Yoga has gained importance among people due to the increasing awareness among people about their health as yoga is quite beneficial for your mind and body. It helps your mind and body to relax. Though Yoga has recently gained popularity, it has a history which is thousands of years old. Nowadays, more and more people are turning towards yoga to achieve peace of mind, calmness, relaxation, confidence and courage which will definitely help them to improve their lifestyle.
Yoga is a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, which involves breath control, simple exercise, meditation and adoption of certain bodily positions which is practiced widely to attain relaxation on mind and body. Yoga means union. The term Yoga originated from the Sanskrit word ‘Yoke’ which means union. Yoga means union of the self with the Divine Self. Maharishi Patanjali is considered the Father of Yoga, who has compiled 195 Sutras which became the base of Yoga philosophy. Yoga is done by bringing your mind and body in complete harmony with each other. Your mind will not be able to concentrate if your body is ill, thus preventing the flow of energy to the brain.
History and Significance of Celebrating International Yoga Day on 21st June
It is very interesting to know that World Yoga Day was celebrated for the first time on 21st June 2015 at Raj Path in Delhi and the initiative was taken by our Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi while addressing United Nations General Assembly on 27th September 2014. In his inspirational speech, Modi said ‘Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies the unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. The proposal to celebrate World Yoga Day on 21st June was unanimously approved by its 193 members on 11 Dec 2014. 21st June was specifically selected for celebrating World Yoga Day because this day is considered the longest day in Northern Hemisphere and is of great significance in many parts of the World.
World Yoga Day is especially significant to Indians, as it was proposed by Indian Prime Minister and its worth mentioning that it is for the first time in the history of United Nations body that a proposal has been implemented in 90 days. So, the world’s first Yoga Day was celebrated at Raj Path and many dignitaries along with Prime Minister Modi were a part of this celebration which created 2 World Records. The first record was for the huge participation of people- almost close to 35, 990 and the second was for the maximum number of participating nationalities which was 84.
Modern lifestyle has taken a toll on your health. You need to detox your mind and body of all the impurities, and you can attain this by practising Yoga. Yoga is specifically beneficial for those who suffer from stress, depression, anxiety, obesity etc. There are many poses which is commonly known as asanas in Yoga which helps to provide a holistic healing power to your mind and body.
International Yoga Day 2019 Theme
The whole world is set to celebrate the fifth International Yoga Day on 21st June 2019 and the theme of International Yoga Day is ‘Climate Action’ as it is considered that Yoga can be a solution to climate change. Yoga emphasizes on holding postures and slowing down which creates a harmony between your mind and body, which in turn creates a balance between nature and human being.
We are responsible for causing damage to our planet Earth through our irresponsible deeds which need to be corrected. It is due to deforestation and industrialization that has caused drastic climatic change and global warming. Global climate change has already started showing its effect on the environment. The effect of Global climate change is the melting of Glaciers, increased sea level, early migration of birds and longer and more intense heat waves. It has been predicted by the scientists that the net effect of Global Climate change on our environment is likely to increase in the coming years. Now it has become our moral responsibility to correct our own careless and irresponsible deeds. This can be achieved by practising yoga as it helps to connect our mind and soul to the environment and invoke actions towards earth changing the climate.
Objectives of International Yoga Day
Our day to day activities and busy lifestyle have a disastrous effect on our health. But people are now becoming much more vigilant about their health and more and more people are turning towards a more holistic way of healing your mind and body through Yoga. Hence a day was chosen as International Yoga Day to celebrate Yoga and create an increased awareness among people about the benefits of Yoga. The main objective of International Yoga Day is as follows:
- International Yoga Day is observed globally to create awareness among people about the holistic way of living.
- International Yoga Day is observed to develop a habit of meditation not only among youngsters but people of all age group.
- Yoga Day aims at educating people about various methods of overcoming stress without the need to depend on medicines.
- One of the objectives of World Yoga Day is to connect mankind with nature.
- World Yoga Day aims at educating people on the significance of yoga on your health and how it helps your vital organs to function properly by ensuring an adequate supply of oxygen through blood circulation.
- Yoga Day aims at spreading peace, growth and development globally through yoga.
- World Yoga Day emphasizes on creating awareness among people about the benefits of yoga to attain peace of mind.
- World Yoga Day aims at increasing self-awareness to lead a stress-free life.
- Yoga works on the ideology of creating harmony between man and nature. When this harmony is attained, then man achieves a greater level of consciousness which enables him to be at peace with his surroundings.
- Yoga Day is observed to create awareness among people about the physical and mental illness and how Yoga can be a perfect solution to all their problems.
- As more and more people will start practising yoga on a regular basis, it will help to attain a greater level of consciousness which will eventually lead to world peace.
- World Yoga Day is celebrated globally which will help people from different caste, creed and communities to forget their differences and come together.
- By practising yoga people on a daily basis, people will have a more realistic and thoughtful approach towards life.
- International Yoga Day helps in creating awareness among people about the long-term benefits of performing yoga.
- Yoga helps to create a perfect balance between your mind, body and soul and helps to boost confidence.
Yoga has many health benefits with no side effects. Thus, the main objective to celebrate International Yoga Day is to bring people from all caste and communities together by performing Yoga which helps to improve their health and lifestyle by eliminating all negativities from their life and making them feel more comfortable, confident, happy and at peace with their life.
International Yoga Day Celebrations in India
First International Yoga Day was celebrated in India on 21st June 2015 on Raj Path in New Delhi, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading a group of about 35,990 people from 84 nations of the world where 21 yoga mudras were performed for 35 minutes.
In the year 2016, on 21st June, a major event ’The National Event of Mass Yoga Demonstration’ was organized in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many other dignitaries and common people had participated
In the year 2017, on 21st June, International Yoga Day was celebrated at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. It had record-breaking participation by people. 51,000 people from almost 150 countries participated in this grand event which was organized at Lucknow.
In the year 2018, International Yoga Day will be celebrated on 21st June at Dehradun in Uttarakhand, in which almost 60,000 people participated along with Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi.
This year, International Yoga Day celebration will be held at Prabhat Tara in Ranchi on 21st June 2019 and Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi will be leading the event. This event will be celebrated in a grand way as on this occasion the Indian Prime Minister will be addressing the whole world about the benefits of Yoga. The estimated number of people who are going to be a part of this event is about 35 thousand. A week-long event is organized, starting from 15th June which will start with ‘Run for Yoga’ and conclude on 21st June.
Apart from Ranchi, on many parts of India, each year International Yoga Day is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Many NGOs such as The Art of Living organized many Yoga session all over the country. Mass Yoga sessions are organized in several parts of the country. People from all walks of life irrespective of their age, caste and communities take part in these sessions. In many IT companies, where the employees are dealing with a lot of competition and stress, Yoga sessions are organized on this day. Many schools and colleges also conduct Yoga classes and preach the benefits of Yoga on human health. Many events are organized on a large scale to commemorate this day which is marked by the participation on many dignitaries and Bollywood celebrities. Increasing awareness is created among common people about the benefits of yoga through social media, through advertisement, posters and banners. In order to spread awareness among common people, many campaigns are organized by various NGOs, politicians and celebrities.
Now you are aware of the benefits of Yoga has on your day to day life. It aims at bringing mankind closer to Mother Nature and has a holistic power of healing all your ailments. So, on this International Yoga Day, let’s all come together and spread a word of awareness among people about the benefits and the healing power of Yoga.
Practice Yoga daily for a healthy mind and a healthy body. Stay fit and stay enlightened.!!
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