J 450: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim June 21, 2025, as Yoga Day in the State of New York

 Senate Resolution No. 450 BY: Senator MAYER MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim June 21, 2025, 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 2025, 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, 2025, 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.