Slovenia celebrates International Yoga Day

More than 2,000 people in cities and towns across Slovenia performed yoga to mark International Yoga Day on Sunday.

The celebration was jointly organised by nearly 100 yoga schools dotting this picturesque central European nation, the Indian embassy here said, adding that a "joint organisational committee" undertook the task "with the clear vision not to promote any particular school, master or tradition, but rather the cause 'yoga as union of body, mind and soul'".

Enthusiastic practitioners performed the "common yoga protocol" between 10.45 a.m. and 11.40 a.m. after a successful media campaign on radio, TV and print media to motivate participation of all ages. A website -- "www.joga-festival.si" -- and a Facebook group -- "Mednarodni dan joge-21 junij" -- were created by the committee members for this purpose.

The International Yoga Day celebrations in Slovenia were initiated by the AYUSH Information Centre of Slovenia on June 9 with a curtain-raiser public lecture 'Scientific Basis of Yoga', by Professor Rakesh Giri of Gurukul Kangri university at the Ethnographic Museum of Slovenia in the capital.

Slovenia, which was among the 177 countries that supported the UN resolution establishing the annual International Day of Yoga, has also sent a three-member delegation to participate in the June 21-22 International Yoga Conference at New Delhi.