21 June: International Day of Yoga
The first International Day of Yoga was on 21 June 2015 observed globally. The day was celebrated across 192 nations including Pakistan, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. Earlier on 3 June 2015, National Yoga Day was also celebrated in India.
The celebrations of first International Yoga Day at Rajpath in New Delhi saw setting of two Guinness World Records (GWRs). These included participation of most individuals and individuals from the largest number of nationalities performing asanas at a single venue. Around 36 thousand participants performed asanas and 84 nationalities joined the official observation.
The idea to celebrate 21 June, which is the Summer Solstice, as the International Day of Yoga was mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 27 September 2014 during his address to the UN General Assembly.
Following which, the United Nations General Assembly on 11 December 2014 adopted the resolution to commemorate 21 June as the International Day of Yoga every year.
This resolution was adopted under the Global Health and Foreign Policy by the General Assembly in order to provide a holistic approach to the people worldwide for their health and well-being. More than 177 countries including USA, Canada, China and Egypt supported this move including 175 nations co-sponsoring the resolution.
International Day of Yoga was adopted to fulfill the following objectives:
• To let people know the amazing and natural benefits of yoga.
• To connect people to the nature by practicing yoga.
• To reduce the rate of health challenging diseases all over the world.
• To enhance growth, development and spread peace all through the world.
• To help people in their bad situations themselves by getting relief from stress through yoga.
• To let people know their rights of good health and healthy life style to completely enjoy the highest standard of physical and mental health.
• To link between protection of health and sustainable health development.
Yoga is an Indian physical, mental, and spiritual practice or discipline. It finds mention in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the author of the grammatical Mahabhasya.
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