India marked 11 years of International Yoga Day with the celebrations that truly went the distance. This year, the Ministry of Ayush, adopting the spirit of ‘Yoga for All, Yoga Everywhere’, brought it to life by organising events in some of the country’s most challenging terrains.
Indian Army personnel performed yoga at the world’s highest battlefield on the Siachen Glacier, where sessions were also held at over 15,000 feet in the Galwan Valley. The Ministry also took Yoga to India’s southernmost tip under the Andaman & Nicobar Command, stretched out to the Mumbai offshore oil rig where ONGC personnel joined in amidst the Arabian Sea, and even found footing on the New Pamban Bridge in Tamil Nadu and the Chenab railway Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to an official document shared by the Ministry, culturally vibrant yoga sessions saw participation from athletes, National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets, and even Indian pilgrims. On the banks of the Ganga, the 91 UP Battalion of the NCC joined the nationwide movement. Indian pilgrims on the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra via the Nathu La route also performed yoga as part of the celebrations. In Rajasthan, the BSF’s Rajasthan Frontier hosted a culturally rich event at the historic Kishangarh Fort in Jaisalmer. In Jammu & Kashmir, athletes from the J&K Sports Council led yoga sessions in the scenic meadows of Pahalgam and Sonmarg.
“These iconic events collectively underscored the profound connection between India’s ancient yogic wisdom and its unique geological legacy, embodying the spirit of ‘Yoga for All, Yoga Everywhere.’ They powerfully demonstrated how this ancient practice continues to thrive as a living tradition, inspiring resilience, wellness, and unity across diverse terrains and communities nationwide,” read the press statement.