Press Information Bureau

In context of the current COVID-19 pandemic situation, slowdown in daily activities and restrictions on the movement of people, this year’s observance of International Day of Yoga will aim to highlight the health-building and stress-relieving aspects of Yoga. To facilitate this, the Ministry of AYUSH is organising a trainer-led session which will be telecasted on Doordarshan on 21^st June at 6:30AM for people to follow and practice in solidarity.

In the new scenario, the trend that has emerged for observation of IDY is to focus on its health- rewards and to do Yoga at home on Yoga Day. The Ministry of AYUSH is supporting this trend by promoting the theme “Yoga at Home, Yoga with Family” in its IDY activities.

Every year, the 21^st of June is celebrated worldwide as the International Day of Yoga (IDY). The public has embraced this event in the previous years, adopting it as a celebration of India’s culture and tradition. This year IDY comes in the middle of a health emergency. Hence the observation of IDY has become a search for good health and peace of mind, this time.

Today the whole world is worried and gloomy about the Covid- 19 pandemic. Yoga is especially relevant now, since its practice leads to both physical and mental wellbeing. Of particular importance in these difficult times are the following two proven benefits which the public can gain from Yoga: a) Positive impact on general health and immunity enhancement, and b) Its globally accepted role as a stress buster.

The 45-minute Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) is one of the most popular Yoga programmes across the world and has been at the heart of the IDY since the beginning. It was developed by a team of leading Yoga gurus and experts, and includes safe practices to improve physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health of the population, which can be practiced at home on a daily basis. It is designed to be easily adoptable by the majority of the people irrespective of their age and gender and can be learnt through simple training sessions and online classes.

The Ministry of AYUSH is encouraging the people to learn the Common Yoga Protocol using the resources made publicly available by the Ministry on the Yoga Portal, its social media handles and the television. Prasar Bharati has initiated the daily telecast of the Common Yoga Protocol on DD Bharati from 08:00 a.m. to 08:30 a.m., from the 11^th of June 2020. This programme is available on the AYUSH Ministry’s Social Media handles as well. The purpose is to familiarize the public with the Common Yoga Protocol with the help of an audio-visual demonstration of the same through an electronic medium.

Prior acquaintance with the Common Yoga Protocol will help the people to be fully prepared and ready for active participation in IDY 2020 and join the world in performing Yoga at their respective homes with their families at 0630 a.m. on the 21^st of June 2020. Further, the Ministry will be conducting a telecast during the same time, led by a trainer to allow the people to follow along and practice Yoga, the details of which will be announced shortly. A video contest (My Life My Yoga Video Blogging Contest) with attractive prizes is also being organized in which the people are being encouraged to post their short video clips performing different Yogasanas.

The “Yoga at Home, Yoga with Family” theme has already been adopted by numerous institutions and individuals across the country. Mysuru district administration in association with Yoga federation of Mysuru are organising the IDY event with the participation of at least 1 lakh people, who will perform harmonious Yoga demonstrations from their respective terraces. The International Naturopathy Organisation (INO), an NGO that works for promotion of Naturopathy and Yoga, has set a programme in motion to encourage its 25 lakh members to perform Yoga harmoniously based on CYP, from their houses. The SDM group of institutions of Dharmasthala (Karnataka) estimates that 50,000 followers will join the “Yoga from Home, Yoga with Family” activity at 0700 AM on 21^st June. Numerous other organisations, including educational institutions, have also finalised detailed plans for the activity. Many of these organisers are adopting social media and digital platforms to bring people together while they remain in their respective home.

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MV/SK