International Yoga Day 2020 To Be Observed Digitally Due to Coronavirus Crisis

New Delhi: The government has decided that International Yoga Day 2020 will be celebrated on digital media platforms and there would be no mass gatherings.

The theme for this year will be ‘Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family’ and people are expected to join Yoga Day celebrations virtually at 7 am on June 21.

“Indian Missions abroad are trying to reach out to the people through digital media as well through the network of institutions which support yoga,” an official was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Earlier, the AYUSH ministry had planned to hold a grand event at Leh, which eventually had to be cancelled because of the coronavirus crisis.

Moreover, the Ministry of AYUSH and ICCR have sought to raise awareness about yoga through the ‘My Life – My Yoga’ video blogging competition, which was launched by the Prime Minister on May 31. It also aims to inspire people to prepare for and become active participants in the observation of the International Day of Yoga 2020.

The contest, which will run on two parallels, will consist of an international video blogging contest in one part, wherein the winners will be picked within a country. In the other part, global prize winners will be selected from different countries.

To make an entry, the contest participants are required to upload a three-minute video of three yogic practices (kriya, asana, pranayama, bandha or mudra), including a short video message/description on how the said yogic practices influenced their life. It can be done in any language.

“Entries can be submitted by participants under three categories – youth (male and female aged under 18), adults (male and female above 18 years) and yoga professionals,” AYUSH Secretary, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, was quoted as saying by NDTV.

With a total of six categories, prizes worth 1 lakh, 50K and 25K will be given for first, second and third positions within each of the categories.

At the global level, cash prizes worth USD 2,500, USD 1,500  and USD 1,000 along with trophy and certificate will be given to those ranking first, second and third by Indian missions abroad.

“The video blogging competition will provide us a huge amount of testimonials, which will help us in spreading the word about yoga and its overall benefits not just health-wise but also towards the approach to human life as well,” president of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddh, was quoted as saying by NDTV.

He further added that “It will also bring to the fore the multiple facets of yoga. It (yoga) is not just about physical activity, it also has to do with physical and emotional health and people will share the benefits they have experienced.”

Besides, the contest videos may be uploaded on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the contest hashtag #MyLifeMyYogaINDIA and appropriate category hashtag.