New Delhi, June 19: Over 1.5 lakh Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel will participate in a yoga webinar session on Saturday in the run-up to the International Day of Yoga on June 21, officials said. The webinar will be live streamed on Facebook, YouTube and a satellite-based internal platform to widen its reach for the CRPF family members in particular, a CRPF spokesperson said.

He said the session has been planned to mark the International Day of Yoga, which will be observed indoors this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. "In a maiden endeavour, the rank and file of CRPF across the country will be web-linked to benefit from the wide yogic expertise and experience of yet another first-of-its-kind educational and research institution, Swami Vivekanand Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA) based in Bengaluru, Karnataka," he said. International Day of Yoga 2020: Guide to Preventing Injuries During an At-Home Yoga Practice!

A key note address on 'Words of wisdom on yoga' will be delivered at 11 AM on Saturday by Dr H R Nagendra, the chancellor of the SVYASA University. Founded in 2002, it is the world's first yoga research university

The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated annually on June 21 since 2015, following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014.

About 1.5 lakh personnel who will not be on duty in the morning hours of Saturday are expected to attend the webinar, the spokesperson said.

CRPF Director General (DG) A P Maheshwari has sent a message to all the units of the force asking personnel to join the session along with their families.

"Yoga not only synergises our body, mind and conscience but also holistically integrates us with the nature," the force chief said. The country's largest paramilitary force with about 3.25 lakh personnel has 1,100 master trainers for yoga and it had made this physical activity mandatory during its various training courses four years ago.

It is the lead internal security force of the country undertaking anti-Naxal operations in various Left Wing Extremism affected states and counter-terrorist combat in the Kashmir Valley.