The ancient Indian practise, 'Yoga' has been added to UNESCO's cultural heritage list.
The announcement was made on Thursday.
India’s proposal to inscribe yoga on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list was unanimously supported by all the 24 members of the panel, which included Turkey, Cuba, Afghanistan, Korea and Palestine during the current session of the Intergovernmental Committee's meeting in Addis Ababa,
The delegation from India was led by Ruchira Kamboj, permanent representative of India to UNESCO, who called it “diplomatic triumph” and India's Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma tweeted saying, 'Its a huge achievement for India.'
UNESCO remarked the philosophy behind the ancient Indian practice of yoga has influenced various aspects of how society in India functions, whether it be in relation to areas such as health and medicine or education and the arts.
Based on unifying the mind with the body and soul to allow for greater mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing, the values of yoga form a major part of the community’s ethos.
Yoga consists of a series of poses, meditation, controlled breathing, word chanting and other techniques designed to help individuals build self-realization, ease any suffering they may be experiencing and allow for a state of liberation.
