International Day of Yoga
Next: June 21, 2027
Breathe in, stretch, begin.
The story
Where it comes from
On 27 September 2014, India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, proposed a world day for yoga in his address to the UN General Assembly. India's draft resolution was backed by a record 175 countries, and on 11 December 2014 the UN proclaimed 21 June the International Day of Yoga (resolution 69/131). The date is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, which holds special meaning in many cultures. Yoga itself is an ancient practice from India, and its name comes from the Sanskrit for 'to join' or 'to unite'.
How it's celebrated
The first International Day of Yoga was held on 21 June 2015, and it is now marked in parks, stadiums, schools and community halls around the world. In India the Ministry of Ayush leads mass sessions that follow a shared routine, the Common Yoga Protocol, while Indian missions abroad host classes of their own. You need no special kit to join in: roll out a mat or a towel, breathe slowly and stretch.
Did you know
- At the first Yoga Day in 2015, 35,985 people practised together on Rajpath in New Delhi, setting a Guinness World Record for the largest yoga lesson.
- The same session set a second record, for the most nationalities in one yoga lesson: 84.
- UNESCO added yoga to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.
Coming up next
- World Rainforest Day · June 22, 2027
- Olympic Day · June 23, 2027
- International Women in Engineering Day · June 23, 2027
- International Day of Women in Diplomacy · June 24, 2027
- Day of the Seafarer · June 25, 2027
- The First Barcode Scan · June 26, 2027