Yoga is a physical and mental practice to keep one fit, active, healthy and focused all the time. It brings a spiritual change in our personality. This is the reason why an International Day of Yoga is celebrated across the World. The International Day of Yoga is a global event to occur on the 21st of June every year.
On seeing the importance of Yoga for health and life, all the nations have agreed to celebrate the event on the specified date together so that a global change can be experienced, and we can hope for a better world with a healthy environment to live.
International Day of Yoga 2020
As we all have read that the International Day of Yoga is celebrated on 21 June every year, this year the event is falling on Sunday. Since Sunday is a day to relax from work, there is hope for the mass participation of people across the world.
What is Special on International Day of Yoga 2020
The International Day of Yoga in 2020 is much different than the other years. These things are discussed below:
- There is a major influence of pandemic ‘COVID-19’ on the 6th anniversary of the International Day of Yoga.
- The Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi will join the nation on the day digitally.
- There will not be Yoga in a mass gathering.
- Yoga at public places will be forbidden.
- The theme for the event this year will be ‘Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family’.
- All the seminars and programmes to be conducted on the day are cancelled due to the pandemic.
- The Ministry of AYUSH and ICCR have jointly organised a Video-blogging contest on the occasion of the event.
- Indian citizens of any age group can participate in this event.
History
The International Day of Yoga has a prideful history for India and its people. The proposal for the International Day of Yoga was sent to the United Nations General Assembly by the Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi. The proposal was sent by the honourable Prime Minister on the 27th of September 2014 through an impressive speech. His speech was about Yoga and its benefits so that there should not be any doubt left for anyone. Based on his proposal, there was a resolution drafted in the United Nations General Assembly on 14 October 2014.
To everybody’s surprise, this resolution got the approval of 177 countries of the United Nations General Assembly and became the resolution to get the maximum number of votes till the date. On 11 December 2014, the UNGA declared to celebrate the day globally on 21 June every year. The date of 21 June was decided because it is the longest day of the year, and there are many festivals to be celebrated by the people of different communities on the day.
The International Day of Yoga was celebrated for the first time in the year 2015. Since then, the World is celebrating it every year, making the 6th celebration in the year 2020.
Observation
The International Day of Yoga is observed together in the entire world. On the day, there are various programmes and seminars based on Yoga that are organized on the global level. All the countries in the world observe the day in their own way. Because Yoga has originated in India, there should be the grandest celebration of the event in India.
The enthusiasm in the Indian people about this day is worth attracting the attention of the entire world. There are various programmes to be held in India on the local, regional, and national levels. Many NGOs organize a Yoga campaign and seminar where they motivate people to adopt Yoga in their daily routine. They arrange mass Yoga Camps as well. Even the schools and colleges also arrange a Yoga class and Yoga lectures for the students so that they can make it their daily habit.
The Prime Minister of India conducts a Mass Yoga Programme at Rajpath in New Delhi where people from different places in India and also abroad reach to participate. Even some special guests from other countries are also invited to witness the mass programme. The programme is broadcast live on Television.
On the day, we can easily see the advertisements regarding the benefits of Yoga in Newspapers, Social Media, and everywhere. These are to make people adopt Yoga for the sake of their health and life.
Objectives and Significance
The International Day of Yoga is celebrated across the national boundaries. It is a global event to make the world realize the value of Yoga because it is for the benefit of all. The International Day of Yoga promotes Yoga on the global level so that everyone can have the advantage of good health and prosperous life.
By specifying a fixed day for Yoga, there is an effort made to attract the world towards Yoga. Yoga can benefit us in many ways, and these benefits can be obtained through adopting Yoga in life which is the objective of observing the International Day of Yoga.
Since the International Day of Yoga is a global event, it is a great moment to bring all the national leaders together. Despite many disputes among the nations, they all stand together on the day to work for a better environment. The International Day of Yoga is a festival for all despite the differences of religion, community, race, nationality, and others.
Themes of International Day of Yoga
The International Day of Yoga is celebrated annually with different themes each year. We have listed below the theme of the event for the previous years.
- Theme for 2015 – Yoga for Harmony and Peace
- Theme for 2016 – Connect the Youth
- Theme for 2017 – Yoga for Health
- Theme for 2018 – Yoga for Peace
- Theme for 2019 – Yoga for Heart
- Theme for 2020 – Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family
Some Glimpses of Previous Years’ Celebrations
The first celebration of the International Day of Yoga was held in the year 2015. There was a grand arrangement made by the Ministry of AYUSH at Rajpath in New Delhi where 35985 people were gathered to do Yoga together with the Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi. The event witnessed by some VIPs of 84 countries. The programme was so grand that it made the world record of the largest Yoga session ever and was recorded in the ‘Limca Book of World Record’ and ‘Guinness World Record’ for a total of three different achievements.
On the International Day of Yoga 2016, there was a programme by the Prime Minister of India held in Chandigarh. It was named ‘Conversation with Yoga Masters – Yoga for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals’ which continued for 20 and 21 June. The event was organized to make the celebration as grand as of the previous year.
In 2017, the Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi joined 51000 for Yoga in Lucknow. The event was also celebrated in the other parts of the world and broadcast on Television.
On the 4th International Yoga Day in 2018, the Prime Minister joined people in Dehradun to practice Yoga together. The event is especially live broadcasted in Schools so that the children could learn from it and motivate themselves.
On International Day of Yoga 2019, the Prime Minister visited Ranchi and joined 40000 people to practice Yoga.
Conclusion
The International Day of Yoga is very important for those who understand the value of Yoga and want to adopt it in their lifestyle. It is also a great day for those who don’t know about Yoga or still have not made it their daily routine. Through observing the day, they can make their life healthier and happier than before. We all should celebrate the International Day of Yoga because it is for making our future healthier and environment cleaner for our next generation.