 On 27th September 2014, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed an International Day of Yoga at the United Nations General Assembly. I have great pleasure in welcoming the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, His Excellency Narendra Modi. Today, I would like to draw your attention to another subject. When we talk about climate change, when we talk about holistic health care, when we talk about unity with nature, when we talk about getting back to basics, I would like to say something special about this subject. Yoga is our ancient, traditional and invaluable gift. Yoga symbolizes the balance of body and mind, thought and action, achievement and self-control, and the coming together of human beings and nature. It provides a comprehensive vision of health and well-being. It is not merely physical exercise, but also a means of building harmony within oneself and with the world and nature. Yoga aims a transformation of our lifestyle, and its awareness can help us in our struggle against climate change. It has worked towards making a beginning in this direction with an international day of yoga. The origins of yoga can be found over 5,000 years ago in the Indus Saraswati Valley civilization. Archaeologists discovered carvings, seals and artifacts displaying yoga-like practices, poses and greetings, similar to those found later in the depictions of Pashupati, Rudra and the God Shiva. The word yoga comes from Sanskrit and came into popular usage during the Vedic period around 1000 BC. The word comes from the root yuj, which means to bind, to yoke, to align or to hold. Yoga was well known across India and began to appear in Vedic scripture, particularly the Upanishads, as well as in Buddhist and Jain teachings of that age. The Upanishads speak of four types of yoga practices, mantra or the repetitions of secret sounds, laya or devotional connection to a higher being, hatha or the channelization of internal energies, and rajayog or what came to be known as dhyan or ashtanga-yog. In the 2nd century BC, the teachings of yoga were codified into a written scripture known as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Om, now yoga is explained. Yoga is the stilling of the modifications of the mind-stuff so the seer can see their true and original selves. According to Patanjali, the purpose of yoga is to overcome the attachments to the physical world in order to realize one's true consciousness. According to the Tetriya Upanishad, the human being is made up of five layers or koshas that act in unison. When the koshas are out of balance, they lead to disease, disharmony and suffering. When brought together through yoga, they lead to a state of perfect health, a meditative mind and pure bliss. To align the koshas together and restore harmony, Patanjali prescribed a system for yogis called ashtanga or the eight-limbed path. Throughout India's long history, yoga has been integral to everyday life and most religions and philosophies used its practices in their rituals and methods. In the Middle Ages, two great teachers revived the practice of yoga. In the 8th century, Adi Shankara brought the Upanishads and yoga back into popular consciousness and Gorakshanath of the Nath Sampadaya brought about the revival of hatha yoga at around the same time. From the 1890s, many Indian teachers brought yoga to the world like Swami Vivekananda in 1893 who introduced the world to Vedanta and Raja Yoga and Swami Yogananda in 1920 who introduced the world to Kriya and Kundalini Yoga. Teachers like Swami Sivananda, Swami Rama, Swami Sakchitananda, Swami Kuvalayyananda, Sri Yogendraji and other great yogis also spread the deeper aspects of yoga around the world. One of the most influential yoga teachers in the 20th century was Sri Krishnamacharya. His students B.K.S. Ayangar, K. Pathibha Joyce and his son Desika Charya became three of the leading exponents of yoga and helped spread it around the world. Today, yoga has gone well beyond those early pioneers. Teachers like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Pooja Swamiji, Baba Ramdev, Swami Niranjan and Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev are keeping the flame of classical yoga alive around the world. The benefits of yoga are now being recognized by science and mainstream medicine. The powers of yoga have been known for thousands of years and along with Ayurveda has been critical to Indian healthcare in the prevention of diseases, promotion of higher consciousness and the management of wellness to give the practitioner freedom. The practice of yoga brings about balance, well-being, happiness and the freedom to live life fully. As more and more people take up yoga around the world today, we may actually see the beginning of a global shift in consciousness leading to a more balanced and harmonious planet. Yoga practitioners become more conscious consumers, better human beings, more environmentally conscious and good leaders. This is the power of yoga and it can only be good for the world. On 11th December 2014, the United Nations passed a resolution making 21st June the International Day of Yoga. 177 nations co-sponsored the resolution, a record in UN history.