Yoga Belongs To Humanity, Sadhguru's Address On International Day Of Yoga At UNESCO HQ — In Pics

Marking 9th International Day of Yoga, renowned spiritual leader Sadhguru addressed a packed auditorium at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Wednesday on the theme “Crafting a Conscious Planet”.

Sadhguru At UNESCO: Yoga Belongs To Humanity

Talking about the International Day of Yoga, Sadhguru said, “International Day of Yoga is not a day of celebrating it, it is a day of commitment. You remaining physically, and mentally in the best possible way is the best contribution you can make to the world.” [Image Source: Isha Foundation]

Emphasizing that Yoga belongs to humanity, Sadhguru said, “It's a great pride for all of us that yoga originated in India. Yoga originated in a land that was referred to as Bharat. But everybody must understand, I know some people will disagree with very strong national feelings, but Yoga belongs to humanity.” [Image Source: Isha Foundation]

Explaining this further, Sadhguru added, “Anything that we discover, we can do. It cannot belong to any group of people. What we invent can belong to people. What we make up can belong to a certain group of people. What we discover as reality cannot belong to me or you. It is the right of every human being to find a way for their own fulfilment.” [Image Source: Isha Foundation]

To Dr Guila Clara Kessous, UNESCO Artist for Peace, question the need for yoga to be passed on as a living heritage to humanity, Sadhguru talked about the dire situation in the US. He shared, “Recently, the Surgeon General of the United States said, one in every two Americans, one in every two is feeling lonely. So just look at this, one in two is feeling lonely in the most affluent nation. When our population is bursting at 8.4 billion, we're feeling lonely. What is it? That is, we are building walls of individuality. Walls that you yourself cannot break. You build a wall that you yourself cannot break because these walls are built as self-protection. The walls of self-protection that you built today, tomorrow will turn into walls of self-imprisonment.” [Image Source: Isha Foundation]

He further added, “So just imagine in a country every second American if they're feeling lonely, loneliness is the first step towards mental illness. You've taken one step, the next will come. So Yoga (Union) means you're not lonely anymore because only you exist in the universe. Everything is you. Wherever you see, it's just you. So when you see too much of yourself, you'll close your eyes and sit.” [Image Source: Isha Foundation]