Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, 30 August witnessed a special Yoga session in Tashkent featuring 52 practitioners from Uzbekistan, adding a cultural highlight to his two-day State Visit to the Central Asian nation. The session underscored the deepening people-to-people ties between India and Uzbekistan, with Yoga emerging as a shared sporting and cultural bridge.

What the Session Featured

Among the 52 participants were six members of the Yoga Federation of Uzbekistan who had represented their country at the First World Yogasana Championship 2026, held in Ahmedabad in June 2026. The six — Rakhmanov Kamol Erkinovich, Rakhmanov Alixon Kamoladinovich, Akhunova Dinara Erkinovna, Djumānova Aliya Abubakir kizi, Ansatbayeva Aysulu Arislan kizi, and Shakirov Redjep Dmitrievich — collectively won 18 medals at the championship: 1 gold, 14 silver, and 3 bronze. The Uzbekistan team as a whole secured 25 medals across various categories at the Ahmedabad event.

What PM Modi Said

Modi shared footage of the session on his X account, addressing the participants directly. 'Namaste, you all have showcased excellent Yoga performance today. People of all ages are present here. I express my gratitude to my friend, the President, for connecting Uzbekistan with Yoga. Many congratulations,' he said in the video. Alongside the clip, Modi wrote: 'Uzbekistan loves Yoga!'

Context of the State Visit

Modi arrived in Tashkent on Saturday for a two-day visit — his fourth to Uzbekistan. He was received at the airport by Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, for whom Modi expressed public gratitude. 'Landed in Tashkent to a warm welcome by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Grateful to him for the special gesture. This is my fourth visit to Uzbekistan, reflecting the depth and growing momentum of our bilateral relations,' Modi posted on X.

During the visit, Modi is scheduled to hold delegation-level talks with President Mirziyoyev, with discussions expected to advance the shared developmental frameworks of Viksit Bharat 2047 and Uzbekistan-2030.

Yoga as a Diplomatic Tool

The Tashkent session is part of a broader pattern in which Yoga has been positioned as a soft-power instrument in India's foreign engagement. The First World Yogasana Championship in Ahmedabad marked a significant step in formalising Yogasana as an international competitive discipline. Uzbekistan's strong medal haul at that event — and the direct participation of its champions in a session witnessed by the Indian Prime Minister — signals that the sporting and cultural partnership between the two countries is gaining tangible momentum. Notably, this is Modi's fourth visit to Uzbekistan, reflecting the sustained priority New Delhi places on Central Asian engagement.