Leading the 10th International Yoga Day celebrations in Srinagar on Friday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that yoga has gained global significance as a power for good and an increasing number of people across the world are embracing it.

“The world is looking at yoga as a powerful agent of global good. Yoga helps us live in the present moment without the baggage of the past”, Modi said.

Heavy rainfall in the early morning disrupted the Modi led International Yoga Day events on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar.

Modi was supposed to lead the celebrations on the lawns of the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on the banks of the Dal Lake, but the plan got upset due to rains. More than 7000 men, women and students were supposed to perform Yoga with the Prime Minister at 6.30 am.

There were predictions of heavy rain in the valley and it was challenging to hold outdoor yoga sessions. Modi was seen taking selfies with students after the yoga session.

The Prime Minister expressed gratitude for being present in Jammu & Kashmir, the land of “Yog and Sadhna”, on the occasion of International Day of Yoga. “The atmosphere, energy and experience from yoga can be felt in Jammu & Kashmir today”

“All world leaders show a keen interest in yoga during their interactions with me”. He asserted that yoga has become a part of daily life in every corner of the world. So far, 1.5 crore German citizens have become yoga practitioners”, Modi said.

Touching upon the changing notions about yoga due to its expansion in the last 10 years, the Prime Minister talked about a new Yoga Economy. He mentioned the growing attraction for yoga tourism and people’s desire to visit India to learn authentic yoga.

He also mentioned yoga retreats, resorts, dedicated facilities for yoga at airports and hotels, yoga apparel and equipment, personal yoga trainers, and companies carrying out yoga and mindfulness wellness initiatives. All these are creating new avenues of employment for the youth, he added.

“Yoga is scripting new pathways of positive change in the society”, he said. The Prime Minister recalled inaugurating a Yoga Centre during his visit to Turkmenistan in 2015 and that yoga has become extremely popular in the country today. He further informed that State Medical Universities in Turkmenistan have included yoga therapy, Saudi Arabia has made it a part of their education system and Mongolian Yoga Foundation is running many yoga schools.

The Prime Minister lauded the enthusiasm of the people of Jammu & Kashmir, especially Srinagar, towards yoga and said that it provides a platform to boost the tourism of the Union Territory. He also praised the spirit of the people to come out and show their support despite the rainy weather conditions.

“Association of 50,000 to 60,000 people with yoga programmes in Jammu & Kashmir is huge”, he added. The Prime Minister thanked the people of Jammu & Kashmir for their support and participation and conveyed his best wishes to all Yoga enthusiasts from around the world.

Meanwhile, the Day was also celebrated in the cold desert UT of Ladakh. Army troops and men of the paramilitary forces exercised yoga at the Siachen Glacier and at the Pangong Lake near the Line of Actual Control with China.