With respect to the call of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the adoption of 21 June as International Yoga Day during his address to UN General Assembly on September 27, 2014, the UNGA on December 11 declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.
Why June 21?
June 21, which is the Summer Solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and has special significance in many parts of the world. From the perspective of yoga, the Summer Solstice marks the transition to Dakshinayana.
International Support for Yoga Day
- The first Prime Minister to support Modi Ji’s Proposal was Sushil Koirala of Nepal.
- More than 177 countries including USA, Canada, China and Egypt have supported this move.
Observance of International Yoga Day
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a large number of dignitaries performed 21 Yoga asanas for 35 minutes at Rajpath in New Delhi on 21 June 2015. The grand event attracted more than 35,000 people.
- PM Modi Ji dressed in all-white and a tricolour scarf and performed a variety of poses, including the Vajrasan and Padmasan.
- Large number of people gathered together and practiced Yoga in all parts of India to commemorate this day.
- The day devoted to Yoga was observed by millions across the world.
About the International Yoga Day Logo
- Folding of both hands in the logo Symbolise Yoga, the union, which reflects the union of individual Consciousness with that of universal Consciousness, a perfect harmony between mind & body, man & nature; a holistic approach to health & well being.
- The brown leaves symbolise the Earth element, the green leaves symbolise the Nature, blue symbolises the Water element, brightness symbolises the Fire element and the Sun symbolise the source of energy and inspiration.
- The logo reflects harmony and peace for humanity, which is the essence of Yoga.
History of Yoga
- According to Yogic lore, Shiva has seen as the first yogi or Ādiyogi and the first guru or Ādiguru.
- Ādiyogi poured his profound knowledge into the legendary Saptarishis or “seven sages”.
- These sages carried this powerful Yogic science to different parts of the world including Asia, the Middle East, northern Africa and South America.
- Yoga is widely considered as an “immortal cultural outcome” of the Indus Saraswati Valley Civilisation – dating back to 2700 BC.
- Though Yoga was being practiced in the pre-Vedic period, the great sage Maharishi Patanjali systematised and codified the then existing Yogic practices, its meaning and its related knowledge through Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
