International Day of Yoga 2023 | 21 Jun 2023

Why in News?

The 9^th International Day of Yoga (IDY) was celebrated on June 21st with various events and initiatives taking place across the country.

• This year's IDY theme, "Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam," which highlights India's socio-cultural heritage and promotes unity.

What are the Key Highlights of IDY 2023?

• Promoting Tribal Artisans:
  • Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd (TRIFED) collaborated with the Ministry of Ayush to supply yoga mats exclusively made by tribal artisans.
    • These mats represent the diverse cultural heritage of India's tribes, showcasing their stories, folklore, and artistic traditions.
  • TRIFED will highlight products and communities such as Madur mats or Madhurkathi from Medinipur, Sabai Grass Yoga Mats from Mayurbhanj, and Gondha Grass mats from Jharkhand.
• Ocean Ring of Yoga:
  • Indian Navy and Merchant ships will organize yoga demonstrations at ports and vessels of friendly countries, fostering global participation.
• Yoga from the Arctic to Antarctica:
  • Coordination between the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Ayush to organize yoga events in countries along the Prime Meridian line and UN member countries.
  • Yoga sessions to be held at Himadri in the Arctic and Bharati in Antarctica, showcasing yoga's reach to extreme regions.
• Yoga Bharatmala and Yoga Sagarmala:
  • Indian armed forces, including Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Security Force (BSF), and Border Roads Organization (BRO), will form a chain of yoga demonstrations.
    • Yoga Sagarmala will feature yoga along the Indian coastline along with yoga demonstrations on the flight deck of INS Vikrant.
• National Level Initiatives:
  • The Prime Minister will lead yoga at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, demonstrating a global commitment to yoga.
  • The Ministry of Ayush encourages "Har Aangan Yoga" which means Yoga in the courtyard of every house, by enabling yoga observation at the village level.

What is Historical Background and Significance?

• Background:
  • The idea of International Day of Yoga (IDY) was proposed by India during the opening of the 69^th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), held in 2014.
    • The UN proclaimed 21^st 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.

Source: TH