Week-long celebrations to mark Yoga day in Belgium, Luxembourg

Brussels: Week-long celebrations will be held in Belgium, Luxembourg and prominent European Union institutions to mark the third edition of International Yoga Day on June 19, the organisers said here on Tuesday.

The Indian Embassy in Brussels will organise the events in close cooperation with yoga institutes, schools and universities in various Belgian cities, including Brussels, Antwerp, Durbuy, Ghent, Leuven, Kortrijk, Enghien, Liege, Mons, and in Luxembourg from June 17 to June 25.

The flagship event of the third International Day of Yoga will be held at Bois de la Cambre park in Brussels on June 18, where the programme will include a public yoga session followed by specific mini-Yoga sessions emphasising the different aspects of yoga.

Rakesh Kumar Arora, Counsellor and Charge d' Affaires at the Indian embassy in Brussels, said 6,000 yoga enthusiasts participated in the various Yoga events held in Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU last year.

He recalled that in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his address at the United Nations General Assembly had defined Yoga as "India's gift to the world" and had urged global leaders to observe an International Day of Yoga.

In a positive response, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in December 2014 designating June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.