International Yoga Day is celebrated every year on 21st June in the world. Every year public programs are organized on a large scale regarding this. However, due to the Corona pandemic, like last year, this year also more and more programs will be organized through digital, virtual and electronic platforms. Like every year, PM Narendra Modi will give his address with the aim of explaining the importance of yoga and making people aware about it.
The science of yoga originated thousands of years ago, long before the birth of religions or beliefs. According to Yoga Vidya, Shiva is considered as the first Yogi or Adi Yogi and the first Guru or Adi Guru. Yoga is a Sanskrit word. According to its explanation given in the Rigveda, yoga is such a power by which we can unite our mind, brain and body.
On 11 December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21 to be celebrated as International Day of Yoga or World Yoga Day. After this, from the year 2015, this day was celebrated as International Yoga Day all over the world. June 21 is the longest day of the year and the sun stays on the earth for the longest time. It is believed that this is the main reason behind celebrating this day as International Yoga Day. Apart from this, June 21 is also the day of summer solstice in India.
International Yoga Day was celebrated for the first time in the year 2015. After the announcement of celebrating Yoga Day by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yoga Day was celebrated on Rajpath in the presence of 35 thousand people led by PM Modi.
International Yoga Day is organized every year on a new theme. Its theme in 2015 was ‘Yoga for Harmony and Peace’. In the year 2016, its theme was ‘Connect the youth’. After this, in 2017 ‘Yoga for Health’ was kept as its theme. It was organized in the year 2018 on the theme of ‘Yoga for Peace’. After this, in the year 2019, its theme was ‘Yoga for the Environment’, connecting the environment with yoga.
Last year in 2020, due to the Corona pandemic, its theme was ‘Yoga for Health – Yoga from Home’. At the same time, the theme of International Yoga Day this year is ‘Yoga for Health’ (Yoga for Wellness).