Indians stretch, breathe and balance to mark International Day of Yoga
NEW DELHI (AP) — Tens of thousands of people across India stretched in public parks and on sandy beaches Saturday to mark the 11th International Day of Yoga.
The mass yoga sessions were held in many Indian states, where crowds attempted various poses and practiced breathing exercises. Indian military personnel also performed yoga in the icy heights of Siachen Glacier in the Himalayas and on naval ships anchored in the Bay of Bengal.
Similar sessions were planned in countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.
'I feel that yoga keeps us spiritually fit, mentally fit and helps us manage stress. That's why I feel that people should take out at least 30 minutes every day for yoga to keep themselves fit,' said Rajiv Ranjan, who participated in an event in the Indian capital of New Delhi.
Yoga is one of India's most successful cultural exports after Bollywood. It has also been enlisted for diplomacy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has harnessed it for cultural soft power as the country takes on a larger role in world affairs.
Modi persuaded the U.N. to designate the annual International Day of Yoga in 2014. The theme this year was 'Yoga for One Earth, One Health.'
Modi performed yoga among a seaside crowd in the southern city of Visakhapatnam city, and said 'Yoga leads us on a journey towards oneness with world.' Amid a checkerboard of yoga mats covering the beach, Modi took his spot on a mat and did breathing exercises, backbends and other poses.
'Let this Yoga Day mark the beginning of Yoga for humanity 2.0, where inner peace becomes global policy,' he said.
As Modi has pushed yoga, ministers, government officials and Indian military personnel have gone on social media to show themselves folding in different poses.
In capital New Delhi, scores of people from all walks of life and age groups gathered at the sprawling Lodhi Gardens, following an instructor on stage.
'Yoga for me is like balancing between inner world and outer world,' said Siddharth Maheshwari, a startup manager who joined the event.
In Malaysia, more than a thousand people, from yoga enthusiasts to first-timers, showed up for a session at the Batu Caves, a popular tourist attraction and site of Hindu festivals on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. People of all ages, including children, exercised next to a giant golden statue of a Hindu God and the rainbow-colored steps that lead to the temple cave.
The event was organized by the Indian High Commission in Malaysia.
'It has been really good and relaxing for the mind body and soul,' said Lee Ann.
___
Associated Press journalist Syawalludin Zain contributed to this report from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
After screwworm scare, US-Mexico border set to reopen for cattle imports
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico and the United States said they would gradually reopen the United States border to cattle imports from Mexico in July after U.S. agriculture officials suspended them in May over fears of the northward spread of the screwworm, agriculture officials in both countries said Monday. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said via X that 'key progress' had been made. She noted that more than 100 million sterile flies were being dispersed weekly and there had been no northward spread in eight weeks. The U.S. restricted Mexican cattle shipments in late November following the detection of the pest, but lifted the ban in February after protocols were put in place to evaluate the animals prior to entry into the country. But after an 'unacceptable northward advancement' of the screwworm, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement it was suspending them again in May. Mexico Agriculture and Rural Development Secretary Julio Berdegué said he participated in a virtual meeting with Rollins Monday and that the border opening would begin July 7. Rollins and Berdegué applauded the close cooperation between both governments. The screwworm is a larva of the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly that can invade the tissues of any warm-blooded animal, including humans. The parasite enters the skin, causing serious and life-threatening damage and lesions.
Hamilton Spectator
10 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Rejected by his mother, a rare wild Asian horse foal finds a new mom in a grieving domestic mare
APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (AP) — An endangered wild Asian horse foal is thriving thanks to an unlikely hero. Marat, a Przewalski's horse, fell critically ill soon after his birth at the Minnesota Zoo nearly two months ago. He survived thanks to intensive care. But his mother rejected him when he returned. His future looked grim until Alice, a domestic Pony of the Americas who'd recently lost her newborn, accepted him as her own. Veterinarians say this is one of the first times this kind of surrogacy has been tried with Asian wild horses, and his caregivers couldn't be happier. Zoo staffers picked the name Marat because it means 'one who is brave,' and he's had to be brave from such a young age Przewalski's are considered the only remaining truly wild horse species. They were declared extinct in the wild in the 1960s, with just a few surviving in zoos. But they've since been reestablished on the steppes of Mongolia and China, with some in Russia and Ukraine. Since fewer than 2,000 exist today, each foal is critical to the species' survival. 'Being one of the true wild horses left in the world, behaviorally, they are a little bit different,' said Dr. Randy Kochevar, the zoo's chief animal care officer. They've never been truly domesticated, and they're shorter and stockier than familiar breeds, he said. Marat was born with some limb problems that made it hard for him to stand up straight, said Dr. Annie Rivas, the zoo's director of animal health. 'And because he was struggling to keep up with Mom in the herd, he was spending a lot of time lying down on the ground and unfortunately developed bacterial sepsis. So he was very, very sick,' Rivas said. The University of Minnesota's equine intensive care unit nursed him back from his pneumonia and wounds. But it wasn't unusual that his first-time mom, Nady, would refuse to take him back. 'That left us with, 'What are we going to do with this foal?'' Rivas said. 'We could hand-rear him, but we're not going to be the ones who are the best at teaching them how to be a horse — especially a wild horse.' Fortunately, they found Alice, a gentle mare who was still grieving her own foal but immediately started nurturing Marat and allowing him to nurse. 'It was really kind of a perfect fairy-tale ending. ... They just bonded like that,' Rivas said. Integrating Marat into the complex social hierarchies of a wild herd will be the next challenge, she said, but Alice is helping Marat learn how to behave with other horses. They'll probably stay together for a few more months. They want him to join the zoo's adult Przewalski's herd before he's too old. 'He is definitely a wild horse,' Rivas said. 'One, he is a stallion, so he's already got a big personality from that. But he is also a little more wild than you would expect a domestic horse foal to be at this point in his life. And he is trying to show me that he's the boss, he's in charge, he's dominant. So he's trying to step up, kick, assert his dominance over me.' ___ Karnowski reported from Minneapolis. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
14 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Supreme Court throws out appellate rulings in favor of transgender people in 4 states
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday threw out appellate rulings in favor of transgender people in four states following the justices' recent decision upholding a Tennessee ban on certain medical treatment for transgender youths. But the justices took no action in cases from Arizona, Idaho and West Virginia involving the participation of transgender students on school sports teams. The court could say as soon as Thursday whether it will take up the issue in its next term. The high court ordered appellate judges to reexamine cases from Idaho, North Carolina, Oklahoma and West Virginia involving access to medical care and birth certificates. The action was unsurprising because the court had set the cases aside until after it decided the Tennessee case, as typically happens when the same legal issue is being considered. The rulings all included findings that the restrictions on transgender people imposed by the states violate the Constitution's equal protection clause. In the Tennessee case, the Supreme Court ruled that there was no constitutional violation in a state law prohibiting puberty blockers and hormone therapy to treat gender dysphoria in people younger than 18. The justices ordered the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, to review its decision that West Virginia's and North Carolina's refusal to cover certain health care for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance is discriminatory. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will get back a case from Idaho stemming from the state's ban on certain surgical procedures for Medicaid recipients. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver will review its ruling blocking an Oklahoma ban on people changing their gender on birth certificates. In one other case, from Kentucky, the justices rejected the appeal of transgender minors and their families challenging that state's ban on gender-affirming care. ___
