Thousands of people will practice yoga worldwide on June 21 to celebrate the first International Day of Yoga, approved by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last December.
In Beijing, around 500 Yoga practitioners will participate in a group yoga demonstration at Peking University with yoga clubs advocating for free workshops for yoga amateurs.
The event will also be celebrated in more than 12 Chinese cities including Tianjin, Qingdao, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Kunming, Xiamen, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Wenzhou and Ningbo, in association with local government bodies and various yoga institutes.
The International Day of Yoga has been promoted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He called for making yoga a mass movement, connecting people and strengthening the bonds of humanity.
The 193 members of the UNGA approved Modi's proposal to establish the date by a consensus with a record 177 co-sponsoring countries, including China, according to the Embassy of India in Beijing.
In its resolution, the UNGA recognized that yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being. They also acknowledged the need of wider dissemination of information about the benefits of practicing yoga for the health of the world population. Yoga also brings harmony in all walks of life and thus, is known for disease prevention, health promotion and management of many lifestyle-related disorders. |