On, 11th of December 2014, the UN Assembly had declared 21st of June as the World Yoga Day or the International Yoga Day. In India, yoga has been present and popular since archaic times. It is a mental, physical and a spiritual art that has been around for over 5000 years today. Experts have accepted the fact that Yoga and meditation have its roots in India. People then used meditation as the key source to achieve peace with self. To celebrate Yoga Day, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appealed to the United Nations General Assembly to adopt 21st day of June as the day of practicing yoga all across the world.
Experts believe that practicing Yoga early in the morning is extremely beneficial. The name that UN General Assembly has proposed for this special day is the UN International Yoga Day. It is, however, fondly called as the Yoga Day. People from all over the world conduct multiple events involving meditation, yoga, some health-related debates, discussions, and meetings. There are also some cultural performances conducted by kids in school on this day.
International Day of Yoga (World Yoga Day)
It is the first time since proposal that the International Day of Yoga would be celebrated on 21st of June in 2015, all over the world. Let us go through the history of this holistic day.
History of World Yoga Day
On 11th of December 2013, the Prime Minister of India put forward a proposal in front of the UN General Assembly to adopt 21st of June as the UN International Yoga Day. This declaration was done post the telephonic conversation between the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and the United Nations General Assembly on the 27th day of September in the year 2014. He proposed the idea so that the entire world could be told about the bounty of benefits of practicing Yoga.
In the telephonic conversation, he addressed the UN General Assembly spokesperson by saying, “Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies the 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 oneself, the world and nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting the International Yoga Day.”
The UN Assembly was impressed by the idea proposed by Narendra Modi and in less than 3 months his idea was converted into action. It has been the first time in the history that any idea proposed by any country has been approved and put into action in less than 90 days. This was indeed a proud moment for every Indian. The resolution has been adopted by the UN General Assembly under the Global Health and Foreign Policy. The objective behind this is surfacing a holistic approach in order to celebrate the health and well-being of every individual alike.
The PMOI appealed to the leaders of the world to adopt International Day of Yoga so as to deal with the various health-related issues faced by the people all over the world. The reason behind suggesting 21st of June as the World Yoga Day is that this is the longest day in Northern Hemisphere regions.
World Yoga Day Celebration
Leaders from all across the world have supported and adopted the celebration of International Yoga Day. More than 170 countries of the world celebrate World Yoga Day on June 21st. There are multiple activities organized in every country on this day. Some of these activities include the conduct of yoga competitions in yoga training campus. Instructors conduct various activities in the Yoga Campuses to accentuate the awareness related to the health benefits of practicing Yoga. A famous instructor put forth that daily practice of Yoga is known to help people to live a better life. Yoga brings positivity and mental peace.
It would be exciting to see how all the members and the participants of the UN General Assembly and all the other regional organizations, civil societies, governmental and non-governmental organizations, international organizations and individuals from all across the world come together and celebrate the International Yoga Day.
Objectives of World Yoga Day
The reason for adopting Yoga Day is to achieve the below-mentioned objective.
- To help the people develop a habit of Yoga and Meditation
- To reduce the health-related issues faced by people
- To make the people aware about the natural health benefits of Yoga
- To bring people belonging to different communities together to celebrate health
- To help the people come over stress naturally
- To aid people from all over the world accept the holistic benefits of yoga
- To let the people connect with nature
- To spread peace across the world
- To strengthen global coordination
- To allow the people resolve the various mental and physical disorders by practicing Yoga
- To win over all the health challenges
- To promote better health practices amongst people
Final Views
International Yoga Day is a great proposal put forward by Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister. 21st of June will be celebrated as International Yoga Day each year and we hope for the great success of this day. Spreading awareness about Yoga will help people to stay fit and healthier and teach others to be calm and peaceful following the path of Yoga.
