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    NORTH AMERICAN Newsline                                                   JULY 03, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 22

             Om chants echo across Times Square

                                  on International Yoga Day

            OUR BUREAU
            New York, NY

                  oga practitioners gathered at New York’s
                  Times Square for the 12th edition of Solstice
            Yin Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga
            -- one of the world’s most striking annual wellness
            events and increasingly one of the most visible stag-
            es for India’s soft power abroad.
                The  day’s  first  session,  which  began  at  7:30
            am on Saturday, had participants stretching and
            balancing against a backdrop of flashing advertise-
            ments and the roar of Midtown traffic, a contrast
            that has become the event’s signature.
                Headlining this year’s International Day of
            Yoga  celebrations  was  Padma Dr  HR  Nagendra,
            president of S-VYASA University in Bengaluru
            and the man widely credited as the guiding force
            behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s person-
            al yoga practice. For many in the Indian diaspora
            gathered in New York, his presence lent the occa-
            sion both spiritual gravity and national pride.
               “Our honourable Prime Minister has brought
            this International Day of Yoga throughout the
            world, and the theme this year is ‘Yoga for Healthy
            Ageing’. That’s what all of us observe: that as we age,
            we should continuously become healthier day by
            day, day by day, and that’s the theme. And that can
            happen when we bring balance to the catabolic and
            anabolic rates that are there in our body. And the
            catabolic rate takes over normally in our age, and we
            have to reduce that. For that, very special pranaya-
            mas have also been developed by our ancient masters.
            And yoga is an ancient science which gives direction
            to modern science to go beyond the physical. To un-
            derstand what prana, mind, devotion, and intellect
            are and that which is beyond everything,” he said.
                Dr Nagendra’s visit was arranged at the invita-
            tion of the Rajasthan Association of North Amer-
            ica (RANA) and co-hosted by BRUHUD NY Se-
            niors and Jaipur Foot USA.                   Two of them went on to found Solstice in Times   registered, so that’s what we are expecting today,”
                Prem Bhandari, Chairman of Jaipur Foot USA   Square as a formal event. Over two decades, it   Consul General Pradhan said.
            and President of RANA New York, has organised   has grown into a full-day programme offering sev-  On performing yoga at Times Square, a partic-
            yoga programmes at some of America’s most     en free yoga classes, drawing practitioners from   ipant said, “This is my second time doing yoga at
            high-profile venues, including the United Nations   across New York and beyond.            Times Square... It is magical, but mainly it is about
            headquarters and Capitol Hill, for over a decade.  This year, the event was organised by the Indi-  gathering all the people from diverse backgrounds
               “This is of the country’s successful Prime Min-  an Consulate in New York, a sign of how firmly it   and ethnicities, coming together as one to raise the
            ister Narendra Modi; he was instrumental in the   has been woven into the fabric of official India-US   spiritual energy in New York and the world...”
            UN declaring 21st June as International Yoga Day.  cultural engagement.                       Another participant said, “Times Square is
            As the philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”,   “We have been celebrating International Day   so busy and getting to be a part of this communi-
            which the Honourable Prime Minister is also fol-  of Yoga at Times Square, and this year, the theme   ty and do yoga in the middle of it, we find peace,
            lowing, and we have been doing for thousands of   of Yoga Day is ‘Yoga for Healthy Ageing’. Gen-  grounding and some stillness in the chaos.”
            years. The world is one family; the whole world is   erally, I’ve been here for the last few years, and   The choice of date is not incidental. The Unit-
            one family. And never before has there been such a   on the last two occasions, we’ve seen more than   ed Nations declared 21 June the International Day
            need; there is a need for world peace,” Bhandari said.  10,000 people come and practise yoga at Times   of Yoga in 2014, following a proposal by Prime
                The origins of the Times Square yoga gather-  Square. And this year, we have been told by the   Minister Modi. The summer solstice, the longest
            ing are modest by any measure. On 21 June 2003,  organisers, which is Times Square Alliance, we   day of the year in the northern hemisphere, has
            three people unrolled their mats at sunrise in the   work with them; we do the Yoga Day with them.  since become a global marker of the practice India
            middle of one of the world’s busiest intersections.  This year, I think more than 12,000 people have   has long called its gift to the world.

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