The International Day of Yoga for 2024 is on 21st June 2024 (Friday). Every year on June 21, people all around the globe celebrate the International Day of Yoga. This day started in 2015 after the United Nations General Assembly came up with the idea in 2014. Yoga is this ancient thing from India that helps your body, mind, and spirit. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi suggested the date as June 21 because it’s the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere.
Date – 21st June 2024 (Tuesday)
Yoga is an ancient science often considered India’s gift to the world that provides a holistic way for physical, and mental well-being. The origins of Yoga can be traced to the Rig Veda. It has numerous physical, and mental health benefits, which have been documented in numerous scientific studies. Yoga finds mentions in Upanishads, and in many other ancient Indian scriptures. One of the first seminal works on Yoga has been the Yoga Sutras compiled by Patanjali (Also read – Who is the founder of Yoga?).
Yoga when literally translated means “Union with the divine”. The goal of Yoga as mentioned in the ancient texts is to take the mind to an inactive state. The second sutra in the 195 Yoga Sutras by Patanjali mentions the goal of Yoga as “Cessation of all mental activities”, which is translation of Citta, Vritti, Nirodaha (Also read – What is the goal of Yoga?). Yoga in its modern form is fundamentally a manifestation of Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga focuses more on Yoga poses (asanas) and meditation (pranayama). There are numerous scientific studies and researches on the health benefits of Hatha Yoga. It has been found to positively impact mental health, reduce anxiety, improve the cardio-vascular function, lymphatic system, and the musculo-skeletal system (Also read – Hatha Yoga Health Benefits).
International Day of Yoga – History
International Day of Yoga 2024 will be 10th celebration of the international day of Yoga. It started when the Indian Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi proposed an international day for Yoga in the United Nations General Assembly.
On the 21st June 2015, the first World Yoga Day was celebrated. The day official entered the Guinness World Records for the largest yoga class (35,985 people) and for the largest participating nationalities (84 nations). (Also read – List of International Yoga Days)
International Day of Yoga 2023 theme & previous themes
Every World Yoga Day celebration till World Yoga Day 2023 has had a particular theme1. The theme of International Day of Yoga in 2022 is based on how Yoga has helped alleviate the suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Year | Theme of International Day of Yoga |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Yoga For Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (One World-One Family) |
| 2022 | Yoga For Humanity |
| 2021 | Yoga For Well-being |
| 2020 | Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family |
| 2019 | Yoga for heart |
| 2018 | Yoga for peace |
| 2017 | Yoga for health |
| 2016 | Connect with youth |
| 2015 | The first International Day of Yoga on 21st June |
| 2014 | 11th Dec 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 21st June as the International Day of Yoga |
Important points of International Day of Yoga
The theme of international day of yoga 2024 is yet to be declared.
Yoga promoted overall health and well-being. International Day of Yoga 2024 is the tenth occasion when the international day of Yoga will be celebrated. It is overall raising awareness about Yoga and the need for a general physical and mental well-being. There are multiple scientific studies that validate the positive impact of Yoga. World Yoga Day has helped create and raise awareness about Yoga. It also essentially has brought health and well-being in our daily conversations. Yoga is not just about having a toned body, but it is much more than that. The idea is to reinforce our efforts in staying physically and mentally fit. Yoga offers one such alternative. It is more about a commitment to ourselves to take care of our overall well-being.
The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in his UN address in 2014, had suggested the date of 21 June, as it is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere
21st June
There are many texts that point to Patanjali as the father of Yoga as his work2, the Yoga Sutras as the first seminal dedicated to Yoga. Many also consider lord Shiva as the father of Yoga. It is said that lord Shiva after long meditation on the day of summer solstice transferred his knowledge to 7 beings (Saptrishis), who were curious & determined to learn from Lord Shiva. On the next full moon, Lord Shiva transformed himself into Adiguru and imparted knowledge of Yoga to the 7 disciples3.
If you are beginner and just getting started with Yoga, it is essential to understand the basics of Yoga. Yoga is one among the six philosophical schools of Hinduism. These include Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, and Vedanta. The practice of yoga has been thought to date back to pre-Vedic Indian traditions; possibly in the Indus valley civilization around 3000 BCE. Yoga is derived from the word Yuja, which when literally translated means – “to join”, “to unite”. It is considered to be a union of the self with the reality of self. When put simply, it means self-realization. It is advisable to get started under the mentorship or guidance of an experienced instructor. It’ll ensure that you have proper guidance. Also, it’ll avoid you any injury. There are many instructors available that can be searched online. Make sure that your instructor has 500 hours or more of training and is well versed with the fundamentals of Yoga. Read reviews of students and thoroughly evaluate the Yoga institute, or the studio and the trainers.
The original purpose of yoga asanas has been to keep the internal physical body and the energy body healthy and in balance. Much of what we see today in the form of Yoga asanas is essentially Hatha Yoga. The goal of Yoga is the cessation of all mental activation i.e. taking the mind to a non-active state. Yoga asanas or Yoga poses are important to prepare your body for deep periods of meditation. The improvements in your body shape are not its main objective.
The main difference between a Hatha Yoga practice (which largely consists of Yoga asanas and pranayama) and a modern yoga asana practice/exercise is how the yoga poses are done. Classically, asanas (yoga poses) are defined as steady and comfortable, poses. As soon as the asanas are performed in a dynamic way, without steady holds, we enter the realm of modern asana practice. This is not how they should be done. Ancient scriptures define asanas with the words sthira sukham asanam, which defines the state where body and mind are steady and comfortable in a pose. To sum it up, an asana practice according to Hatha Yoga principles aims to keep the internal body healthy and in balance rather than focusing on weight loss, toning, and shaping the exterior physical body and performs asanas with long, comfortable, and steady holds, rather than in a vigorous or dynamic manner.
The goal of Yoga is to still the changing states of the mind. In sanskrit it is defined as “Citta, Vritti, Nirodaha“
Yoga has multiple forms. The physical aspect of yoga is also known as Hatha Yoga, which consists of yoga poses and breathing exercises. There are other aspects and forms of Yoga, which include Bhakti Yoga (path of devotion), Karma Yoga (path of action), Jnana Yoga (path of knowledge).