Hyderabad, President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said that yoga is also a path to spiritual calmness and is not associated with any religion, region or people.

He, along with Kamlesh Patel (Daaji), Guide of Heartfulness and President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, unveiled the 'yoga for unity and well-being' initiative, with an aim to unite people across the world by practicing yoga and meditation for 100 days for a healthier and happier life.

Baba Ramdev of Patanjali Yogpeeth, Ayush Secretary Rajesh Kotecha, and Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana Founder Chancellor Dr H.R. Nagendra were present to support this initiative.

"Yoga is an approach to holistic well-being which includes physical and mental fitness. Its benefits lead to freedom from psychological stress and bodily ailments. It results in a high level of positive energy. It is also a path to spiritual calmness. It is not associated with any religion, region, or people but belongs to the entire world and all of humanity," said the President

He noted that as the world moves to attain progress through science and technology, there is a need to restore the balance between human beings and nature through sustainable methods. The concept of health according to yoga goes beyond physical well-being, he added.

Daaji pointed out that India is home to a multitude of practices to explore one's purpose in life. "I am proud that the Heartfulness Institute has facilitated the united effort of organisations from across the globe for people to easily learn yoga and meditation. I urge everyone to take the time to attend these sessions, which are free of charge, from the comfort of their homes to metamorphose their lives," he said.

People around the world can tune in every morning into a virtual session to learn asanas by instructors of leading yoga institutes possessing a legacy of hundreds of years, all under the unifying banner of 'yoga for unity and well-being'. Additionally, attendees can listen in to the lecture series on every Wednesdays and Saturday evenings.

Daaji will conduct special meditation sessions for seekers to experience transformation through transmission (life energy). The series will come to an end on International Yoga day.

Ramdev said that it is the beginning of a new era for yoga and meditation in a post-pandemic world. "While many have started practicing yoga and its asanas, they are unaware of its full potential to expand our collective consciousness. This series will not only unify practitioners for the goal of collective well-being but also enable them to explore the full potential of a yogic lifestyle and access to wider base of yoga institutes that have perfected and continue the traditional and authentic methodologies."

Kotecha said that the Ministry of Ayush is working in close collaboration with various reputed leading yoga institutions for making IDY a true mass movement.

Yoga for unity and well-being will be conducted from March 15 to June 21.

Through this series, Heartfulness Institute is uniting the leading traditional yoga schools and bringing their practices onto a single platform. The entire series is free of cost for participants.

There will be over 75 yoga practice sessions from different lineages, 30 weekly lectures by Yoga experts, and weekend master classes with Daaji will be conducted, starting from March 15 for the next 100 days on the Heartfulness YouTube channel and social media platforms. Participants can register on https://heartfulness.org/en/yoga4unity/ for free access to all the sessions.

The event is supported by the Ministry of Ayush, the UN Information Centre - UNIC - India & Bhutan, Yoga for Harmony and Peace, and the Association of Indian Universities.