Pokhara [Nepal], June 21 (ANI): Hundreds of yoga enthusiasts and followers converged to perform yoga in the regional stadium in the city of Pokhara in Kaski, Nepal on Friday to mark the 10th International Day of Yoga.
Gandaki Province Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava took part in the event and performed yoga asanas as the ground at Pokhara Rangashala filled up with the participants.
Indian Embassy in Kathmandu in coordination with Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) had organized the event which lasted nearly two hours.
Addressing the programme, Pandey said yoga also is an art of maintaining physical fitness, mental as well as spiritual well-being that would help the course of life. “Yoga has that capacity to drive people to spirituality as well as ethics and maintaining discipline in life.” 
The Gandaki Provincial Government, in the upcoming fiscal year, is launching a yoga programme with the slogan ‘My health, My responsibility.’
“All the local bodies and municipalities would do a campaign to encourage people towards yoga, encourage them to live a healthy and hygienic lifestyle which would also be supported by the local councils. This plan also has been incorporated in our annual budget,” Pandey added.
Earlier on Thursday, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu organised a similar yoga event on the premises of Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, the light of Asia.
Indian ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava emphasised that Yoga is another example of a common culture that is shared between Nepal and India and it has been followed by numerous people.
“If Pokhara could develop as a centre of Yoga, tourists from other countries also would converge for it. It not only would benefit Pokhara solely but also India and Nepal. We will work with the Gandaki government to celebrate International Day of Yoga in Pokhara annually,” Srivastava said.
Yoga, a traditional medication method for psychological as well as physical well-being developed in the Indian sub-continent, got formal recognition from the UN General Assembly on December 11, 2014.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had initiated the move towards International Yoga Day. The draft resolution passed by India was supported by 177 nations.
The influence of yoga is all-pervasive whether that be in the temple or sculpture or painting, PM Dahal has said.
With universal recognition and the growing popularity of yoga, the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga on December 11, 2014. The first International Yoga Day was celebrated on June 21, 2015. (ANI)
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