India Post News Service
CHICAGO: The Consulate General of India, Chicago, organized its main event at the famous Grant Park in Downtown Chicago, to commemorate the 8th International Day of Yoga (IDY 2022) on Saturday, 18 June 2022 morning. Close to 250 Yoga enthusiasts participated in the proceedings.
Consul General Amit Kumar delivered the inaugural remarks followed by the performance of the Common Yoga Protocol. Addressing the participants on IYD 2021 theme “Yoga for Humanity”, CG explained the importance of Yoga in contemporary times and acknowledged the efforts of Yoga organizations and the Indian- American community in Midwest region for arranging a series of events to commemorate the 8th IDY.
At the main event in Grant Park in Chicago Downtown, the Consulate recognized the contribution of Ms. Sharon Steffensen, editor of Yoga Chicago magazine in popularizing Yoga. She has been a Yoga practitioner for over 50-years and started the yoga magazine 28-years ago providing a vital platform to connect the Yoga community in Chicago area.
In addition, the Indian Consulate with support from over dozen Indian-American community organizations and Friends of Yoga organized several events to celebrate the International Day of Yoga across US Midwest States. These events were held at Illinois (Naperville, Des Plaines, Lemont and Bloomington); Indiana (Indianapolis); Iowa (Des Moines); Michigan (Detroit, Canton and Troy); Missouri (St. Louis); Minnesota (Eagan), and South Dakota (Siouxland).
The Consulate also organized a webinar on “Yoga for Wellness” on 21 June 2022. It was livestreamed on Consulate’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Consul General Amit Kumar delivered the opening remarks and participated in the discussions. He expressed hope that the webinar will encourage new practitioners of Yoga. The webinar was joined by noted Yoga practitioners Ms. Saba Haider, Mr. Man Mohan Shukla and Ms. Vidya Nahar, who explained the benefits of Yoga and Meditation in a lucid manner. The session was very well moderated by Ms. Mara Zimmerman, another experienced Yoga practitioner.