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International Yoga Day observed in Japan's Toyota City
Bhubaneswar: As India celebrated the International Day of Yoga on Saturday, over 6,000 km away, many Indians and Japanese came together in Japan's Toyota for a three-hour event at the Takahashi Community Centre, featuring an hour of yoga, 25 minutes of pranayama and guided meditation, and 10 minutes of stretching accompanied by music.
"We started with the standard yoga protocol designed by the Indian govt, which all teachers are expected to follow. The aim is to make yoga accessible to everyone," said Nivedita Sahu, a yoga instructor.
After the yoga session, Japanese artistes performed an Indian semi-classical dance. Their graceful movements to the chant 'Asato Ma Sad Gamaya' and a soulful Rabindranath Tagore song showed their respect for and understanding of Indian culture.
Shomon Akita, a Buddhist monk from Guzeiin Temple in Toyota, explained the essence of the Patanjali Yoga Sutra. He also shared insights on the shloka 'Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah', emphasising universal well-being and compassion.
A thoughtful and informative presentation by Subha Kokuba Chakraborty highlighted the cultural similarities between India and Japan, exploring shared values such as discipline, inner peace and reverence for tradition.
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She also led the energetic 'stretch with music' session. There was also a sari-draping session. The event concluded with the singing of India's national anthem.
A separate yoga session was also organised by the Indian embassy in Tokyo.
The Indian High Commission in Wellington organised 30 yoga-related events across New Zealand, Samoa, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands. Among them a session was held in the New Zealand Parliament (Beehive) in Wellington on June 16 in collaboration with the United Nations Association of New Zealand (UNANZ) and Art of Living. Another programme was organised on HCI premises on June 21 in collaboration with Heartfulness NZ, Art of Living, and Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh.
"I went for both the programmes because I like to attend celebrations of Indian culture," said Animesh Panda, secretary of New Zealand Odia Society.
