In light of war raging in our name, a day of peace seems both insignificant and like a breath of gentle air.

The United Nation’s International Day of Peace Vigil on September 21st, is a 24-hour-period meant to "demonstrate the power of prayer and other spiritual practices in promoting peace and preventing violent conflict," according to the IDPV website. "These worldwide spiritual observances will also help raise public awareness of the International Day of Peace and directly support the establishment of a global ceasefire."

The idea is that groups around the world pledge to contribute to peace and non-violence in some way for 24 hours, or whatever time they can give that day. The site has a list of pledged events for 2007: There’s a presentation in Cameroon on Mother Theresa; a "snapshot for love and peace photography competition" in Hong Kong; and a day of prayer and fasting in Jakarta. Plus dozens of others.

If you're in NYC you can honor the event at a three-day festival sponsored by Jivamukti Yoga School. Sharon Gannon and David Life are proposing that people go vegan for the day—to be peaceful to animals and raise awareness of the fact that the process of raising, killing, and shipping animals to eat is a huge contributor to global warming. You’d be in stylish company—Sting, Trudie Styler, Christy Turlington, and others have already committed to forgo creatures and their biproducts.

To further support this mission, Jiva will host a yoga class, celebration, and dinner (vegan, of course) on the 21st, Russell Simmons and Julia Butterfly Hill will help host); a "Dance of Liberation" is on the 22nd and there's an "It's Easy to Be Vegan" brunch on the 23rd.

If you can't make it over to Union Square, you can go vegan with your own posse—or self—or check out any on the non-yogic peace events throughout the city to show your dedication to ahimsa.

Shanti, shanti, shanti.