Adityanath practices yoga with Baba Ramdev ahead of International Yoga Day

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Ram Naik on Wednesday joined yoga guru Baba Ramdev in a yoga practice session for the upcoming 'Yoga Diwas' or International Yoga Day which is to be held on June 21.

Naik, Adityanath and Baba Ramdev performed various yogic postures or asanas together.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Adityanath are expected to participate in the International Yoga Day event to be held in Lucknow on June 21 along with 50,000 other yoga practitioners.

State Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar, a joint secretary of Ministry of AYUSH and other officials recently took part in a preparatory meeting for the event that is to be held under the auspices of the Centre and the state government.

Senior citizens, aanganwadi workers and around 500 divyangs are expected to participate in the International Day of Yoga celebrations.

The participants will be given bottles of mineral water and monogrammed T-shirts to highlight the event and its significance.

Urging the nation to make Yoga an essential part of their lives to remain stress-free, Prime Minister Modi in his radio address 'Mann ki Baat' had said last month that Yoga is the only thing that has the potential of uniting the world.

"June 21 has become one of the known dates across the world. The entire world celebrates International Day of Yoga. In a very short span of time, the message of yoga has spread to every corner of the world. Yoga is integrating the world today. Through yoga, India as a whole has successfully started connecting the world," the Prime Minister said in his 32nd ' Mann Ki Baat' address on May 28.

The world will celebrate the third International Day of Yoga on June 21.

It has been celebrated annually since its inception in 2015. An International Day for Yoga was declared unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on December 11, 2014

-ANI