Washington: India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra highlighted yoga’s journey from an ancient Indian tradition to a globally embraced practice.

We are celebrating the 12^th International Day of Yoga at Lincoln Memorial, on Friday morning, he said. In his address at the Yoga Day he said that the International Day of Yoga was declared by United Nations in 2014 through a resolution, through a UN resolution, which was supported by about 175 countries all over the world

It is a celebration of ancient Indian heritage yoga, which is universally adopted and widely practiced across different geographies, different societies, different beliefs and different religions, he said. Throughout the morning, participants followed instructors through a sequence of postures and breathing exercises. Some sat cross-legged in meditation with folded hands, while others practiced stretches facing the Reflecting Pool, creating a striking scene framed by Washington’s best-known monuments.

Among them was Nagesh Borse, Chief Data Officer at the District of Columbia Department of Health, who said yoga had transformed his daily life.

Hundreds of yoga enthusiasts gathered at the Lincoln Memorial on Friday morning as the Embassy of India marked the 12^th International Day of Yoga. Washington’s most iconic landmarks into a sprawling open-air yoga arena overlooking the National Mall.

Against the backdrop of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, participants spread colourful yoga mats across the memorial plaza and moved through a series of breathing exercises, stretches and meditation sessions.

The crowd included members of the Indian diaspora, local residents, yoga teachers, health enthusiasts and first-time participants, many wearing commemorative T-shirts bearing the theme of this year’s observance, Yoga for Healthy Ageing.