Hundreds descend on Rishikesh for 39th Yoga festival | Times of India

DEHRADUN: Over 1,000 visitors from across the countries have flocked to Rishikesh for the 39th edition of the International Yoga Festival which was inaugurated by Uttarakhand governor K K Paul on Wednesday.

The week-long event, jointly organised by the AYUSH ministry, Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, Parmarth Niketan and Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, was inaugurated at Parmarth Niketan along the banks of the Ganges.

On the occasion, President Pranab Mukherjee said, “The practice of yoga has brought a lasting sense of peace to people across nations, across seas and across boundaries. To me, this sense of peace resonates as a lasting symbol for the nation of India, where yoga was born and to which the world comes today for laudable events like the International Yoga Festival.”

Over 70 saints, yogacharyas, presenters and experts from 20 countries are participating in the festival.

Various forms of yoga such as Ashtanga Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Bharat Yoga, Ganga Yoga, and Somatics Yoga will be practised by the participants throughout the week. There are also classes on meditation, mudras, Sanskrit chanting, reiki, Indian philosophy and spiritual discourses.