Reason why International Yoga Day is celebrated on 21st June
"The date is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and has special significance in many parts of the world. "
Yoga is an ancient practice originated from India. This practice is 5000-year -old which heals your mind, body and soul and we can say that yoga reforms your thoughts to peruse a great lifestyle. June 21st was declared as the International Day of Yoga on December 11 in 2104, by United Nations General Assembly after the call for the adoption of June 21st as International Day of Yoga by Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi. During his address to UN General Assembly on September 27, 2014 Modi said- "Yoga is an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself. By suggesting June 21 (which is summer Solstice) as international yoga day our Prime Minister said that- "the date is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and has special significance in many parts of the world.
“175 nations took part in this resolution including USA, Canada, and china”.
Scientific and mythological reasons about June 21:
June 21 is the day of the Summer Solstice, when the tilt of a planet's axis in the northern hemisphere is most inclined toward the star that it orbits - in our case, the Earth and the Sun. June 21 is considered the longest day of the year with the sun rising early and setting late for the northern hemisphere. The summer solstice is also considered an important day in Indian mythology as it marks an event that could be considered the start of Yogic science. When people saw the Adi yogi, they flocked to him for enlightenment but left as he stayed unaware of their presence. Whereas, seven people stayed insistent to learn from him but Shiva refused claiming that a lot of preparation was to be done. The seven people then sat determined through 84 years of sadhana, after which Shiva took notice of them as the sun was shifting from the northern to southern run which was the day of the Summer Solstice. It is said that he could no longer ignore them as they were overwhelming with knowledge. When the next full moon arose 28 days later, Adi yogi transformed himself into Adi Guru and started teaching the ways of the yogic science to his disciples.
History of International Yoga Day:
The first yoga day celebration was held at Raj path and all arrangements were manged by ministry of AYUSH. First yoga day was celebrated on June 21, 2015. All over the world, almost 21 yoga asanas were performed by dignitaries from 84 nations and accompanied by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This celebration owns 2 Guinness World Records. The first record was for being the world's largest yoga class and featured by 35,985 people and the second one was for having maximum number of participating nationalities that is 84.
During the speech Modi stated, "From the Upanishads, comes the idea of Yoga to transform human consciousness through control of body and senses through constant practice. The body is the vehicle for the realization of the Supreme Being." he said, "The problems of modern lifestyles are well known. People suffer from stress related ailments, lifestyle related diseases like diabetes and Hypertention.
Significance of the logo of International Day of Yoga:
1) Folded hands Symbolize Yoga, the union, which reflects the union of Consciousness with that of universal Consciousness, a perfect melodious harmony between mind & body, man & nature.
2) The brown leaves symbolize the Earth element, the green leaves symbolize the Nature, blue symbolizes the Water element, brightness symbolize the Fire element and the Sun symbolize the source of energy and inspiration.
3) Yoga is soul. The logo reflects harmony and peace for mankind.