Assembly Resolution No. 613

BY: M. of A. Sayegh

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
June 21, 2023, as Yoga Day in the State of New York

WHEREAS, It is the practice of this Legislative Body to acknowledge
and recognize the aspects of life that affect the citizens of this great
Empire State; and

WHEREAS, The United Nations General Assembly declared June 21st as
the International Day of Yoga on December 11, 2014; and

WHEREAS, Yoga's roots stretch back to ancient India; this age-old
traditional practice, embodying the unity of mind, body and well-being,
has survived the test of time, and in the year 2023,is more popular than
ever; and

WHEREAS, Yoga was introduced to the United States in the 1890s, when
Indian monk Swami Vivekananda wrote the book Raja Yoga in New York City;
in 1947, the first yoga studio in the United States in Hollywood,
California, by Indra Devi; today, tens-of-millions of Americans practice
yoga, including millions of New Yorkers; and

WHEREAS, According to the National Center for Complementary and
Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the United States National
Institutes of Health (NIH), research suggests that yoga helps improve
general wellness by relieving stress, supporting good health habits,
improving mental and emotional health, sleep, flexibility and balance,
as well as relieve lower-back and neck pain, and possibly pain from
tension-related headaches and knee osteoarthritis; and

WHEREAS, Additionally, yoga has the added benefits of helping both
youth and adults significantly improve their quality of life by aiding
them to lose weight, quit smoking, manage anxiety, manage opioid
addiction, relieve menopause symptoms, and help people with chronic
diseases manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life; and

WHEREAS, According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
(MoHFW) of the Government of India, "Yoga is the most perfect health and
wellness module as it is comprehensive and holistic in nature. Yogic
principles help to strengthen and develop positive health enabling us to
withstand stress better. This Yogic 'health insurance' has been achieved
by normalizing the perception of stress, optimizing the reaction to it
and by releasing the pent-up stress effectively through the practice of
various Yogic practices. Yoga is a holistic and integral science of life
dealing with physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health of an
individual and society"; and

WHEREAS, Yogasana (Yoga Postures) has been a competitive sport for a
long time; India's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and Ministry of
AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy)
recently announced the formal recognition of Yogasana as a competitive
sport; Yogasana is an integral and important component of Yoga, which is
psycho-physical in nature and popular across the globe for its efficacy
in fitness and general wellness; and


WHEREAS, Yogasana becoming a sport will also ensure new technologies
and new strategies being inducted into the disciplines, to benefit
athletes and officials alike towards building fruitful and fulfilling
careers in this field; and

WHEREAS, Yoga has become a major source of social interaction and
social life, helping millions of people meet and get to know each other
through common interest and encouragement toward a healthy lifestyle in
events such as the World Yoga Festival hosted by the World Yoga
Community, Inc.; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim June 21, 2023, as Yoga Day
in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.