International Yoga Festival kicks off in Rishikesh

Dehradun: Describing yoga as India's gift to the world, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the ancient Indian discipline of physical and spiritual well being had the power to bring the whole world together.

Inaugurating a week-long international yoga festival in Rishikesh, Rawat said, "It has been popularised across the world by its dedicated practitioners but Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts have helped it gain its pride of place internationally."

"Yoga has the power to connect. A gift from our great sage Maharshi Patanjali to the world, the exercise can cleanse hearts of all ill feelings and suffuse them with absolute positivity," he said.

Praising the prime minister for the steps he had taken to promote yoga internationally, Rawat said yoga alone can show the world the way to ultimate happiness.

Around 1,200 yoga enthusiasts and practitioners from the country and abroad have registered for the event which will conclude on March 7.

Earlier, the chief minister also visited Mahesh Yogi's Chaurasi Kutiya where international rock band Beatles had spent a couple of months in the 1960s learning transcendental meditation and composing songs.

The yoga festival is being organized by Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board in association with Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), where yoga enthusiasts from around the world will get a chance to experience the divine art of uniting mind, body and soul.

The week-long festival has been divided into 3 themes: 'Traditional Yoga' (Day 1 and 2), 'Contemporary Yoga' (Day 3 and 4) and 'Shakti – the power of creation' (Day 5-7). The last 3 days will be a celebration of divine feminine spirit, wherein prominent female spiritual figures and yoga practitioners will share their knowledge and conduct Shakti - the energy invoking sessions in a variety of yoga styles. Besides the yoga classes, various symposiums will be held on the topics, such as ‘Yoga for women’, ‘The Yogic way of Life’, etc.

Rishikesh is one of the most tranquil places in Uttarakhand, surrounded by hills and graced by the wide and sacred river Ganges. Rishikesh is also known as the 'Yoga Capital of the World'.