About International Day of Yoga
International Day of Yoga is a United Nations day, observed every 21 June since 2015, that promotes yoga for physical and mental health. India proposed it in 2014, and the UN General Assembly adopted it by resolution 69/131. In 2027 it falls on Monday, 21 June 2027, with morning sessions held in schools, offices, parks and housing societies across India.
Most years, the Yoga Day photographs look the same: thousands of mats in straight rows on a road or a beach at six in the morning. What they don't show is how much of it happens on a much smaller scale, in school grounds, housing society terraces and office lobbies, following the same routine at the same hour.
Why is International Day of Yoga celebrated on 21 June?
International Day of Yoga is on 21 June because it is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and a date with meaning in many cultures. Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the day in his speech to the UN General Assembly in September 2014. The Assembly adopted resolution 69/131 on 11 December 2014, less than three months later.
The resolution drew an unusually large list of co-sponsors. Indian government sources and most accounts give the figure as 177 countries, while the UN's own page says 175 member states endorsed it; either way it was among the most widely co-sponsored resolutions of its kind.
How has India marked Yoga Day since 2015?
India marks Yoga Day each year with a main national session led by the Prime Minister in a different city, and tens of thousands of smaller sessions at the same hour elsewhere. The first, on 21 June 2015, was held on Rajpath in New Delhi. People from 84 countries joined 35,985 participants to perform 21 asanas over 35 minutes, setting two Guinness World Records: the largest yoga class and the most nationalities in one.
| Year | Theme | Main national event |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | (first edition) | Rajpath, New Delhi |
| 2017 | Yoga for Health | Lucknow, with about 51,000 people |
| 2018 | Yoga for Peace | Dehradun |
| 2023 | Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam | UN headquarters, New York |
| 2025 | Yoga for One Earth, One Health | Visakhapatnam beach road, over three lakh people |
| 2026 | Yoga for Healthy Ageing | Red Road, Kolkata |
Other themes over the years have included Yoga for Heart (2019), Yoga at Home and with Family (2020, during the pandemic), Yoga for Humanity (2022) and Yoga for Self and Society (2024).
The 2025 session in Visakhapatnam ran along a stretch of Beach Road more than 25 km long, and Guinness counted 3,00,105 participants. On the same day, more than a lakh events were held across India between 6:30 and 7:40 in the morning, with over 65,000 organisations registered to host them. In Delhi alone there were sessions at 111 sites, from the Red Fort to Lodhi Garden.
What is the Common Yoga Protocol?
The Common Yoga Protocol is the standard routine, published by the Ministry of Ayush, that official Yoga Day sessions follow so that every group across the country practises the same sequence at the same time. It moves from a short prayer and loosening movements to standing, sitting and lying asanas, then breathing practices, and ends with a few minutes of meditation and a resolve. It is designed so that beginners can follow it.
If you are organising a session in an office or a housing society, the protocol is the easiest place to start: it is free, the video and booklet are widely available, and nobody has to invent a routine.
yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ (Yoga is the stilling of the movements of the mind.)
Do you have to chant Om or do Surya Namaskar on Yoga Day?
No. Yoga Day sessions are voluntary, and parts with a religious association have been made optional in official events. Some Muslim groups objected to Surya Namaskar, the sun salutation, in the early years, and it was left out of some programmes; chanting "Om" was also made optional rather than required. Most people who take part simply follow the physical postures and breathing.
This matters if you are running a session at work or school. Say at the start that anyone can sit out any part, keep the chants optional, and let people join in their own clothes.
How can you mark Yoga Day usefully?
The most useful way to mark Yoga Day is to do something small that you, or someone you care about, will keep doing after 21 June.
- Join a free local session. Parks, schools, yoga centres and many housing societies run one on the morning.
- Bring a parent. The 2026 theme, healthy ageing, is a good nudge: gentle balance and breathing practice suits many older people, with a doctor's advice first.
- Start with ten minutes a day rather than an hour once a year.
- If you are pregnant, recovering from surgery or have blood pressure or back problems, ask a doctor and a trained teacher which postures to skip.
Happy Yoga Day, Maa and Papa. Ten minutes of stretching together tomorrow morning on the terrace? I'll bring the mats.
Happy International Day of Yoga. Thank you for your patience with stiff backs like mine, and for making it a habit rather than a chore.
Happy Yoga Day. There's a 7 am session in the lobby; no chanting required, just come in comfortable clothes.
Happy Yoga Day to the newest person on the mat. Three weeks in and you still turn up. That's the whole secret.
Wishing you a happy Yoga Day. Your morning pranayam has outlasted every fitness fad in this family.
Happy International Day of Yoga. Whatever you can do today, whether it's one posture or the whole routine, counts.
Do
- Make participation voluntary at work and school, and say so clearly.
- Keep chants and prayers optional, and let people skip Surya Namaskar if they wish.
- Encourage beginners and older people to go at their own pace.
Avoid
- Don't mock anyone's weight, flexibility or age in a Yoga Day message.
- Avoid forwarding health claims that yoga cures diseases; it helps, but it is not medicine.
- Don't pressure pregnant colleagues or people with injuries to join every posture.
Yoga Day sits close to other health days; see World Health Day in April and the International Day of Older Persons on 1 October, or browse the 2027 calendar.
How to wish someone on International Day of Yoga
Yoga Day wishes land best when they are an invitation, not a lecture. Suggest a practice together, encourage a parent or a friend who is starting out, or thank a teacher. Keep health claims modest, don't shame anyone's body or fitness, and remember that some people take part only in the breathing and stretching, not the chants.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is International Day of Yoga in 2026 and 2027?
International Day of Yoga is on 21 Jun every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
Who proposed the International Day of Yoga?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed an international day of yoga in his address to the UN General Assembly in September 2014. The Assembly adopted resolution 69/131 declaring 21 June as International Day of Yoga on 11 December 2014.
When was the first International Day of Yoga held?
The first International Day of Yoga was held on 21 June 2015. The main event on Rajpath in New Delhi drew 35,985 people from 84 countries and set two Guinness World Records.
What was the theme of International Day of Yoga 2026?
The theme for 2026, the twelfth edition, was "Yoga for Healthy Ageing". The main national event was held on Red Road in Kolkata.
Is yoga on Yoga Day a religious practice?
Official Yoga Day sessions focus on postures, breathing and meditation, and participation is voluntary. Elements such as chanting Om and Surya Namaskar have been made optional after objections, so people of any faith can take part.
Where was the biggest Yoga Day session held?
The largest yoga session on record was held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 21 June 2025, when Guinness World Records counted 3,00,105 participants along the city's Beach Road.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .