Vellore (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 21 (ANI): While celebrating the 11th International Day of Yoga on Saturday, Tamil actress and BJP leader Namitha vowed to practice yoga regularly and encouraged others to do the same.

'People think that yoga is something new, which is why we are celebrating on the 21st of June as Yoga Day. But this is a five-thousand-year-old tradition, and we should follow it regularly. I have decided I'm going to follow it,' Namitha told ANI.

Namitha participated in a special yoga session at Athi Nursing College in the Kakka Thoppu area of Gudiyatham, Vellore. BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan was also among the participants.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the international community to embrace 'inner peace' as a 'global policy' and make yoga a collective global responsibility.

Speaking at the 11th International Day of Yoga celebrations in Visakhapatnam, the Prime Minister called upon countries to adopt yoga not just as a personal or cultural practice, but as a unifying force for humanity.

'I would like to take this opportunity to urge the global community on this important occasion to let this International Yoga Day mark the beginning of Yoga for Humanity. Let this be the day when inner peace becomes a global policy, where yoga is embraced not just as a personal practice, but as a powerful tool for global partnership and unity. Let every country and every society make yoga a shared responsibility, a common contribution toward collective well-being,' the Prime Minister said.

The event was held along the scenic Visakhapatnam coastline, with Indian Navy ships stationed near the shore, adding to the grandeur of the celebration.

PM Modi was joined by lakhs of yoga enthusiasts, residents, and dignitaries from Andhra Pradesh.

Calling for a global mass movement through yoga, PM Modi said, 'Come, let us all together make Yoga a mass movement. A movement that takes the world towards peace, health and harmony. Where every person starts the day with yoga and finds balance in life. Where every society is connected to yoga and free from stress. Where yoga becomes the medium to bind humanity together. And where Yoga For One Earth, One Health becomes a global resolution.' (ANI)