VIJAYAWADA, June 21 – Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for a renewed global commitment to peace and unity through yoga, urging the world to embrace “Yoga for Humanity 2.0,” where inner peace becomes a guiding principle in international affairs.
Addressing a gathering at the 11th International Yoga Day celebrations, Modi said, “Yoga leads us on a journey towards oneness with the world. It is not only a personal discipline but a collective bridge from ‘me to we’.”
He described yoga as “the pause button the world needs — a moment to breathe, reflect, and regain balance,” emphasizing its role in navigating the current global climate marked by rising tensions.
“When India proposed June 21 as International Yoga Day at the United Nations, 175 countries supported it within record time,” Modi noted. “Today, 11 years later, yoga is an integral part of the daily lives of crores around the globe. Whether at the Sydney Opera House, Mount Everest, or across the ocean, the message is clear: yoga is for everyone.”
He appealed to the global community to mark the day as the beginning of a new chapter. “Let this Yoga Day mark the beginning of Yoga for Humanity 2.0, where inner peace becomes global policy,” he said.
Following his address, the Prime Minister joined thousands of volunteers on the mat for a group yoga session.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who also addressed the event, lauded Modi’s efforts in taking yoga beyond borders. “The Prime Minister has transformed yoga into a global wellness movement,” Naidu said.
Naidu highlighted the scale of this year’s celebrations, stating that Yoga Day was being marked in more than 175 countries, across 12 lakh locations, with the participation of over 10 crore people worldwide.
“India has gifted something timeless to the world,” Naidu added. “Yoga is no longer just a tradition — it is now a global language of wellbeing.”
