Key facts
- International Yoga Day observed on June 21 every year
- UN adopted the day in 2014 on India's proposal
- Mass events held across Asia, Europe, and the Americas
- India's PM Modi proposed the day at the UN General Assembly
Thousands of people rolled out their mats on Saturday to mark the 11th International Yoga Day, with mass sessions held at iconic public spaces from New York's Times Square to the banks of the Ganges in Rishikesh. The annual event, observed on June 21 each year, has grown steadily since the United Nations first declared it an international day in 2014 following a proposal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UN General Assembly.
Across India, government-organised events drew large crowds at monuments, parks, riverfronts, and public squares. Overseas, Indian missions and diaspora communities coordinated sessions in dozens of countries, from the United Kingdom and France to Japan and South Africa, reflecting how the practice has embedded itself in mainstream wellness culture far beyond its subcontinent origins.
The Hindu reported that this year's global participation was in the thousands, with events spanning all continents. The occasion has become as much a diplomatic moment as a wellness one — Indian embassies use it annually to build goodwill and project India's cultural heritage on foreign soil.
Yoga's global journey from ancient Indian practice to a billion-dollar wellness industry worldwide is perhaps India's most successful soft-power story. For everyday Indians, the day serves as a reminder of a tradition that has simultaneously become a source of national pride and a growing domestic health movement, with practitioners ranging from schoolchildren to senior citizens joining in public sessions from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.