The IDY Handbook
Reference for organizers of promotional activities for International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2024
Preface
21st June was recognized as the International Day of Yoga (IDY) by the United Nations General 2Assembly (UNGA) in December 2014 at the initiative of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. The IDY Resolution (Appendix 1 in Section J) moved by India secured unanimous consent, which was a record in itself. Since 2015, the IDY has been an occasion that is observed around the world with great enthusiasm and fervor.
The observance of the Day is not tokenistic but serves the purpose of highlighting the immense potential of Yoga to enhance the physical, psychological, and emotional aspects of wellbeing. IDY over the years has not only boosted Yoga’s popularity but also expanded its geographical presence by inspiring its adoption in several new territories. The event has also triggered new advances within the field of Yoga, such as the development of universal Yoga protocols for people of all ages, the development of specific protocols addressing lifestyle diseases, and research in developing Yoga as a potential productivity-enhancing tool.
In India, the Ministry of Ayush (MoA) (https://ayush.gov.in) plays a nodal role every year in the mobilization of efforts for the observance of IDY, however, the endeavor to drive awareness and adoption of Yoga worldwide cannot be achieved working alone. Throughout the past nine years of IDY observance, partnerships forged by the Ministry with key stakeholders like other Central Ministries, States/UTs, Leading Yoga Institutions, Yoga Centers, Independent Practitioners, Educational Institutions, Non-Governmental Organizations, and other Civil Society Organizations have been critical in the success achieved in inspiring an increasingly larger number of people to participate in IDY each year. These stakeholders made valuable contributions in promoting the spirit of participation in IDY on a wide scale, thus converting IDY into a mass movement for health.
MoA is releasing the revised version of the IDY Handbook containing reference material for organizers of promotional activities for IDY- 2024, to enable faster, easier, and smoother planning and implementation of IDY activities. The Handbook through standardization of activities will also help to strengthen collaborations among different stakeholders in organizing activities for IDY-2024. The reference material provided herein will enable the organizers to adopt a systematic approach, thus widening the net of potential participants and facilitating the inclusion of a larger number of stakeholders.. The Handbook is structured to provide a background on IDY, its significance, past achievements and the importance of the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP). It will indicate how individuals and institutions can participate to make IDY a truly universal event. The Ministry has also included a list of publicly accessible digital resources that organizers can leverage, as well as suggestions for various activities that can be conducted by each.
The Ministry is continually striving to innovate and deepen its relationships with the various stakeholders of IDY, which is essential to creating a sustainable impact that extends beyond the day of IDY celebration.
Consequently, the Ministry invites stakeholders to engage in discussions with us to explore potential additional initiatives that can be undertaken collaboratively. To facilitate this and explore how the Ministry can collaborate with your esteemed institution, you can contact Smt. Vijayalakshmi Bharadwaj, Director, Yoga & Naturopathy Cell, Ministry of Ayush at vijayalakshmi.bharadwaj40@gov.in or 011-24651658.
Your comments, suggestions, efforts, and other contributions towards this global health-seeking effort would be highly appreciated.