International Day of Yoga is celebrated annually on 21 June since its inception in 2015. An international day for yoga was declared unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly.

The proposal to celebrate International Yoga Day was put forward by the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi in September 2014. It was supported by various yoga practitioners and spiritual leaders around the world. The United Nations declared 21st June as International Yoga Day in December 2014.

The first International Day of Yoga was celebrated all over the world on 21 June 2015. The Ministry of AYUSH  had organized an event in India where 35,985 people, including Narendra Modi and a large number of dignitaries from 84 nations, performed 21 yoga asanas (postures) for 35 minutes at Rajpath in New Delhi.

The yoga fever continued and the second and third International Yoga Day also saw people participating in large numbers. A big event was organized in Chandigarh on the occasion of the second International Yoga Day. An equally big event was organized in Lucknow on the third International Yoga Day. Numerous events are held in various parts of India as well as around the world to rejoice the day each year.

This year for the curtain raiser to the International Yoga Day on June 21, the Ministry will hold an event in Dehradun in Uttarakhand on Thursday wherein about 10,000 persons are likely to perform yoga.

There are numerous yoga asanas that work on different levels to help us live a wholesome life. We must try all these and pick the ones that are truly meant for us. The chosen ones must be practiced regularly to develop a healthy lifestyle. The whole idea behind dedicating a day to Yoga is to help the world recognize the wonders it can do if practiced regularly.

This article is provided by Anirudh Sharma