Each year on 21st June, people across the globe celebrate the International Yoga Day to express their respect for the ancient practice that emerged in India. The ancient yogic tradition of India has now become an emblem for fitness, inner peace, and tranquillity. The idea of celebrating an International Yoga Day was presented by the Prime Minister of India, Mr Narendra Modi, in the year 2014, when he was delivering a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, describing yoga as an invaluable gift of India’s ancient yogic tradition. This proposal was accepted wholeheartedly, and just within three months, 177 countries came together to make the resolution concrete, historically making it one of the fastest and most popular UN resolutions ever! Since then, June 21, which is also the summer solstice and the longest day of the year, is celebrated as the International Day of Yoga.
The year 2025 will see the 11th International Yoga Day. In his Mann Ki Baat address, PM Modi announced “Yoga for One Earth, One Health” as the International Yoga theme 2025, drawing attention to Yoga’s comprehensive impact on prosperity and regenerability.
Why June 21st?
Apart from the fact that June 21st is globally recognized as the summer solstice and the longest day of the year, it also holds astronomical and sacred importance. The Summer solstice is a transition that is recognized in many cultures across the globe, but as per the Indian mythology, June 21 is the day when Lord Shiva, who is considered the first yogi (AdiYogi), began teaching the discipline of yoga to the Saptarishis (The Seven Sages). This not only laid the foundation for the knowledge of yoga but also transformed June 21, setting it ahead of its spiritual and astronomical significance.
Why is Yoga needed now more than ever?
We live in a world that is swamped with fast-paced lifestyles, ignorance towards fitness, digital distractions, stress, and development without sustainability. All this not only leads to fatigue, but also deeply affects our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Yoga is not just a combination of exercises, but it is a way of life that offers tools for individual growth and social cohesion, improving our connection with our body and mind, as well as the people around us.
- Mental health – In today’s fast-paced world, the mental health risks are at an all-time high. Reports presented by the WHO show that around one million people around the world are suffering from mental health disorders. This is not only alarming but also a reason for concern, as these issues can be addressed and resolved with day-to-day lifestyle changes.
- Inactive lifestyle – In the humdrum of modern life, where people are rushing towards development and growing numbers in their bank accounts, it is sad to observe that the sedentary habits and poor diets have given rise to conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and obesity like never before! Squeezing a 30-minute yoga session into their busy lifestyles can help people get past their sedentary habits and enjoy life in full force.
- Emotional well-being – Yoga, other than addressing mental health and inactive lifestyles, also fosters the emotional well-being of a person. Through its holistically developed sequences and asanas, which not only regulate blood flow in the body but also promote mind-body awareness, breath control, and mindfulness, Yoga caters to the emotional well-being of a person.
Benefits of yoga
Whether you are someone who has just set foot in yoga or you are a regular practitioner backed up with experience, yoga offers a variety of physical, mental, and emotional benefits, which are scientifically backed up by modern science.
- Improves flexibility – Practicing yoga regularly stretches the muscles and ligaments in a very safe and controlled manner. It helps flex the hips, shoulders, and lengthens the hamstrings, and makes day-to-day movements more fluid. It also helps in balancing posture, which is affected by long hours of sitting and screen time. Yoga asanas like Adho mukha swanasana (downward dog), Trikonasana (triangle pose), and Marjariasana (cat cow pose) directly impact the body alignment by decompressing the spine and fixing the posture.
- Increases strength – Physical strength can be increased not only by weight lifting and strength training, but also by yoga. Many yogic postures require one to support their body weight, which not only augments the functional strength but also stimulates various muscle groups. Asanas like the chair pose and planks tone the thighs, glute muscles, and build core strength, making yoga a medium to boost the overall performance of the body.
- Reduces stress – Yoga activates the “rest and digest state” of the nervous system, which is also known as the Parasympathetic nervous system, that deals with the body’s response to stress. Yoga includes breathing exercises like Nadi Shodhan (alternate nostril breathing) and Ujjayi Pranayam (victorious breath), which help relax the mind and stabilize the heart rate. Research has shown that practicing yoga regularly positively reduces the levels of cortisol, which is the stress hormone, and regulates emotions. This is especially beneficial for people who are dealing with chronic anxiety and stress.
- Boosts digestion – Certain yoga asanas like Revolved triangle or the seated spinal twist, which are twisting poses, help in gently massaging the abdominal organs. Sitting 10 minutes in Vajrasana (Thunderbolt pose) post meals, boosts digestion and relieves bloating and constipation.
- Enhances sleep quality – Yoga not only reduces stress and calms the nervous system, but it also helps in making one fall asleep easily and get a good quality sleep. Asanas like the Yog Nidra (Yogi’s sleep) result in deep relaxation of the mind and reset the body’s rhythm. As per the study conducted by the Harvard Medical School, people face problems in sleeping when practiced yoga every day for 8 weeks noticed improved quality of sleep and enhanced focus in daytime. Asanas like Viparit Karni (legs up the wall) are recommended before bedtime to enhance sleep quality.
- Strengthens immunity – By regulating the stress hormones, improving breathing and lymphatic drainage, yoga reduces inflammation and strengthens immunity. The aligned movement between asanas with deep breathing promotes better organ function, contributing to enhanced immunity at this cellular level.
- Improves cognitive functions – Yoga promotes the practice of being present in the moment. It fosters mindfulness, focused breathing, and improves cognitive function, attention span, and memory retention. It also regulates the emotions by calming the amygdala, which is the brain’s fear centre, thereby also promoting emotional balance.
Types of yoga
Yoga offers something for everyone. It is a diverse practice that comes in many styles to adapt to different body types, preferences, and physical conditions.
- Hatha Yoga – It is a foundational type of yoga that focuses on basic postures, breath control, and gentle movements. It is best for beginners who want to concentrate on alignment rather than fast-paced sequences.
- Ashtanga Yoga – Popularized by Sri K Pattabhai Jois, this is a more structured type of yoga that includes performing a fixed sequence of asanas in the same order every time. It balances movement with breath and is great for regular practitioners.
- Vinyasa Yoga – Vinyasa Yoga is also called Flow yoga as it includes dynamic sequences where the yogi moves from one asana into the other, like a flow with coordinated breathing.
- Iyengar Yoga – Created by B. K. S Iyengar, this type of yoga emphasizes on alignment, precision, and therapeutic healing through the use of props like bolsters, blocks, straps, etc. It is best for people who are recovering from any injury or who want to deepen their understanding of a certain asana and alignment.
- Kundalini Yoga – Kundalini Yoga includes movement, breath work, chanting mantras, and meditation to awaken the Kundalini energy, which is symbolic of the life force sitting dormant at the base of one’s spine. It is also referred to as the Divine feminine energy, Shakti.
- Yin Yoga – Yin yoga is a slow-paced kind of yoga where the yogis stay in the asanas slightly longer. It targets deep connective tissues like joints and ligaments, and focuses on circulation and mobility.
- Bikram Yoga – Bikram Yoga, also commonly known as Hot yoga, is a fixed set of 26 postures and two breathing exercises that is performed in a room specifically heated to around 40 degrees Celsius with high humidity. The idea is to promote flexibility and detoxification through sweat.
Global Impact of Yoga
The International Yoga Day 2025, with its theme Yoga for One Earth One Health, is an annual reminder of how our inner well-being and outer relation with the world are interrelated and cohesively interdependent. Yoga offers physical strength, emotional resilience, spiritual growth, and mental clarity. In a world that is growing at an unprecedented rate, you should choose the pace of your growth and movement, prioritizing your physical and mental well-being over everything else.
Whether you are a student, professional, beginner, or an advanced yogic practitioner, you can practice yoga and enroll in yoga teacher training courses in Goa India, which offer certifications by the Yoga Alliance, guaranteeing global validity of your eligibility and training. India is not only the birthplace of yoga but also the most authentic destination for people who are searching for yogic education, inner transformation, and spiritual growth. Immerse yourself in the ancient knowledge of Yoga, and get a chance to practice this professionally!
