Yoga Is India’s Civilisational Gift to World, Responsibility Towards Humanity: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Leads MPs’ Yoga Session at Parliament

BuzzBytes News Desk
New Delhi, Jun 21 (BuzzBytes): Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday led a yoga session with Members of Parliament in the Parliament House Complex on the occasion of the International Day of Yoga, stressing that yoga is a powerful tool for maintaining mental peace, emotional balance and self-discipline, while describing it as both India’s civilisational gift to the world and its responsibility towards humanity.
Addressing MPs and participants after the session, Birla extended greetings on the occasion and said the day celebrates India’s timeless heritage that has shown humanity a path towards health, balance and inner peace. “Yoga not only balances the body but also the mind and thoughts. Differences of opinion are natural in Parliament, but yoga shows us the path of dialogue and self-restraint,” he said, linking the practice of yoga with the values necessary for democratic functioning.
The Lok Sabha Speaker underlined that India’s sages and scholars had preserved the tradition of yoga over centuries and established it as a way of life aimed at promoting physical health, mental peace and the awakening of human consciousness. While yoga has today evolved into a global movement embraced across continents, he said its roots remain firmly embedded in India’s ancient knowledge tradition.
Drawing attention to the pressures of modern life, Birla said contemporary society is increasingly marked by stress, imbalance and uncertainty, making yoga more relevant than ever. “Yoga is a powerful means of maintaining mental peace, patience, and emotional balance,” he said, adding that one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century is mental stress and that yoga offers an accessible, scientific and inclusive solution to address it. He also urged the younger generation to incorporate yoga into their daily routines, saying today’s youth should make yoga an integral part of their lifestyle to balance excessive screen time and stress.
Emphasising that yoga extends beyond physical fitness, the speaker said it contributes to the development of personality, character and consciousness. According to him, regular yoga practice helps individuals become more balanced, improves their decision-making abilities, and enhances their overall well-being. “Healthy citizens are the greatest asset of a strong democracy,” Birla said, adding that if India’s 1.4 billion people devote even a few minutes each day to yoga, it could trigger the country’s largest public health revolution.
The speaker also highlighted the role of elected representatives in spreading awareness about yoga, stating that as public representatives remain in constant contact with society, they can play a significant role in encouraging people to adopt yoga and understand its transformative benefits. “Democracy requires dialogue, and open discussion requires mental balance—yoga teaches exactly that,” Birla remarked, arguing that the values cultivated through yoga can contribute to stronger democratic institutions and more constructive public discourse.
Calling for yoga to become a permanent part of everyday life, he said, “Yoga is not just India’s soft power; it is India’s responsibility to humanity.” He urged citizens to treat yoga not as an annual event but as a lifelong practice, adding, “Yoga must become not a one-day celebration but a 365-day commitment.” The International Day of Yoga, observed globally every year on June 21 following a United Nations resolution adopted in 2014, seeks to raise awareness about the benefits of yoga for physical and mental well-being. India has marked the occasion through mass yoga events across the country, with participation from public representatives, government institutions and citizens. (Agencies)