra Abhiyan, which mobilized over two crore people in the lead-up to IDY. Praising Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, and Minister Nara Lokesh, Modi called their efforts a “true social celebration” that showed how yoga could bring every section of society together.
“Public participation is the foundation of Viksit Bharat. When citizens become stakeholders in missions like yoga, no goal is out of reach,” said the Prime Minister, praising the vibrant spirit on display.
Scientific Approach, Global Reach
PM Modi highlighted how India is backing yoga’s ancient wisdom with modern science. Institutions like AIIMS are now conducting studies on yoga’s role in treating cardiac and neurological diseases, and enhancing women’s and mental health. He emphasized that under the National Ayush Mission and digital tools like the Yoga Portal, over one million yoga events have been documented, spreading the practice far and wide.
To further globalize India’s wellness model, the Prime Minister announced e-Ayush visas to facilitate international travel for holistic health care in India and emphasized that yoga is a key pillar in the rising popularity of “Heal in India.”
Transforming Yoga into a People’s Movement
PM Modi urged citizens across the world to adopt yoga not just as a personal discipline but as a public movement. “Yoga should guide us from conflict to cooperation, and from stress to solutions,” he stated. He also renewed his call to reduce oil consumption in daily diets by 10% as part of a nationwide healthy living initiative, linking it with yoga and balanced nutrition.
“Let yoga become the thread that weaves humanity together. Let this International Yoga Day ignite a global resolution — Yoga for One Earth, One Health,” the Prime Minister concluded.
Among those present at the event were Andhra Pradesh Governor Syed Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, and Union Ministers including Rammohan Naidu, Prataprao Jadhav, Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, and Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma.
