Speeches
Speech of Ambassador H.E.Mr. Sailas Thangal at the celebration of International Day of Yoga on 23rd June 2019 at Latrille Events, Abidjan.
Posted on: June 23, 2019 | Back | Print
Excellence Monsieur Jean Marc Yace, Maire de Cocody,
Mesdames, Mesdemoiselles et Messieurs; chers-amis
It is an honour for me to be here & addressing this distinguished gathering of dignitaries, Diplomats, officials, Yoga Gurus, Yoga Lovers, friends of India & participants at this IDY Celebration 2019. At the outset let me take this opportunity to thank the Cote d’Ivoire govt for supporting International Day of Yoga. I pay my highest respect and gratitude to individuals and organisations that has been working and contributing in building Cote d’Ivoire-India friendship and cooperation.
I cannot express in words how happy I am to welcome all of you here today. Embassy of India in in Abidjan is organizing this event to promote our common cultural heritage. Yoga is a refined product of Indian civilisation and is an invaluable gift of ancient India to the world. This beautiful ancient art is being practiced by millions all over the world today.
I am particularly very happy to note that yoga is already immensely popular in this part of the world. I am sure many of you would know about yoga better than me. It is good for your health and is good for the spirit. And yoga does not discriminate; all people can practice, regardless of their strength, age or ability. I especially thanked Yoga Guru present here today for spreading the benefits of this Indian ancient art and for being the great cultural Ambassadors of Indian culture.
Since there are many Yoga Gurus here I would not like to speak so much about Yoga but would like to emphasize that Yoga is not a religion; it is a way of life that aims towards 'a healthy mind in a healthy body'. Human being is a physical, mental and spiritual being; practice of yoga helps promote a balanced development of all the three. The true essence of yoga revolves around achieving this balance through a series of physical and mental exercises. At the physical level, the methods comprise various yoga postures or asanas that aim to keep the body healthy. The mental techniques include breathing exercises or ‘pranayama’ and meditation or ‘dhyana’ to discipline the mind. Thus Yoga brings together physical and mental disciplines to achieve a peaceful body and mind that helps manage stress and anxiety and keeps you at ease.
Ladies and gentlemen, I once again warmly welcome all the participants and appeal to one and all to come & join the celebration of Yoga all over the world. As we celebrate IDY 2019, let us recall a few words from H.E. Prime Minister Modi, who remarked at the UN General Assembly that “Yoga is not just about exercise; Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and wellbeing. It is a way to discover the sense of oneness, with yourself, the world and nature”.
I also request all our media friends to kindly play a positive role in popularizing this important cultural event through your newspapers, magazine, social media network etc. With these few words I wish the IDY 2019 a great success and wish you all health and happy life.