Ank Bijleveld participated in the online celebrations of International Yoga Day organized by the Embassy of India
The Hague:
Inner peace is crucial for the armed forces and yoga is a great way to find balance, said Dutch Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld, thanking India for the “wonderful gift” to the world.
Yoga has gained worldwide popularity in recent years for the many benefits it has over its physiology, psychology and spirituality.
Bijleveld participated Sunday in the online celebrations of International Yoga Day organized by the Embassy of India.
“The minister thanked India for the wonderful gift of yoga to the world,” an embassy statement said on Monday.
She said that finding inner peace is crucial for a man and a woman in uniform and that yoga is a great way to find balance, he noted.
Bijleveld said that yoga has been part of the training of the Dutch armed forces for 15 years and that there are 130 yoga instructors.
Representatives of the Dutch army joined by Dutch police personnel demonstrated their yoga skills as part of the online celebrations, the statement said.
The sixth celebration of International Yoga Day was broadcast to 145,000 subscribers of the Embassy’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channels, as well as on its website. It has also been streamed on the website of the non-profit foundation Stichting International Yoga Day.
The Ambassador of India to the Netherlands, Venu Rajamony, opened the celebrations. This was followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video message and 3D yoga animation videos with him.
The event was attended by a crowd of eminent Dutch and Indian personalities, including ambassadors from various countries based in The Hague.
Dutch actress Afke Reijenga, extreme sportsman Wim Hof - popularly known as “The Iceman” and singers Charlie Dee and Anouk Maas were among the Dutch celebrities who attended the event, the statement said.
Messages and artistic contributions from spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, internationally renowned flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, violin maestro L Subramaniam, playback singers Kavita Krishnamurthy and Vijay Prakash, great chess master Viswanathan Anand and celebrity stars. cinema Raadhika, Sarathkumar and Bhumika Chawla.
Cricketer Suresh Raina, tennis stars Ramesh Krishnan and Rohan Bopanna, yoga guru and artist Bharat Thakur, Olympic skater Vishwaraj Jadeja and star chef Vikas Khanna also participated.
The program included a Kathak recital on “Ayush” choreographed by Dutch choreographer Leo Spreksel and performed by prominent dancers Kathak Hari and Chetna with Sirisha.
He also featured Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities who have made yoga a part of their lives.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
