The 10th International Yoga Day was celebrated around the world on June 21. In Tokyo, the Indian Embassy organized an early morning yoga event at the Tsukiji Hongwanji temple. Despite the rain, around 1,100 yoga enthusiasts gathered on the temple grounds.
Under the guidance of instructors, participants stretched and practiced yoga breathing techniques. Inadvertently, we also acquired the skill of doing standing yoga while holding an umbrella.
The Spirit of International Yoga Day
The day began with gray skies, and it was already raining by the time the event started. Sibi George, the Indian Ambassador to Japan, expressed his gratitude to all who attended. "Let me begin by saying rain or shine, yoga, rain or shine, yoga," he repeated.
The ambassador also said, "India, Japan, friendship, rain or shine," and, "Peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, rain or shine."
International Yoga Day was established by the United Nations with the support of 177 member states. It aims to improve the connection between mind and body through yoga and create a healthier, happier, and stress-free future.
Cleansing the Spirit
The participants around me, who were mostly women, reflected on the experience. One said, "I enjoyed it despite the unfortunate weather." Another said, "It was my first time doing yoga with an umbrella, and it felt like my mind was cleansed."
My first yoga experience left me soaked, but with my umbrella in hand, I prayed that all of our hearts would be at peace, rain or shine.
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: Yasuo Naito, Editor in Chief, JAPAN Forward
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