Washington [US], June 18 (ANI): A large number of people on Saturday participated in a Yoga session at the Washington Monument organized by the Indian Embassy, ahead of International Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 21.

The Embassy of India in Washington DC celebrated the 8th International Day of Yoga on Saturday at the iconic Washington Monument, with the theme "Yoga for Humanity".

Director of the US National Science Foundation (NSF) Dr Sethuraman Panchanathan was the guest of honour at the event. A large number of people from different walks of life including the US administration, congress, industry, diplomatic Corps, media and the Indian diaspora participated in the celebrations.

Addressing the event, Ambassador of India to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu stated that yoga is an enhancer of physical, mental, spiritual and intellectual well-being. In the emerging post-covid scenario, yoga is helping in building resilience, health, togetherness, compassion and happiness.

In the United States, yoga is deepening the vital people-to-people link and connect which is at the core of the India - US bilateral partnership guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden.

In his remarks, NSF Director Dr Panchanathan underlined that yoga has been the greatest gift of India to the world and that yoga was a strong uniting force across geographies and boundaries. He added that science and yoga are in synergy towards the prosperity of mind and body. As part of the celebrations, a common Yoga protocol session was conducted, which saw enthusiastic participation from those present.

All the five Consulates of India in the US namely New York, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, and San Francisco are also holding various programs to mark the International Day of Yoga 2022.

These include events at the iconic Times Square in New York, Niagara Falls, Golden Gate National Park in San Francisco, California Museum, Sacramento, Crown Point Park in San Diego, Newtown Park in Atlanta, Grant Park in Chicago, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial of North Texas in Dallas, Discovery Green in Houston and River Walk in San Antonio.

In the run-up to IDY 2022, several curtain raiser events were organized by the Embassy and Consulates across the United States with the active participation and support of community organizations and Yoga enthusiasts, and coinciding with the celebrations of 75 years of India's Independence as 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'. (ANI)