In his remarks, Gupte said: “Since last year, we resumed celebrating IDY in a non-virtual manner after the decline in the number of infected cases and the huge vaccination drives everywhere in the world.”

“The need for yoga has never been so relevant to people’s life like today, as the spread of the pandemic resulted in feelings of pressure, anxiety, and isolation among people. So, it is important to promote our mental, inner, and spiritual peace while maintaining our physical fitness via various yoga exercises. Moreover, yoga helps improve the efficiency of lungs through its breathing techniques,” he added.

In the run up to the eighth IDY 2022, the embassy organised curtain raisers in Alexandria at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina on 12 June, and in Sharm El-Sheikh at Sharm El-Sheikh Museum on 14 June, as well as in Luxor at Karnak Temple on 19 June.

This is in addition to a number of yoga workshops that were organised by the embassy at the Heliopolis, Al-Shams, and Arab Contractors Sporting Clubs.

Yoga is the valuable gift of the ancient Indian civilisation to the world. It addresses spiritual, mental, and physical aspects, helping people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, which enhances harmony between mind, soul, and body.

The UN issued a decision in 2014 — upon a proposal submitted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — marking the 21st of June as the IDY in recognition of the significance and benefits of yoga. The decision was co-sponsored by 177 UN member states, including Egypt — a record number.

The objective behind the decision was to increase awareness regarding the valuable benefits of yoga and globally promote adopting a healthy and peaceful lifestyle based on it.