Officials and staff members of Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Ministry of Civil Aviation performed Yoga to mark the fifth International Yoga Day at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday.
Among the practitioners were Secretary of Civil Aviation Pradeep Singh Kharola and Chairman of Airports Authority of India, Guruprasad Mohapatra, who performed this ancient Indian practice under the guidance of an instructor.
"Today we celebrate the 5th International Yoga Day. All the officials and secretaries are also gathered here. As we all know, Yoga is for peace and harmony. It helps in inspiring everyone to work hard in the day to day life. My message for everyone is to live with a healthy lifestyle," said Kharola.
The special session was also attended by the families of AAI officials, who pledged to practice Yoga every day.
"My message is very clear and simple-- you must lead a healthy life. We need Yoga, Pranayama and many stress-busting activities like this. Yoga is probably the most effective way of distressing yourself," said Mohapatra.
Thousands of young and old people across the country today united to observe the International Day of Yoga with great enthusiasm and zeal.
Political leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and other celebrities, including Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Anupam Kher and Urmila Matondkar performed the ancient Indian practice.
The word "Yoga" is derived from the Sanskrit root 'yuj' meng "to join", "to yoke" or "to unite". Yoga is based on an extremely subtle science which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body. Yoga works on one's body, mind, emotion and energy.
The first International Day of Yoga was observed all over the world on June 21, 2015, when over 30,000 people including Prime Minister Modi performed yoga at the Rajpath in New Delhi.
( With inputs from ANI )