Addressing the event, Dr. G.B Harisa, First Secretary and Director of the Sagoami Vivekanada Cultural Center at the Indian Embassy, highlighted the significance of Yoga in human life, saying the practice originating from India enables people to discover their own inner world physically, mentally and spiritually. He called on people to practice Yoga for peace, harmony and health globally.
Vuong Hai Yen, Vice Director of the Thanh Hoa provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Thanh Hoa is proud to play host to this year’s national festival on the theme Journey to Thanh Hoa’s heritage centre.
We hope this year’s festival is to popularize Yoga as a useful sport and at the same time to explore heritage values of Thanh Hoa province so as to develop local tourism, Yen said.
At the ceremony, Yoga practitioners demonstrated performances, from basic to complex exercises inside the provincial sport competition hall. Despite the hot weather, they enthusiastically displayed tactical skills, winning thunderous applause from spectators.
The United Nations General Assembly declared June 21 as International Day of Yoga (IDY) in 2014 on the request by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to UN General Assembly on September 27, 2014.
