Omkar Dattatray
International Day of Yoga is every year celebrated on 21st of June. The people world over are anxious to celebrate this day with great fanfare and enthusiasm on June 21st 2024 Friday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading India in celebrating yoga day from SKICC on the banks of Dal Lake Srinagar Kashmir. This is the 10th International Yoga Day and the people across the world are celebrating this day with fervour. The theme of the international day of yoga is ”Yoga for Women Empowerment ”focusing on enhancing the physical & mental well-being of women. To celebrate ,this day, various events and sessions are being organized globally to promote the practice of yoga. Every year on June 21, the world unites to celebrate International Yoga Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the ancient Indian practice of yoga and its manifold benefits for the physical and mental well -being. PM Narendra Modi proposed the noble idea of a dedicated yoga day during his address to the 69th session of the UNGA in 2014. On 2014 December all the 139 UN member states unanimously agreed to observe the international Day of Yoga on June 21. It is due to PM Modi’s relentless efforts that June 21 was declared as the international Yoga Day by the UNGA. International Yoga Day also known as World Yoga Day is observed on June 21st every year. It has not remained an Indian event but has become a global event and is celebrated to promote the practice of yoga for the development of human personality which is balanced one encompassing the fruition of the body, mind and spirit of the mankind. The role of yoga for a healthier, happier, contented and balanced personality cannot be exaggerated. The whole world is evincing great interest in practicing yoga for a meaningful and healthy life. This day is celebrated to raise the awareness of the importance and impact of yoga on the health of population. The sixth edition of International Day of Yoga will focus on yoga at home with family members. PM Modi in the run up to yoga day launched an event -My Life My Yoga -in his Mann Ki Baat. He encouraged people to stay active and fit. The international Day of Yoga was first celebrated on June 21st 2015. As we all know, the environment is changing and the world is becoming more competitive .Yoga helps us to deal with this kind of environment and makes us healthy. The word yoga comes from Sanskrit and means to connect or unite. Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that gives people peace, confidence and courage to do many activities more effectively. At all levels of existence, it is a state of harmony. Yoga has always been considered by Indian wise men to be one of the most effective ways of connecting body and mind. It is the type of exercise that is performed through a diet, a breath and a physical posture to relax the mind and body. This ancient form of holistic healing was officially recognized by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 11, 2014. The UNGA officially recognized June 21 as the world yoga Day. Since then people all over the world are showing keen interest in yoga and its practice and are performing yoga for a healthier, happier, fuller and contented life. People of the world are practicing yoga to be far from physical and mental ailments and thus it has become their daily diet to practice yoga. Since the benefits of yoga are manifold and so people are inclined to practice yoga and practice it to be free from the modern ills of life. It is in fact the practice of yoga and its breathing exercises which increases the life span of the people and so people practice the yogic exercises to be fit and to achieve longer life. It is worth mentioning that the importance of yoga is so much that India’s resolution was adopted by 177 of the 193 UN member states without a vote. It had 175 co-authors, the highest percentage ever for such a resolution at the UNGA. The root of this historical statement goes back to the year 2001 when the Portuguese Yoga Federation and the Samkhya Yoga Institute took note of the proposal for the ”World Yoga Day.” Consequently, on June 21, 2002, a conference in Bengaluru titled ”Yoga A Science for world Peace ” marked the first world yoga day. For the first time in history ,the yoga Gurus from around the world had endorsed the idea of an International Yoga Day. Narendra Modi at the UN General Assembly said ,”Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition and embodies the unity of mind and body ,thought and action ,restraint and fulfillment .”Yoga implies harmony between man and nature ,a holistic approach to health and well being .It is not about movement ,it is about discovering the sense of unity with yourself ,the world and nature and it can help us deal with climate change and work towards the introduction of an International Day of Yoga. Sam Kutesa ,President of the United Nations General Assembly ,announced the celebration of the International Day of Yoga on June 21 and more than 170 countries supported the proposal for the Day of Yoga .June 21 is the day the Sadgurus are honored .It is also the day of the summer solstice. During the June solstice ,the north pole tilts towards the sun or we can say that sun begins to move southward. From the point of view of yoga ,it is the transitional period that is better time for meditation .We should know the objectives of the International Day of Yoga and these are as follows—1-Educate people about physical and mental illness and offer them yoga solutions. It also aims to develop a meditation habit that promotes peace of mind and enhances the confidence needed to survive in a stress free environment.2-Make people aware of the benefits of yoga and connect it with nature.3-Reduce the incidence of diseases affecting health in the world.4-Spread of growth, development and peace in the world. It is in the fitness of things to know the benefits of Yoga and these are as under-1-Yoga makes the body and mind healthy.2-Yoga not only provides mental peace but also creates a peaceful environment. 3-It is also obligatory to do yoga as our life style changes day by day .It can also help us to cope with the climate change. 4-Yoga strengthens the muscles and the whole body. 5-Maintains a balanced metabolism in humans. 6-Reduces weight and keeps the cardio system healthy. There is no doubt that yoga helps alleviate diseases that cause health problems worldwide. It connects people with each other, helps them to practice meditation and reduces stress. It combines health protection with sustainable health development. That is why we should practice yoga regularly and make it a part of our lives. The theme of International Day of Yoga 2023 is yoga for humanity. It is a matter of satisfaction that people throughout the world are now appreciating the importance of yoga and a large majority is practicing yoga for good mental and physical health. People understand the benefits and importance of yoga and are making yoga a part and parcel of their life. In India schools and colleges are imparting yoga education to the students. Besides in government offices and private institutions yoga is practiced for a healthier, happier, contented, balanced and fuller life. People are switching to yoga for being free from the perils of life style diseases. It is so good that people are adopting yoga as a part of their daily routine and diet and many people feel vacuum in their lives without practicing yoga. In brief let us make yoga a part and parcel of our life and this will be the best way of celebrating the world Yoga Day. Let this year’s International Day of yoga be celebrated for the balanced ,healthier ,happy and contented life.
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist)
