INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY

The International Yoga Day is celebrated annually on 21 June all around the world. The theme of  International Yoga Day 2020 is Yoga for Health – Yoga at Home. In the year 2020 world is facing the pandemic Covid-19 due to which all the yoga institutes and yoga studios have shut down to follow social distancing and the practitioners have turned to home practice and online resources. The current scenario very well justifies the theme of The International Day 2020.

Why 21 June?

Indian Current Prime Minister Narendra Damodar Das Modi in his UN address suggested this date because june 21 is the longest day of the year and it also holds some significance. June 21 marks the summer solstice in the northern Hemisphere and the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere, which is the day of the year with the most hours of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere and the fewest hours of daylight in the Southern Hemisphere.

HISTORY

The idea was first proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 27september 2014. He stated:

Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help in well being. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.

This initiative found support from many global leaders. A total of 177 nations co-sponsored the resolution. In 2015 Reserve bank of India issued a 10 rupees commemorative coin to mark the International Day of Yoga.

IN PRACTICE (2015)

The first International Day of Yoga was observed around the world on 21 June 2015. The Ministry of AYUSH made the necessary arrangements in India. 35,985 people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and dignitaries from 84 nations, performed 21  asanas(yoga postures) for 35 minutes at Rajpath in New Delhi, becoming the largest yoga class ever held, and with the largest number of participating nationalities (84 nations).

Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice which originated in India.  Practicing yoga comes with many benefits for both mental and physical health, each one is stated below:

# MENTAL PRACTICE: It helps you counter your depression, anxiety.and your fear and it helps you build a better relationship with yourself.

# PHYSICAL PRACTICE: It helps in increasing flexibility, improve respiration, energy and vitality and it also helps in maintaining a balanced metabolism.

#SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: The practice of spiritual yoga introduces a sense of calmness and inner peace to oneself.