List of International Days of Yoga explained

This list records each International Day of Yoga from the day's inception in 2015.

2015

The first International Day of Yoga was observed around the world on June 21, 2015. The pivotal event was held at Rajpath in New Delhi, India, where a large number of people, including PM Narendra Modi and dignitaries from many nations, performed 21 asanas (yoga postures) for 35 minutes.[1] The Delhi event established two Guinness world records, one for the largest yoga class, of 35,985 people,[2] and other for the largest number of participating nationalities (84 nations).[3] The Ministry of AYUSH made the necessary arrangements in India.[4]

Apart from India, the event was celebrated across the world including New York, Paris, Beijing, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, San Francisco, Seoul, and Seychelles.[5] In San Francisco, 5,000 participants gathered in the Marina Green park to do yoga.[6] Another record was created by India's NCC cadets, who entered the Limca Book of Records for the "largest yoga performance simultaneously by a single uniformed youth organization" at multiple venues.[7]

2016

A senior government official said, "The government of India has decided to take forward the momentum created by the International Day of Yoga, 2015 with more and more active participation of youth during the current year's celebrations."[8] The ministry organized an event titled "The National Event of Mass Yoga Demonstration" at Chandigarh, which was attended by the Indian Prime Minister.[9]

India's Permanent Mission to the UN organized celebrations at the United Nations on June 20 and 21 2016. A special event titled "Conversation with Yoga Masters – Yoga for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals" was the centerpiece.[10] Sadhguru (Jaggi Vasudev) was the main speaker at the event.[11]

Baba Ramdev also held a massive yoga camp in June 2016 to mark International Yoga Day, and Union Minister Arun Jaitley hailed the Yoga guru for reviving the ancient Indian practice saying that “Baba Ramdev has immensely contributed in reviving yoga and has made people aware about its positive effects” [12]

2017

In Lucknow, the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi participated in the event and practiced yoga along with 51,000 participants.[13] [14] Many business leaders in India also took part in the event.[15] [16] In New York, thousands of participants gathered to practice yoga on Times Square. Japan created a Parliamentary League for the promotion of yoga just prior to the event, in April 2017.[17] In China, the largest gathering was 10,000 participants in the city of Wuxi.[18] In Athens, the event took place on 25 June as part of the Greek Open Yoga Day[19] and in Kyiv, the event happened on 18 June and gathered a few hundred participants.[20] In Ireland, participants met in the round room of the City Hall in Dublin.[21] The theme for 2017 was "Yoga for Health".

2018

The event in Dehradun was held at the Forest Research Institute. PM Modi led an estimated 50,000 volunteers to mark the fourth anniversary of International Yoga Day. The theme for 2018 was "Yoga for Peace". Over 100,000 people gathered at a yoga session in Kota, Rajasthan and performed yoga together, earning the city a Guinness World Record.[22]

2019

The 5th International Yoga Day was celebrated zealously in various parts of India,[23] but the main event was held in Ranchi and the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi led a crowd of over 40,000 people, who attended this event there.[24] The theme of that year's event was "Yoga for Heart". At this event, the prime minister addressed the people of India, stressing on the importance of Yoga for the overall health of body, mind, society, and even our climate, saying "Let our motto be - Yoga for peace, harmony, and progress". He also said that the government would be working to make Yoga a pillar of the 'preventive healthcare and wellness' system.[25] [26] [27]

2020

The theme for the 2020 day was "Yoga at Home and Yoga with the Family".[28] [29] The Bulgarian prime minister Boyko Borissov recorded a video message to the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on the occasion.[30]

2021

The theme for the 2021 day was "Yoga for well-being". Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian mission to the United Nations organized an online celebration on UN WebTV in place of face-to-face yoga events.[31]

2022

The 8th International Yoga Day was celebrated in various parts of India, but the main event was held in Mysore and the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi led a crowd of over 15,000 people in the Mysore Palace Premises, who attended this event there. The theme of the year's event was "Yoga for humanity".[32]

2023

On International Yoga Day 2023

, a historic yoga event was held at the U.N. Headquarters in New York led by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and attended by top UN officials and prominent individuals from across the world, including the incumbent President of UN General Assembly, Csaba Korosi and Hollywood actor Richard Gere, Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams among many others.[33]

2024

This year marks the 10th International Day of Yoga with the theme “Yoga for self and Society.” The goal is to transform yoga into a widespread movement that emphasizes women’s well-being and promotes global health and peace[34] In India, a major event was held on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, with Prime Minister Modi attending the 10th International Yoga Day event.[35] PM Modi noted that Yoga helps us live in the present moment without the baggage of the past, and pointed that yoga is becoming a popular in many countries including Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, Mongolia and Germany.[36] In Bengaluru city, which is popular for its Tech companies, Yoga enthusiasts attempted to create the Guinness Book of World Record for most people performing the "Surya Namaskar" during the 10th International Day of Yoga.[36]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Massive turnout for Yoga day. 21 June 2015.
  2. Web site: Largest yoga class . Guinness world record . 21 June 2015 . 22 June 2015.
  3. News: PM Modi Leads Yoga Session, India Sets Guinness Records: 10 Developments. 21 June 2015. NDTV.
  4. News: Bengal government gearing up to celebrate International Yoga Day, even at the risk of annoying the minority community. 2015-06-17. The Economic Times. 2019-04-15.
  5. News: International Yoga Day And What It Means For India. June 29, 2015. The New York Times.
  6. Web site: San Francisco, Silicon Valley Yogis Join International Yoga Day. Siliconvalleyoneworld.com. 19 June 2015. 13 April 2018.
  7. News: NCC cadets' Yoga Day feat enter Limca Book of Records. 24 September 2015. NDTV.
  8. Web site: Experts Training Government Staff For Upcoming International Yoga Day . . 5 June 2016 . 13 June 2016.
  9. Web site: PM Modi To Attend International Yoga Day At Chandigarh . . 22 May 2016 . 13 June 2016.
  10. Web site: Sadhguru to lead yoga session at UN on 2nd International Yoga Day . . 28 May 2016 . 13 June 2016.
  11. http://www.bhaskar.com/news-campaign/yoga-day/ "Everything you need to know about International Yoga Day"
  12. News: Jaitley hails Baba Ramdev for reviving yoga, spreading awareness. June 20, 2016. Indian Express.
  13. Web site: International Yoga Day 2017: Rainy Start To Yoga Day, PM Narendra Modi Leads Asanas In Lucknow – Highlights. Ndtv.com. 21 June 2017. Shylaja Varma. 12 April 2018.
  14. Web site: Thousands join India's Modi, hit the mat for International Yoga Day. Reuters.com. 21 June 2017. 12 April 2018.
  15. Web site: International Yoga Day: CEOs who're into the ancient science. Indiatimes.com. 21 June 2017. Ramarko Sengupta. 12 April 2018.
  16. Web site: We asked nine of India's CEOs and entrepreneurs to tell us their favourite yoga pose. Qz.com. 21 June 2017. 12 April 2018.
  17. Web site: International Yoga Day 2017: A Look at the Celebrations Around the World. Zenyogastrap.com. 7 June 2016. 12 April 2018.
  18. Web site: International Yoga Day: Record 10,000 people participate in event in China's largest ever congregation. Firstpost.com. 25 June 2017. 12 April 2018.
  19. Web site: Celebration of the 3rd International Day of Yoga in Greece. Elinepa.org. 13 April 2018.
  20. Web site: Namaste: Hundreds gather in Kyiv to celebrate International Yoga Day (PHOTOS). Kyivpost.com. 18 June 2017. Oleg Petrasiuk. Denys Krasnikov. 13 April 2018.
  21. Web site: International Yoga Day 2017. Yogatherapyireland.com. 1 August 2017. 13 April 2018.
  22. News: International Yoga Day Rajasthan records biggest yoga gathering. 2018-06-21. The Hindu. 2019-04-15. en-IN. 0971-751X.
  23. Web site: Yoga Day Live updates: World celebrates International Yoga Day 2019. .
  24. Web site: Yoga Day 2019: PM Modi Yoga address-10 Key Points. 21 June 2019.
  25. Web site: "Yoga for All, All for Yoga," Says PM at Mega Event in Ranchi: 10 Points.
  26. News: World Yoga Day Theme Yoga for Climate Action . 15 June 2019 . India Today . 13 June 2019.
  27. Web site: International Yoga Day 2019: 5th International Yoga Day Celebrations in Chandigarh . 21 June 2019 . NewsGraph . en.
  28. Web site: 19 June 2020 . International Yoga Day 2020 India: Theme,Importance,History,Quotes . 20 June 2020 . S A NEWS . en-US.
  29. Web site: 18 June 2020 . International Yoga Day 2020: Video Contest, Yoga at Home, Yoga with Family Theme Campaign Launched Get Details . 20 June 2020 . Jagranjosh.com.
  30. Web site: Бербатов се подготвя за Индия с посещение в посолството (СНИМКИ) . Borissov congratulates Indian Prime Minister on Yoga Day (VIDEO) . 21 June 2020 . 21 October 2021 . bg . bTV Новините.
  31. News: Brown . Forrest . International Day of Yoga 2021: Find the path to your well-being . 21 June 2021 . CNN Health . 21 June 2021.
  32. Web site: Eighth International Day of Yoga being celebrated across the world today . All India Radio News . 8 September 2022 . 21 June 2022.
  33. News: International Yoga Day 2023 updates . en-IN . The Hindu . 2023-06-21 . 2023-06-23 .
  34. Web site: Nations . United . International Day of Yoga . United Nations . en.
  35. News: 2024-06-21 . International Yoga Day Live Updates: Yoga has become a unifying force, says PM Modi . 2024-06-27 . Hindustan Times . en-IN.
  36. News: 2024-06-21 . Yoga helps us live in the present moment without the baggage of the past: PM Modi . 2024-06-27 . The Hindu . en-IN.