Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla led a yoga session with Members of Parliament in the Parliament House Complex on June 21, 2026, marking the 12th International Day of Yoga. The event was part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. Speaker Birla emphasized that yoga represents India's timeless civilizational heritage and provides humanity with a path to health, balance, and inner peace.
Birla stated that yoga not only balances the body but also the mind and thoughts, noting that while differences of opinion are natural in Parliament, yoga shows the path of dialogue and self-restraint. He highlighted that India's sages and scholars preserved the yoga tradition for centuries as a way of life promoting physical health, mental peace, and awakening of human consciousness. While yoga has become a global mass movement, it remains a gift from India's thousands-year-old knowledge tradition.
The Speaker emphasized yoga's relevance in contemporary life, noting that modern life is surrounded by stress, imbalance, and uncertainty. He described yoga as an effective means of maintaining mental peace, patience, emotional balance, and a disciplined lifestyle. Birla identified mental stress as one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century and presented yoga as an accessible, scientific, and inclusive solution, particularly recommending it for today's digital generation to balance screen time and stress.
Birla asserted that yoga is not merely a fitness program but a means of developing personality, character, and consciousness. He stated that "healthy citizens are the greatest asset of a strong democracy" and suggested that if India's 1.4 billion citizens devote even a few minutes daily to yoga, it could become the country's largest public health revolution. The Speaker called for yoga's message to reach every corner of the country through public representatives who can inspire people to adopt yoga, similar to continuous efforts to strengthen democracy.
The Lok Sabha Speaker declared that "yoga is not just India's soft power; it is India's responsibility to humanity" and urged all citizens to treat yoga not as a one-day celebration but as a 365-day commitment. He called for strengthening a culture of health, harmony, and self-discipline through regular yoga practice. The event was documented through social media posts showing participation in the collective yoga practice and emphasizing yoga's role in creating balance, restraint, and positive energy.