International Yoga Day LIVE: From Kanyakumari to Siachen, yoga 'mania' grips nation

A new study finds that 74 per cent of millennials include yoga in their daily wellness routines, making them the leading age group in regular practice, closely followed by Gen X at 70 per cent.

Conducted by ICICI Lombard General Insurance with a sample of nearly 1,000 respondents across both metro and non-metro areas, the pan-India study released on International Yoga Day explores health practices, motivations, and awareness levels - providing a snapshot of how Indians are weaving wellness into their everyday routines.

"As stress and burnout become the new epidemic, yoga is not just making a comeback — it’s becoming a daily essential. India’s timeless contribution to global health, yoga, offers a powerful, holistic path to living well.

"Our latest report shows that 74 per cent of millennials now practise yoga regularly — a compelling indicator that today’s middle-aged are investing not just in longevity, but in ageing well," said Sheena Kapoor, head marketing, corporate communications and CSR at ICICI Lombard.

The findings also reveal that yoga has moved beyond a niche practice to become mainstream in India, with 72 per cent of respondents practising it regularly and another 18 per cent doing so occasionally.

However, according to the report, the gap between awareness and experience continues to be significant - "while 66 per cent of respondents recognise that yoga can reduce stress and anxiety, only 52 per cent have personally experienced these benefits".

In addition to yoga, daily walks (69 per cent) and maintaining a balanced diet (68 per cent) rank among the top health practices adopted to enhance overall well-being. The report notes that Gen X is at the forefront of embracing these habits, with men showing slightly higher participation than women.

The report also highlights the rising appeal of online formats but points out that nearly half (45 per cent) of participants still favour studio classes, while 28 per cent opt for livestream sessions and 13 per cent rely on apps or pre-recorded videos.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday (June 21) urged school teachers to practise yoga with students for 15 minutes every day to stay physically and mentally fit.

Sawant, who was participating in a programme held on the occasion of the 11th International Yoga Day at Dr Shama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in Bambolim, said yoga is an integral part of the Viksit Bharat 2047 mission envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

School teachers are trained in the practice of yoga by various organisations, he said. He said regular yoga practice will help students concentrate and remain mentally and physically fit.

"Fit India is a part of Viksit Bharat 2047 mission. We want every youngster to be physically fit. We should not practise yoga only because a teacher or yoga trainer forces us. We should do it for ourselves and our families," he said.

Sawant said Yoga Day is being celebrated across 180 countries as part of the mission spearheaded by PM Modi.

"Yoga is India's gift to the world. This is the biggest gift that India has given to the world. We have brought the world together through yoga, and we are proud of it," he said.

He said the ancient practice crosses geographical, political, and spiritual boundaries.

"Yoga practice should be part of everyday life. As a daily practitioner, I can say that happiness and wellness will increase. It will also help with physical and mental fitness," he added.

Sawant said diseases, including blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer have increased in every household.

"At least one person suffers from diabetes or BP in every household. One should practise yoga to avoid this," he said.

Asserting that the world has rediscovered the power of yoga, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday (June 21) said it connects one's physical, mental, and spiritual aspects.

Participating in an International Yoga Day event at Salbari in Baska district, he also said it has emerged as an indispensable part of modern life across the globe.

Greeting everyone on the occasion, the chief minister said, “Yoga connects physical, mental and spiritual aspects of a person and helps in living a fulfilling life.”

He said yoga not only advocates a healthy lifestyle but also has an influence towards building a harmonious society.

Programmes to mark the occasion were held across the state in government and private offices, educational institutions and other organisations.

“Yoga is our glorious cultural heritage and the whole world has accepted it,” Sarma said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made efforts for the global recognition of yoga.

A large number of people, including Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and Home Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, performed yoga in front of the iconic Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Saturday morning (June 21), marking the 11th International Yoga Day.

They were seen performing a synchronised mass yoga demonstration session in line with the Union AYUSH Ministry's 'Yoga Sangam' initiative under the theme 'Yoga For One Earth, One Health'.

The event organised by the State's AYUSH Department in collaboration with several organisations, yoga groups, and civil society groups was inaugurated by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.

The Governor, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, along with other dignitaries, were seen performing various yoga asanas at the event.

State BJP Chief BY Vijayendra was seen performing yoga with party members at the BJP office in Bengaluru. The Yoga Mahakumbh held at the Mysore Palace grounds also saw the participation of a large number of people.

Parallel events were also organised at district and taluk centres across the state as part of the International Yoga Day celebrations.

The Consulate General of India in New York, in partnership with Times Square Alliance, celebrated the 11th International Day of Yoga at the iconic Times Square. Acclaimed actor Anupam Kher attended the Yoga Day at Times Square, described as the crossroads of the world.

The day-long celebration of Yoga, also known as ‘Solstice at Times Square’, featured seven yoga sessions, in which about 10,000 people from across nationalities participated, showcasing the widespread enthusiasm for yoga in New York City and the US.

Consul General of India in New York Binaya Pradhan highlighted the benefits of Yoga for both physical health and spiritual well-being, as well as its role in promoting harmony with nature. Kher spoke about the importance of yoga, which from the stillness of a single breath rises the strength to heal the whole world.

The Consulate is organising a month-long celebration of International Day of Yoga in States under its jurisdiction such as New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Connecticut which saw active participation from yoga enthusiasts. Recognising its universal appeal, in December 2014, the United Nations proclaimed June 21 as the International Day of Yoga. The draft UNGA resolution establishing the International Day of Yoga was proposed by India and endorsed by a record 175 member states.

Yoga offers a time-tested path to live more peacefully at a time when stress and mental health challenges are on the rise, India's envoy to the UN has said at a special guided meditation session in New York to mark International Yoga Day.

Eminent physician, author, and wellness guru Deepak Chopra led the session at the UN headquarters hosted by the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations to mark the day on Friday evening (June 20).

Colourful yoga mats were neatly arranged at the North Lawns of the UN headquarters as over 1,200 yoga practitioners, diplomats, UN officials, members of the diplomatic corps and the diaspora community participated in the 11th International Yoga Day celebrations.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador P Harish, in his welcome address, said that this year's theme for the day - Yoga for One Earth, One Health’ is rooted in the ‘One Earth, One Health’ approach introduced during India's G20 presidency in 2023.

“The theme underscores the vital truth that our personal wellness and planetary wellness are inseparably linked. In caring for ourselves, we begin to care for Earth, reflecting the enduring Indian ethos of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, or the whole world is one family,” he said.

Harish said that at a time when stress, lifestyle diseases, and mental health challenges are on the rise, yoga offers a steady, time-tested path that helps one find "calm within ourselves and live more peacefully within ourselves and with those around us.”

Chopra led a special guided meditation session on the occasion.

“As has been said many times before, God’s language is silence. Everything else is poor translation. Even the guided meditation, poor translation,” Chopra said as he concluded the session amid applause from the participants.

The event also featured Common Yoga Protocol sessions and an advanced Yoga demonstration with music, conducted by the Art of Living.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday (June 21) performed yoga on the banks of the Yamuna river in northeast Delhi's Sonia Vihar on the occasion of International Day of Yoga (IDY).

She was joined by BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and her cabinet minister Kapil Mishra.

On the choice of the venue, Gupta said they wanted to show people that the cleaning work of the river is underway.

"Yamuna river is the symbol of our faith but the previous governments have ignored it. They did not work to clean it. But in the four months that we have been in power, we have worked to clean it," she said.

"People ask me, where will the cruise run? I want to tell them, the cruise will run on this river where students performed yoga today on boats," Gupta added.

Hitting out at the AAP dispensation, she said they associated yoga with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and did not celebrate the occasion.

"If they associate yoga with Prime Minister Modi, what can we do? Tomorrow, he might leave his food if he sees PM's association with it. After seeing BJP government in Delhi, he left the national capital," she charged.

The government organised programmes at 11 locations to commemorate the IDY, with ministers, MLAs, and BJP MPs joining the celebrations.

Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, state Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha, and other dignitaries participated in International Yoga Day celebrations held in the state on Saturday (June 21).

Sanjay Kumar attended the Yoga Day event at the Ambedkar stadium in Karimnagar.

The Governor, health minister, Sports Minister Vakiti Srihari, and several senior officials attended the celebration organised by the Telangana government at the Gachibowli stadium in Hyderabad. About 5,000 people participated in the event.

Describing Yoga as India's gift to the world, Rajanarasimha said the ancient spiritual discipline unites body, mind, and the soul.

He said the government has appointed over 600 yoga instructors last year and introduced yoga to about five lakh people. The government is contemplating appointing at least 300 more instructors in the near future, he said.

"Yoga should be a part of our life," he said.

The International Yoga Day was also celebrated at the Telangana BJP headquarters in Hyderabad. State BJP General Secretary G Premender Reddy and several other leaders performed yoga asanas.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Saturday (June 21) said yoga is an "art of living" and asked people to make it an integral part of their lives.

Saini was addressing a gathering at a state level programme organised on the occasion of the 11th International Day of Yoga (IDY) at the Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra. The session was led by yoga guru Ramdev.

Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, the state's AYUSH and Health Minister Kumari Arti Singh Rao and MP Naveen Jindal were also present at the event.

The chief minister announced that 100 more yoga and 'vyamshalas' will be opened in the state. He said the celebrations to mark the 11th IDY in Haryana started on May 27, with programmes being organised across the state since then.

"Yoga is not just a form of exercise but also an important science to live healthy," he said.

On this occasion, Saini said to promote research in yoga, a 'Yoga Lekhak Protsahan Yojana' will be started under which excellent writers will be honoured every year.

He also said that yoga courses will be introduced in colleges and universities of the state and 40 yoga trainers will be recruited in Haryana's sports department.

The chief minister also announced that a five-minute yoga break programme will be launched in all government offices and a hall will be constructed for the International Meditation Centre in Shri Krishna Ayush University in Kurukshetra.