Source: UN News: Wednesday, 24 December 2025 00:01 AM
Meditation is an ancient tradition that people around the world have been using in different forms for better health. The United Nations is celebrating the second World Meditation Day this year to raise awareness about the important role of ‘meditation’, especially in mental health. To mark ‘World Meditation Day’ observed on 21 December, in collaboration with the Indian Mission to the United Nations, a special event was organized at the UN Headquarters on Friday, the video recording of which can be viewed here… Meditation has its roots in religious, yogic and secular traditions in various civilizations. Meditation is a posture in which attention is focused only on the present moment, removing everything from everywhere. Tweet URL
At a time when changes are taking place very rapidly in every sector around the world and there is a huge uncertainty, and the world is full of unprecedented challenges. Geopolitical tensions and differences, conflicts and wars, humanitarian and climate disasters and economic instability have placed a heavy burden on societies around the world. It is natural that humans, being a part of society, seem to be burdened under the heavy burden of these pressures. In such a situation, there seems to be some hope in the practice of ‘meditation’. Meditation is a simple but very powerful mental health practice that produces transformative changes within the individual that help us build tolerance, emotion centers and balance. UN Health Agency – According to the World Health Organization (WHO)Meditation is a powerful tool that anyone can do to improve their overall health, especially in conditions like anxiety and depression. Practicing meditation for a few minutes every day can help in achieving peace and concentration. With the intention of increasing awareness in the UN, a proposal was passed to celebrate World Meditation Day on 21 December in the year 2024 and the first day was celebrated in the same year. The second World Meditation Day is being celebrated in the year 2025, in which spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has also participated in the program organized at the UN Headquarters. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said in this program, “In such a situation when there is such a lack of concentration, then meditation is absolutely essential.” He said that all over the world, Nearly 500 universities in the U.S. have started adopting meditation. Many hospitals are also adopting meditation. In an environment of global challenges, meditation is a very powerful tool to expand peace, unity and compassion. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said that today more than 700 research papers show more than 100 benefits of meditation. Practicing meditation for a few moments every day, with an emphasis on breathing and being present in the present moment, can help find peace and concentration. In this programme, he talked about anger and desire, before conducting a meditation session. “These two emotions do not allow your mind to settle down. These two emotions do not even allow you to sleep properly.” Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said that by emphasizing meditation and breathing process, one can get relief from both these obstructive emotions. © Unsplash/Aravind Mylakara Meditation is a practice that involves focusing the mind to achieve a state of calmness and clarity. India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador P Harish, while starting the program said that we all are facing very complex challenges in today’s world. For example, the climate crisis, social polarization and technological disruptions, when combined with growing economic uncertainties and geopolitical differences, create a very worrying picture. We, working at the UN level, know how much pressure this situation has on all of us individually, at the level of societies and at the global level. Therefore, India was part of the core group that presented a resolution in the UN General Assembly to celebrate World Meditation Day. The UN General Assembly, by unanimously passing a resolution on 6 December 2024, had declared World Meditation Day to be celebrated on 21 December every year. The Indian Ambassador said that the passing of this resolution shows that meditation blurs the boundaries of cultures and civilizations, connects people together and provides a universal platform for transformation at a personal level.
