The United Nations (UN)’s International Day of Yoga (IDY) is annually observed across the globe on 21 June to raise awareness about the benefits of practicing yoga, a 5,000-year-old ancient practice that originated from India.
- 21st June 2024 marks the observance of the 10th IDY.
Theme:
i.The 2024 theme of IDY is “Yoga for Self and Society.”
ii.The 2024 theme highlights the dual role of yoga in fostering individual and societal well-being.
Significance of Yoga:
i.The word ‘yoga’ derives from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning “to join“, “to yoke” or “to unite“. It is a science of exercise and healing which combines physical, mental, and spiritual pursuits to achieve harmony in the body and mind.
ii.Indian Yoga was inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.
Background:
i.On 11 December 2014, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/69/131, proclaiming 21 June of every year as the International Day of Yoga.
ii.The 1st ever IDY was observed on 21 June 2015.
Note:
i.The resolution establishing the IDY was proposed by India and endorsed by 175 member states.
ii.Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi first introduced the proposal in his address during the opening of the 69th session of the UNGA.
Health Benefits:
i.The resolution highlights the crucial role of individual choices and lifestyle patterns in fostering good health.
ii.In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO) encourages reducing physical inactivity, one of the top 10 leading causes of death worldwide.
- Physical inactivity is a key risk factor for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes.
2024 Events:
On 21 June 2024, the 10th IDY event was organised by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, New York, the United States of America (USA) in collaboration with the UN Secretariat, and the 2024 event took place in the North Lawn Area of UN Headquarters in New York.
Event in India:
On 21 June 2024, to mark IDY 2024, an event led by PM Modi was organised at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar in the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu, and Kashmir (J&K).
Key People: Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of the UT of J&K; Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge (I/C)) of the Ministry of AYUSH, among others participated in the event.
Guinness World Records:
i.On 21st June 2015, the 1st IDY event was organised by the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Government of India in Rajpath, New Delhi (Delhi).
ii.The inaugural event set 2 Guinness World Records:
- The Largest Yoga Lesson involved 35,985 participants; and
- The Maximum number of Nationalities (84) participated in a single yoga lesson.
Note: The Prime Minister also recalled Charlotte Chopin, a 101-year-old woman yoga teacher from France who was awarded the Padma Shri this year.
