21.06.2025

International Yoga Day at the Roerich Estate

On Saturday 21 June, the International Roerich Memorial Trust celebrated International Yoga Day. The event was organised with the support of the Kullu District Administration and the Himachal Government.

IRMT employees, as well as Indian and Russian guests, took part in the event.

In his opening address to the participants, the Indian Curator of the IRMT, Mr Suresh Kumar, emphasised the importance of yoga in everyone’s life, especially in the fast-paced modern world. Yoga helps people to cope with stress and depression. Mr Dmitry Surgin, assistant to the Russian curator and ICR Moscow employee, noted that yoga unites people and that International Yoga Day is a festival of unity and cultural values.

The yoga class was led by Raj Kumar Mittal and Rohini, yoga instructors from the Art of Living Foundation. In his speech, Raj Kumar noted that yoga should be practised and valued every day of the year and not only on this special day. Yoga is deeply connected to Indian culture, philosophy and way of life. This is why it is important to integrate its philosophical ideas and practices into modern life, to ensure that the cultural heritage of previous generations is not lost. He quoted the philosophical definition of yoga from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: yoga is 'citta-vritti-nirodha', or 'cessation of uncontrolled mental activity'. Apart from physical exercises, the philosophical aspect of yoga teaching is also important, as is the way of life of practitioners. Thus, yoga has the potential to benefit people in many different ways. The Himalayas, he stated, have always been associated with great yoga teachers such as Rishi Vashishtha, a well-known figure in the Kullu Valley. It is here, in the Himalayas, that one should pay particular attention to the practice of yoga and the daily application of its philosophy. Even nature itself guides one towards this decision here.

The series of exercises concluded with shavasana, one of yoga asanas and a meditative practice that involves lying in repose to soothe and restore the body and mind to a state of calm and relaxation, accompanied by gentle music. The participants demonstrated a high level of engagement and enthusiasm in following the guidlines provided by the yoga instructors. It is possible that for some of them, this day marked the start of their journey into the fascinating world of yoga.