World Yoga Day
World Yoga DayReuters

The Narendra Modi government would introduce new and improvised yoga postures and practices on World Yoga Day, June 21, 2016.

The minister of state for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Shripad Yesso Naik, Saturday released Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) for the second International Day of Yoga during the National Arogya Fair in Panaji, Goa, in the presence of Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, an official statement said.

The current edition of the CYP booklet has incorporated some new yoga practices such as Yogic Sukshma Vyayama, Yogasanas and Pranayama.

"The booklet gives a brief overview about yoga and yogic practices to orient one towards comprehensive health for an individual and the community. The present edition of Common Yoga Protocol is an improvised version of last year's Yoga Protocol," according to the statement.

It further said the leading yoga institutions in the country would incorporate 15 minutes extra of the yoga institutional practices, including Pranayama, Yoga Nidra, Dhayana, Satsang before Sankalpa, as deemed fit. With this, the total duration of Yoga practice will be extended to 1 hour from 45 minutes, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Naik was quoted as saying by the Indian Express that the yoga asanas can cure diseases like cancer and that the government could come out with scientific evidence of this in a year.

"It is a proven fact. We have visited the Bengaluru-based Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA) institute, where many people told us they have been cured of cancer by regular practice of yoga. The institute has found a technique of yoga for the prevention and cure of cancer," he said, according to the Indian Express.

The first ever International Yoga Day held last year made to the Guinness World Book of Records with the participation of 35,985 people of 84 nationalities in the event in New Delhi, according to the Press Trust of India.

The United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly adopted a resolution Dec. 11, 2014, declaring June 21 as World Yoga Day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the same during his first address to the U.N. General Assembly in June,2014 ,

U.N. Secretary General Ban KI-moon said he had the opportunity to practice Yoga during his visit to India in 2014. "I discovered this for myself on trying to do my first asana, a tree pose suited to beginners. It took a moment for me to gain my balance but once I did, I appreciated the simple sense of satisfaction that yoga can bring," he said, according to the U.N. website.