New Delhi

Yoga has transformed from a personal wellness routine into a global mass movement, over the past 10 years, due to the consistent efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it is now being practised with enthusiasm in more than 170 countries, Union Ayush Minister Prataprao Jadhav said.

In an interview with PTI ahead of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 21, Jadhav credited the prime minister for popularising yoga globally.

"The widespread global adoption of Yoga can be attributed to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who not only proposed the idea of IDY at the United Nations General Assembly in 2014 but also personally reached out to world leaders to garner unanimous support," Jadhav said.

He said the resolution was co-sponsored by 177 nations and adopted within a record 75 days, making it one of the fastest-passed proposals in UN history.

Since then, yoga has emerged as a cultural bridge connecting people across continents with annual observances of IDY becoming a global movement, Jadhav, who is also the Minister of State for Health, said.

From New York's Times Square to remote islands in the Pacific, yoga mats now roll out in celebration of health and harmony, he said.

The global reach of Yoga is not just ceremonial, it is substantive, with its increasing integration into public health strategies, wellness programs, and school curricula worldwide, the minister said.

"Leading medical professionals, including MDs and surgeons, now recommend Yoga for managing lifestyle diseases, improving mental health, and aiding recovery both preventive and post-illness. This growing acceptance has positioned Yoga as a complementary tool in integrative healthcare," Jadhav said.

He informed extensive preparations have been made for the 11th IDY in India, including a 100-day countdown programme with events held every 25 days in Delhi, Bhubaneswar, Nashik, and Puducherry.

Ten signature events have been planned -- Yoga Sangam, Yoga Bandhan, Yoga Park, Yoga Samavesh, Yoga Prabhav, Yoga Connect, Harit Yoga, Yoga Unplugged, Yoga Mahakumbh, and Samyog, he said.

The main event will be held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on June 21 where more than five lakh people are likely to perform yoga with the prime minister, who will lead the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP).

Simultaneously, Yoga Sangam events will be held at over one lakh locations across India, making it one of the largest synchronised yoga demonstrations in history, he added.

In Delhi-NCR alone, events are planned at 111 locations with over one lakh participants expected.

"This decentralised model of celebration empowers communities at every level, with every village, city, and institution becoming a stage for India's soft power and cultural heritage through yoga. The idea is not just to perform yoga for a day but to inspire a lifestyle rooted in wellness, balance, and sustainability," he said.

A meeting of the Ministerial Council was recently convened under Union Health Minister J P Nadda to coordinate nationwide participation, following a directive from the prime minister.

"Ministers from nearly every department were present, and it was emphasized that yoga is not just the responsibility of the Ministry of Ayush, but a national mission where all should actively participate," Jadhav told PTI.

Meetings were held with secretaries, chief ministers, health ministers, and Ayush ministers from all states to ensure yoga reaches village-level governance bodies like gram panchayats, anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, and even farmers. They were encouraged to hold yoga sessions locally.

"It is estimated that Yoga events will be held at around 1,00,000 locations in the country but based on the public enthusiasm observed, the actual number could be significantly higher," the minister said.

More than 130 international events are planned in 60-plus countries in 2025, coordinated by Indian missions, with millions likely to participate, the minister informed.

The launch of signature events like Yoga Bandhan aim to enhance diplomatic ties promoting people-to-people and institution-to-institution connections through shared practice and wellness diplomacy.

More than 170 countries have already embraced India's traditional yoga system and are expected to actively celebrate IDY 2025.

The Ayush Ministry has launched the Yoga Sangam and My Bharat portals to ensure inclusive and seamless participation. It enables people and organisations across the globe to register their participation.

"Through these platforms, participants can log not only their own engagement but also the number of persons practising with them, helping to accurately track global outreach and impact," Jadhav said.

Delegates from over 40 countries are expected to join the prime minister in Visakhapatnam on June 21, while events will also be held abroad in over 10 countries, he said.

"This convergence is not just about collective health, it's a celebration of cultural identity and unity, with sessions beginning and concluding with the resonant sound of 'Om' and traditional Vedic prayers, affirming India's rich spiritual heritage on a global stage," Jadhav asserted.

As a lead-up to the main event, Yoga Connect, one of the key programmes, was organised at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Saturday, featuring yoga-based cultural exchange programmes and interactions among delegates from partner countries.

It aimed to build bridges of understanding and wellness diplomacy, showing how yoga can unite cultures and promote peaceful coexistence.

"Yoga is not just a curative system; it is preventive, restorative, and transformative," Jadhav said, noting that a 2022 national survey showed at least one person in 55 million Indian households regularly practices yoga, accounting to 15 per cent of the Indian population.

The growing adoption has also led to the creation of yoga spaces at the grassroots level with many villages today already having yoga parks and the Ministry of Ayush now working towards establishing 1,000 new these parks across the country, he told PTI.

Furthermore, workplaces are being encouraged to adopt short yoga routines, such as five to seven minutes of stretching and pranayama before lunch, to help employees reset and refocus.

Together, these efforts reflect how yoga is evolving from a personal wellness routine into a national priority and a global movement, with India at its heart, the minister said.

READ MORE: Anwaruddin Choudhury: A bureaucrat turned crusader saving NE’s wildlife

When asked whether if he does yoga daily amidst a busy schedule, Jadhav replied, "I practice yoga too, though not daily due to travel and work, but whenever I can, I do it. Simple practices like Kapalbhati and Anulom-Vilom are especially beneficial for reducing stress."