The United Nations proclaimed June 21 as the International Day of Yoga with an aim to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practising yoga. It was first celebrated in 2015.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced “Yoga for One Earth, One Health” as the theme of this year’s International Day of Yoga and said the day had taken “the shape of a grand festival”.
The United Nations proclaimed June 21 as the International Day of Yoga with an aim to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practising yoga. It was first celebrated in 2015.
Sharing India’s vision for a healthier world population in his monthly “Mann ki Baat” radio broadcast, Modi said, “The theme of yoga day, 2025, has been kept as ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health’. That is, we wish to make the whole world healthy through yoga.” The prime minister noted that, alongside fitness, keeping a count was also becoming a habit, citing examples of people keeping tabs on the number of steps taken, calories consumed and burnt in a day.
Amid all these counts, another countdown is about to begin. The countdown to the International Day of Yoga. Now, less than 100 days are left for yoga day. If you have not yet included yoga in your life, do it now. It is not too late yet,” he said.
Noting the first International Day of Yoga was celebrated 10 years ago, Modi said, “Now this day has taken the shape of a grand festival of yoga. This is such a priceless gift from India to humanity, which is going to be very useful for future generations.” “It is a matter of pride for all of us that, today, the curiosity about our yoga and traditional medicine is rising all over the world. A large number of youngsters are adopting yoga and Ayurveda as excellent mediums for wellness,” the prime minister said.
Citing the example of Chile, he said Ayurveda was rapidly becoming popular in the South American country. “Last year, during my visit to Brazil, I met the president of Chile. We had a lot of discussions about the popularity of Ayurveda.” Acknowledging the fast-growing popularity of Ayush systems across the globe and the contribution of key stakeholders, he said, “I have come to know about a team named ‘Somos India’. In Spanish, it means ‘We are India’. This team has been promoting yoga and Ayurveda for almost a decade. Their focus is on treatment as well as educational programmes.” They are also getting information related to yoga and Ayurveda translated to Spanish.
“If we talk about last year alone, about 9,000 people participated in their myriad events and courses. I congratulate all the people associated with this team for their efforts,” Modi said.
The prime minister also appealed to everyone to incorporate yoga into their routines and take pride in the country’s traditional wisdom for overall wellbeing.