- Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Step Towards a Healthy and Active Life
- Dr. Daneshwari Sambhakar , Deputy Director, Public Relations
Yoga has been an integral part of India’s lifestyle and culture since ancient times. Through yoga, sages, yogis, and saints demonstrated the path to a healthy body, a peaceful mind, and spiritual consciousness. This invaluable heritage of the Indian knowledge tradition has become synonymous with health and well-being worldwide. To give this heritage global recognition, in 2014, at the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the United Nations designated June 21st as International Yoga Day, which has now become a worldwide mass movement.
The theme for International Day of Yoga 2026 is “Yoga for Healthy Aging.” This theme conveys the importance of improving physical, mental, and emotional health at every stage of life through yoga. Yoga is not only an effective means of preventing disease but also a cornerstone of a healthy and active lifestyle.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has played a key role in bringing yoga to global recognition. Under his leadership, yoga has become a part of the lives of millions of people around the world. The Prime Minister believes that yoga is not just physical exercise, but a way of life that establishes harmony between the individual, society, and nature. By making the individual healthy, yoga becomes a means of empowering the family, society, and nation. This year, the main national-level event is being held in Kolkata, where the Prime Minister himself will lead the yoga practice.
In Chhattisgarh, the main state-level celebration of International Yoga Day is being held in Ambikapur under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai. On this occasion, Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai himself will participate in yoga practice and will give the message to the people of the state to adopt a healthy lifestyle by practicing yoga regularly. To spread yoga among the people, the state government is organizing programs on a large scale in collaboration with various departments, educational institutions, panchayats and social organizations.
Chief Minister Shri Sai believes that healthy citizens are the greatest strength in building a developed Chhattisgarh and a developed India. Yoga not only promotes physical health but also promotes mental balance, positive thinking, and self-confidence. This is why the state government is giving special importance to yoga in health promotion and public awareness campaigns.
In Chhattisgarh, a state blessed with natural resources and a rich cultural heritage, the message of yoga resonates seamlessly with people’s lives. The harmonious lifestyles of the rural and tribal areas of the state, in harmony with nature, reflect the fundamental principles of yoga. Significant efforts are being made towards building a healthy society through regular yoga activities in schools, colleges, Anganwadi centers, and government institutions.
In today’s times of increasing stress, erratic lifestyles, and various health problems, yoga has emerged as a simple, accessible, and effective solution. Regular yoga practice promotes a healthy body, a calm mind, and a balanced life. It provides positive energy and develops the ability to face life’s challenges.
International Yoga Day 2026 gives us an opportunity to resolve to make yoga an integral part of our daily lives, not just a one-day event. Adopting yoga is the need of the hour to build a healthy body, a healthy mind, and a healthy society. Let us contribute to building a healthy Chhattisgarh, a developed India, and a prosperous world through yoga.