This powerful message from International Yoga Day, observed every year on June 21, summed up the UN headquarters in New York on Friday while hundreds gathered to embrace the old holistic practice.
A familiar tradition now each year, the north lawn has once again transformed into an open -air yoga studio overlooking the East river. After a section of rainy and gray days, the sky was finally cleared, which makes it a brilliant and hot day.
And yoga enthusiasts, including diplomats, UN officials and staff, have fully enjoyed it, by unfolding their carpets – bodies and flexed spirits.
Peter Rogina, founder of Project Peace Lights, was delighted to return to headquarters and recalled with emotion the 2019 event, which was moved inside to the room of the general assembly due to the rain.
“I love the opportunity to practice with such a large group of people, energy is just amplified … And I also have my son with me, so to present this experience to him, I am also very excited.”
Lama Aria Drolma is a Buddhist teacher and a meditation expert.
A monastic Buddhist lama Aria Drolma comes to the UN each year to participate in the event. His path took him from the world of companies modeling to a more thoughtful place of inner peace and meditation.
“When I was a young child who grew up in India, I practiced yoga. It touches not only the body but also the soul. It is also very meditative. I find that yoga is one of the healthiest things we can all do to take care of our health. ”
‘A family’
The emphasis on personal well-being also highlighted the advantages of yoga beyond individuals to encompass the health of the whole planet.
Organized by the permanent mission of India at the UN in collaboration with the UN secretariat, the theme of this year’s event was, Yoga for land, health.
The ambassador of the permanent representative of India, P. Harish, noted how he underlines a vital truth: personal well-being and planetary health are deeply interconnected.
“By taking care of ourselves, we start to take care of the earth, reflecting the sustainable Indian ethics of Vasudhaiva KutumbakamOr the whole world is a family.
“The 11thth The edition of the Yoga Day offers us an opportunity to think about how yoga has become a world force for well-being, affecting people through age groups, geographies and horizons, “he added.
Echoing this, Didi Ananda Radhika Acchara of the Women’s Women Center of Ananda Marga stressed that more than a simple exercise, yoga is a way to discover the feeling of unity with yourself, the world and nature.
“Outside, we are our bodies, inside this is our mind. At the end inside, there is something that always witnesses us, observing us. It is our soul. Thanks to yoga, we can reach this interior space. When we immerse ourselves in the depths of our mind through yoga, we realize how connected we are all. ”
A symbol of hope
Participants on the lawn went from experienced practitioners to the first curious thirds, engaged in basic yoga asanas (poses), breathing techniques and stretching exercises.
Marking International Yoga Day at the UN headquarters in New York. (June 20, 2025)
The main highlight of the program was a meditation session guided by the famous doctor and a leading figure on integrative well-being, Dr. Deepak Chopra.
Marta Shedletsky of Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in New York attended the session in search of a feeling of community, trust – and hope. The place had a particular meaning to him.
“What’s going on in the world these days, with all the troubles and all the wars taking place, this place looks like a symbol of hope for a better future and the possibility of peace.”