Visakhapatnam: At a record-breaking yoga event here on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined that yoga was not only ensuring an individual a healthy mind and body but was uniting the world. “There is tension in the world with many regions facing unrest and instability. Yoga can guide the world from conflict to cooperation and from stress to solutions,” Modi said. “Yoga is the pause button that humanity needs to breathe, to balance, to become whole again,”
He recalled the moment when India proposed at the United Nations that June 21 be celebrated as the International Yoga Day. As many as 175 countries supported the proposal, a rare instance of such wide global unity. “Eleven years on, yoga has become an integral part of millions across the globe,” he pointed out, while leading the 11th International Yoga Day celebrations.
Modi congratulated Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, and minister Nara Lokesh for organising the Yogandhra project. He specially appreciated the efforts of Lokesh, for demonstrating how yoga could be a true social celebration and how every section of society could be included.
Speaking at the event, Naidu said that the state had set 23 records, two Guinness Records and 21 World Book of Records. He said said 3.03 lakh people gathered at one spot to perform yoga, a world record. On Friday, he said, 22,122 tribal students had simultaneously performed 108 Surya Namaskars for 108 minutes in one location, creating the second Guinness World Record, at Andhra University.
The Prime Minister underscored that “whether it was at the steps of the Sydney Opera House, the summit of Mount Everest, or the vast expanse of the ocean, the message was that yoga was for everyone, beyond boundaries, beyond backgrounds, and beyond age or ability.”
He noted that the day marked the beginning of the ancient practice for humanity, where inner peace becomes a global policy.
Modi pointed out that the theme of this year’s International Yoga Day was ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health’. “Human well-being depends on the health of the soil that grows food, on rivers that give water, and the health of animals that share the ecosystem and plants that nourish.”
Modi observed, “Yoga awakens us to this interconnectedness. Yoga leads us on a journey towards oneness with the world. It teaches that people are not isolated individuals but a part of nature. It takes us from Me to We. Let this Yoga Day mark the beginning of Yoga for humanity, where inner peace becomes global policy.”
The PM expressed pride in seeing how Divyang individuals were reading yogic texts in Braille and how scientists are practicing yoga in space. He noted the enthusiastic participation of youth from rural areas in Yoga Olympiads.
Expressing satisfaction at being in Visakhapatnam, describing the city as a confluence of nature and progress, he noted that more than two crore people have joined the Yogandhra Abhiyan, reflecting a vibrant spirit of public participation. The Prime Minister emphasised that this very spirit forms the bedrock of a Viksit Bharat.
He remarked that when citizens themselves take ownership of a mission and actively participate, no goal remains beyond reach. He stated that the people’s goodwill and enthusiastic efforts have been visible throughout the event in Visakhapatnam.
Narendra Modi referred to the Indian culture, stating that it teaches us the value of “Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah—the welfare of all is one’s sacred duty. It is this very thinking that fosters social harmony,” the PM stated.
Modi said the Yoga Certification Board had trained more than 6.5 lakh volunteers and recognised around 130 institutions and noted the inclusion of a 10-day yoga module in medical colleges as part of building a holistic wellness ecosystem.
This year, special contests such as Yoga with Family and youth-focused initiatives under Yoga Unplugged have been launched on platforms like MyGov and MyBharat, encouraging mass participation, said Modi.
