International Day of Yoga | 22 Jun 2020
Why in News
The International Day of Yoga (IDY) is observed on 21st June.
- The theme for the year 2020 is 'Yoga for Health – Yoga at Home', which takes into account the social distancing measures announced by most countries amid Covid-19 pandemic.
Key Points
- Proposed by India:
- The idea of IDY was proposed by India during the opening of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), held in 2014.
- The UN proclaimed 21st June as IDY by passing a resolution in December, 2014.
- The first Yoga Day celebrations in 2015 at Rajpath in New Delhi created two Guinness World Records.
- It was the world's largest yoga session with 35,985 people.
- 84 nationalities participated in it.
- About Yoga:
- Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India.
- The word ‘yoga’ is derived from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness.
- Today it is practiced in various forms around the world and continues to grow in popularity.
- Initiatives by India:
- The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in its ‘Common Yoga Protocol’ has listed Yama, Niyama, Asana, etc. among popular yoga ‘sadhanas’.
- The Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Council (B&WSSC) has vocational education courses in Yoga for CBSE schools.
- B&WSSC is established as a non-profit organization under the aegis of National Skill Development Corporation, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
- About 96,196 candidates have been trained as yoga instructors and trainers through various skilling initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).
- PMKVY is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
- Yoga is also a part of the Fit India Movement.
- Fit India Movement is a nation-wide campaign that aims at encouraging people to include physical activities and sports in their everyday lives.