Washington, June 8: Indian spiritual leader Swami Avdheshanand Giri will lead the International Yoga Day celebrations in the US this year by attending a grand event at the iconic Times Square in New York.
The International Yoga Day has been celebrated in the US on June 21 every year since 2015.
“It is my distinct pleasure to invite you as Guest of Honour at “The Solstice Yoga”, the largest yoga festival in New York on the occasion of the 8th International Day of Yoga ….,” Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General of Indian Consulate in New York said in an invitation to the seer of the Juna Akhara, based in Haridwar.
“It would be an honour for us if you could join thousands of yoga enthusiasts from around the world and prominent members of the Indian American community of the dynamic and vibrant city of New York for the momentous celebrations of wholesome life at IDY 2022 “Yoga for Wellness”,” Jaiswal said.
The Indian spiritual leader, who is very popular among the Hindus globally and has a large following in the US, is slated to arrive on a week-long tour of North America next week, New York-based community leader Prem Bhandari said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Bhandari has established a 21-member organising committee to oversee the stay of the seer in the US.
Apart from the grant function at the iconic Times Square, the seer will also have an interaction with the community members in New Jersey and in Long Island, New York, following which he will be spending three days in Canada, Bhandari said.
“We are getting ready to celebrate International Yoga Day this year with Swami Avdheshanand Giri at the Times Square,” said Dinesh Gupta, one of the committee members.
Since its inception in 2015, several Indian spiritual leaders have led International Yoga Day celebrations in the US, prominent among them include Baba Ram Dev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev.
Over the past week, the Indian Embassy here has held a curtain raiser for the mega event at the National Mall, which is expected to be attended by thousands of yoga enthusiasts.
According to recent studies, there are 36 million Americans who practice yoga.
The number of yoga practitioners in the US has increased by more than 50 percent in the last four years.
As per the National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) 94 per cent of Americans who practice yoga say that they do it for wellness.
“Over 60 per cent of yoga users were motivated to exercise more regularly, with over 40 per cent of them being motivated to eat healthy. Over 55 per cent of yoga users have reported improved sleep, with 85 per cent reporting reduced stress,” the NCCIH said.
There are currently over 100,000 yoga teachers registered in the US.
“Over 12 per cent of yoga users have cut back or stopped drinking alcohol, while over 25 per cent have cut back or stopped smoking,” it added.
This year’s International Yoga Day will be celebrated in cities across the US, with preparations on in full swing in New York and other major cities such as Boston, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and Miami. (PTI)
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