Important Facts For Prelims
8th International Day of Yoga
- 22 Jun 2022
- 5 min read
Why in News?
Eighth International Day of Yoga (21st June 2022) is being celebrated across the world.
- Theme 2022: ‘Yoga for Humanity’.
What is Historical Background and Significance?
- Background:
- The idea of International Day of Yoga (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.
- Yoga and its Significance:
- 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.
- Yoga plays an important role in the psycho-social care and rehabilitation of Covid-19 patients in quarantine and isolation.
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also asked its member states to practice Yoga and has included it in its Global Action Plan for physical activity 2018-30.
What is the Significance of the Day?
- The International Yoga Day is observed to spread awareness about the practice of yoga and its holistic approach to physical and mental well-being.
- The International Day of Yoga aims to inculcate a habit of meditation for the peace of mind and the self-awareness which is necessary to survive in a stress-free environment.
What are the Related Initiatives?
- M-Yoga App:
- The Prime Minister announced the M-Yoga App which will help in achieving ‘One World One Health’.
- The app is a work of collaboration between the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (Ministry of AYUSH), Government of India.
- New website for International Day of Yoga (IDY):
- This web portal provides all the updated and relevant information relating to International Day of Yoga.
- It has a social wall where all the social media interactive platforms are available for the visitors to keep track on the discussions and participate in them.
- The portal is also linked to important web pages such as Swachh Bharat, Make in India, etc.
- Yoga recognised as a Sports Discipline:
- The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, after reviewing categorization of various Sports disciplines, recognised Yoga as a sports discipline and placed it in the ‘Priority’ category in September 2015.
- Common Yoga Protocol:
- The Ministry of AYUSH in its ‘Common Yoga Protocol’ has listed Yama, Niyama, Asana, etc. among popular yoga ‘sadhanas’.
- Vocational Education Courses in Yoga:
- 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.
- Various Skilling initiatives:
- Thousands of 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.
- Fit India Movement:
- 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.