MUMBAI: Actress and fitness enthusiast Amruta Khanvilkar marked International Yoga Day by visiting the Kedarnath Temple to seek divine blessings.
Sharing her experience on social media, Amruta wrote: “If there’s one thing I’ve truly learned over the past few years of practicing yoga, it’s this — yoga is not just about the movement of the body; it’s equally about the stillness of the mind. That stillness teaches you how to be a better human being. It helps you make peace with your decisions, accept them with grace, and let go of what no longer serves you.”
The Kedarnath Temple is one of the twelve jyotirlinga of Shiva. The temple is located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river, in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open to the general public only between the months of April and November.
She added that this year, she felt that while daily practice is important, sometimes it’s just as vital to step away from everything.
“To go in search of an experience that grounds you even deeper. And for me, that experience was my visit to Kedarnath. At around 3:30 AM, during Brahma Muhurat, we were fortunate enough to get Darshan at the temple. And from that moment until nearly 9 AM, I simply couldn’t bring myself to leave.”
“I found myself lingering in the temple’s divine surroundings—silent, overwhelmed, completely at peace, ” she added.
The actress said that as she stood before the snow-capped mountains “slowly revealing themselves in the morning light, and as the first rays of the sun touched the snowy peaks behind the temple, I felt… blessed beyond words.”
“Every person who visits Kedarnath finds their own experience, their own magical moment. I found mine. And I’m carrying it home with me—in my heart, in my breath, and in my practice. Wishing you all a very happy #internationalyogaday Ps - dear @prajakta_official this was truly special thankyou”
The International Day of Yoga is a day in recognition of Yoga that is celebrated around the world annually on 21 June following its adoption by the United Nations in 2014. The initiative for Yoga Day was taken by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 2014 UN.