International Day of Yoga 2028: Date, History & Significance

Parks, stadiums, offices, schools and public spaces host group sessions following the Common Yoga Protocol — a set sequence of loosening exercises, asanas, pranayama and meditation lasting about forty-five minutes. The AYUSH Ministry coordinates the national programme; Indian missions and yoga institutions abroad hold events at landmarks. It aims to promote yoga as a low-cost path to physical and mental well-being.

Yoga is an ancient Indian discipline set out in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and rooted in the wider traditions of the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita; its eight limbs run from ethical restraint through posture and breath to meditation and absorption. In modern times it has spread worldwide as a practice for health and calm, and India proposed a UN day to recognise that shared heritage.

Source: Government of India / United Nations designation and official observance

The UN General Assembly adopted the resolution on 11 December 2014, with 177 co-sponsors; the first International Day of Yoga was held on 21 June 2015, when a Delhi event set two Guinness World Records. It is a working day in India.

• Wikipedia

1. Marked on 21 June, the summer solstice, since the UN declared it in 2014.
2. Mass yoga sessions follow the Common Yoga Protocol of asanas, pranayama and meditation, led by the Prime Minister at a chosen venue.
3. Schools, offices, the armed forces and Indian missions abroad hold sessions in the early morning.

• Nationwide. Mass sessions on the Common Yoga Protocol in parks, stadiums and institutions; a flagship event led by the Prime Minister in a different city each year.
• Worldwide. Events at Indian missions and yoga centres, often at landmark sites.

• Light sattvik food — Sessions are done on an empty stomach, followed by fruit or a light breakfast.

International Day of Yoga falls on Wednesday, 21 June 2028. UN observance, proposed by India.

at sunrise

International Day of Yoga is kept on 21 June (fixed) — the summer solstice, the longest day. It follows the Gregorian civil calendar and does not move. The date was chosen because the solstice is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.

The date is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar and shifts against the Gregorian year.