Yoga, a gift of ancient India to the world, has become a way of life for millions across the world. As a mark of the immense popularity on Yoga, the world commemorates 21st June every year as the International Day of Yoga (IDY).
Presently, when people all around the world are adapting their lives to the problems of a pandemic, yoga has become even more relevant. It has helped many maintain a healthy regimen during the long periods of lockdown and boosted their immunity and sense of balance in these extraordinary times.
Given the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic including restrictions on the movement of people and a slowdown in daily activity, this year’s observance of the of IDY-2020 will aim to highlight the health-building and stress-relieving aspects of Yoga, which are hugely relevant.
In Kazakhstan, the yoga has always been very popular and the International Day of Yoga had been celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervor in the previous years. This year, however, due to the social distancing norms, the Government of India has adopted ‘Ghar Ghar se Yoga’ or ‘Yoga from Home’ as the theme of IDY-2020. In this endeavour, technology comes to play a crucial role in enabling the learning of Yoga.
The Swami Vivekananda Culture Centre, Nur-Sultan has been successfully conducting free online classes in Yoga. Besides, Yoga Charcha (Discourse on Yoga) - A Series of 11 Online Lectures by Eminent Yoga Experts, is being conducted from 10 to 20 June 2020. An international video blogging, ‘My Life, My Yoga’ is being jointly organized by the Ministry of AYUSH, Governemnt of India, and the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR).
Though the mass performance of the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP)—one of the most popular Yoga programmes across the world—will remain at the heart of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) like always, this year IDY will be observed in a non-congregative manner. Thus, On 21 June 2020, many online programmes on yoga have been planned by the Embassy of India, Nur-Sultan, which will be available on its Facebook page.