International Day of Yoga or as it’s more commonly referred to ‘Yoga Day’, is celebrated every year on 21 June to raise awareness about the benefits of Yoga in daily life. Today marks the 5th annual staging of the event and you can expect a wide variety of events and celebrations to take place, many of which will be free to attend and open to the general public.
The idea of International Day of Yoga was first proposed by the current Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on 27 September 2014. During the address PM Modi suggested the date of 21 June as it is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and shares a special significance in many parts of the world.
The draft resolution establishing the International Day of Yoga was presented to the UNGA by India's Permanent Representative Asoke Mukherji and endorsed by a record 175 member states.
International Day of Yoga has now been practiced annually cross the globe since 2015 and continues to grow in popularity. Each year the event carries a theme and this year the theme is “Yoga for Climate Action’.
In a speech at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, PM Modi said different paths to “economic wellbeing” should be explored by world leaders. He recommended yoga as one way of fighting climate change, as it offered people a sense of “harmony with self, society and nature” and could create a “social consciousness”.
“In India faith and nature have had a deep meaning since ancient times – for us the only path is a sustainable one,” he said.
To celebrate this years event, Sacred Lotus Yoga will be holding a free class this Sunday (23 June) in Castleknock Community Centre at 10:00am. The class will be open to people of all ages and abilities so book your place and join us in celebrating the 5th annual International Day of Yoga.