The sun hadn’t fully risen yet. A soft breeze moved through the trees. Somewhere, a bird called out. It was early enough that the streets were still empty, and in that quiet moment, someone unrolled a mat, sat cross-legged, and took a deep breath. That’s how yoga begins. Simple. Grounded. Real.
June 21 is the day the world takes a pause to celebrate the International Day of Yoga. Not just to strike a pose or share photos, but to remember what yoga brings into our lives. In a world that barely gives us space to breathe, yoga invites us to stop. To notice. To come back to ourselves.
Why do we need yoga now, more than ever? Because we’re tired. Tired of scrolling. Tired of running after things. Tired of comparing, competing, rushing. Our minds are noisy. Our bodies are stiff. Our hearts are anxious. Yoga doesn’t offer escape, but it offers a way to sit with what is. To untangle the knots. To clear the fog.
The word “yoga” means union. It’s not about gymnastics or being super flexible. It’s about bringing together the scattered parts of us — body, mind, breath, and awareness. That’s why it helps so many people feel better. Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally.
Benefits
Yoga helps lower stress. It calms the heart. It makes your back hurt less. It helps you sleep. It keeps your lungs healthy. It slows down that racing mind. The breathing techniques (called pranayama) are a gift, especially when the world outside feels chaotic. And the movements? They teach us patience and build strength gently. But you don’t need to be a particular type of person to start. You don’t need yoga pants or candles or to chant anything. You don’t even need to touch your toes. You just need a little curiosity. A willingness to sit still for a minute. That’s it.
Start small. Maybe sit on the floor for five minutes in the morning. Close your eyes. Breathe in slowly. Breathe out even slower. Notice how you feel. That’s the first step. Then maybe try a few basic poses.
Stretch your spine with cat and cow. Rest in child’s pose. Stand tall in mountain pose. Ten minutes a day is a great beginning.
And no, it’s not about doing it perfectly. It’s about showing up. Even when you’re tired. Even when you’re grumpy. Especially then. Yoga teaches you how to stay with yourself.
There are old texts, like the Yoga Sutras, that talk about eight aspects of yoga. Things like how we live, how we breathe, how we focus, and how we connect to something bigger. But you don’t have to learn it all at once. It unfolds slowly, the more you practise. It begins to shape how you live. You eat better. Speak kinder. Worry less. Notice more.
Over time, your mat becomes a safe space. The few minutes you spend there become something you look forward to. Not because you want to master a pose, but because it feels like a break from the noise. It becomes a moment where you feel whole.
No age barriers
Yoga isn’t reserved for any one group. Whether you’re a teenager stressed about exams, a parent juggling ten things at once, a professional drowning in emails, or someone in their 70s just wanting a good night’s sleep, yoga is for you. It meets you where you are.
“Due to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s relentless efforts, June 21 was declared as the International Yoga Day by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). In its resolution, the UNGA endorsed that “Yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being apart from striking a balance between all aspects of life. The wider dissemination of information about the benefits of practising Yoga would be beneficial for the health of the world population.” This infused an era of holistic health revolution in which attention was given more to prevention rather than the cure,” states the website of India’s Ministry of Ayush
June 21, the longest day of the year in the Northern hemisphere, felt right — full of sunlight and energy. Since then, people in cities and villages across the world have gathered on that day to breathe and move together.
But it doesn’t have to be just one day. Yoga isn’t something to celebrate once a year. It’s something to come back to every day. It doesn’t ask much. Just your attention. Just a little time.
Yoga Day
We get so caught up in getting things done that we forget to take care of the one doing it all — ourselves. We keep going until the headaches start, the sleep disappears, and the moods get hard to manage. Yoga helps bring us back. It doesn’t make life perfect. But it helps us respond with a little more steadiness. A little more softness.
So, with the marking of Yoga Day yesterday, let the occasion remind us to start. Or to come back. To give yoga a chance. To roll out a mat or even just sit on the floor. Breathe in. Breathe out. Feel your feet. Listen to the silence. That’s where it starts.
Yoga isn’t just about bending or stretching. It’s about listening. And when you really start to listen to your body, to your breath, to your thoughts, life feels a little less risky. Not because nothing changes. But because you do.
In that space between your inhale and exhale, there’s calm. In that stillness, there’s clarity. That’s yoga.
