New Delhi, June 19 (IANS): Ahead of the International Yoga Day on June 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said it is a unique occasion that brings people closer.

"The International Yoga Day is a unique occasion that brings us closer. The invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition," the Prime Minister said in a video message posted on his Twitter handle.

He said when he outlined a vision for an International Yoga Day in September 2014 at the United Nations General Assembly, even he had not anticipated the "enormous enthusiasm for the occasion from all parts of the world".

"Your support and participation last year, and once again now, redeems our commitment to nurture and promote this ancient discipline and reaffirms yoga as an exemplary manifestation of Vasudhiava Kutumbakam, or the world as one family," Modi said.

"I recall the iconic images from that momentous day last year, all the way from the Pacific Islands to the Port of Spain, from Vladivostok to Vancouver, and from Copenhagen to Cape Town, thousands gathered to unite the bodies and minds through the  practice of yoga," he added.

Modi said yoga is much more than physical exercise, and enables us to access a new dimension of the self while providing a holistic approach to preventive healthcare.

"Yoga helps us to restore our balance and furnishes us with a much-needed sense of clarity. And through its unifying power we seek completeness and at the same time a oneness with the One," he said, urging people across the world to act as the ambassadors of the event.