International Day of Yoga, 21st June 2022

The United Nations International Day of Yoga is held annually on the 21st of June. This year the theme is Yoga for Humanity, aiming to portray how yoga has served humanity in alleviating sufferings during Covid-19. It can, after all, be used to help with both our physical and mental wellbeing.

Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness.  It is practised in various forms around the world by all ages and continues to grow in popularity.

Recognizing its universal appeal, on 11 December 2014, the United Nations proclaimed June 21st as the International Day of Yoga. The resolution was first introduced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address during the opening of the 69th session of the General Assembly, in which he said:

“Yoga is an invaluable gift from our ancient tradition. Yoga embodies unity of mind and body, thought and action ... a holistic approach [that] is valuable to our health and our wellbeing. Yoga is not just about exercise; it is a way to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature.”

Explore yoga and mindfulness with Striver

Yoga and mindfulness are two units that feature in Striver, our PE and wellbeing platform. They are great ways to promote positive mental health and they can be done indoors without any fancy equipment.

During lockdown, we gave schools free access to our yoga and mindfulness resources and since then we’ve decided to continue to make them available. The sessions are perfect for families and school groups to do together to help everyone stay calm and relaxed, whatever challenges are facing them.

Yoga

We have also put together a Yoga playlist  on our YouTube channel that gives a short overview of all the Yoga positions included in the resource pack.

But yoga is more than a physical activity. In the words of one of its most famous practitioners, the late B. K. S. Iyengar, “Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one’s actions.”

Mindfulness

Alongside our Yoga resources, you will also have our mindfulness sessions.  Pupils will be introduced to the vocabulary of mindfulness and practice a variety of mindfulness techniques.  They will explore their own breathing, the sounds around them, visualisations, and the use of focus objects. The lessons aim to introduce techniques to enable pupils to shift their own attention to different aspects of their environment and reflect upon feelings in their own bodies and minds. There are sessions for Years 1- Year 6 and the pack can be downloaded here.