International Day of Yoga
International Day of YogaReuters

Yoga -- a natural way to stay fit and healthy -- has been practised worldwide for years even though its history is uncertain.

People, who embrace yoga and meditation all around the world, are set to celebrate the first International Day of Yoga on Sunday, 21 June, 2015.

The United Nations General Assembly declared the special day for yoga on 11 December, 2014. It was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who suggested 21 June as the date as "it is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and has special significance in many parts of the world."

Dating back to 3000 B.C, the initial signs of practising yoga appear in ancient Shamanism and is also found in the Rigveda.

Meanwhile, many celebs like Lady Gaga, Alessandra Ambrosio and Jessica Alba have lauded the importance of yoga and consider it their mantra to stay fit and healthy.

Celebs Practice Yoga

Check out some quotes by celebrities who embrace yoga and meditation below:

"Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured." – B. K. S. Iyengar

"Yoga calms me down. It's a therapy session, a workout, and meditation all at the same time!" — Jennifer Aniston

 "Ashtanga yoga has completely changed me. I try to do it every day, and the effect is amazing. It's not just during the hours that I'm practising. It's about how it filters through into the rest of my life. It makes all the other bullshit dissipate. Who I am has emerged, and everything else has gone by the wayside." — Gwyneth Paltrow

 "Yoga is not a work-out, it is a work-in. And this is the point of spiritual practice; to make us teachable; to open up our hearts and focus our awareness so that we can know what we already know and be who we already are." — Rolf Gates

 "The chakras are very intelligent – they are like the software of the whole computer body." — Dharma Mittra

"When you inhale, you are taking the strength from God. When you exhale, it represents the service you are giving to the world." — B.K.S. Iyengar 

"Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self" – The Bhagavat Gita

"Mindful meditation has been discovered to foster the ability to inhibit those very quick emotional impulses." – Daniel Goleman

"Sleep is the best meditation." – Dalai Lama

"To perform every action artfully is yoga." – Swami Kripalu

"The yoga mat is a good place to turn when talk therapy and antidepressants aren't enough." – Amy Weintraub

Also Read