New Delhi, 20 June (H.S.): One of the country's largest public yoga events will be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday to mark the 12th International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2026. Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports and Labour and Employment, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, along with actor Akshay Kumar, will lead the special yoga session.

The theme for this year's celebration is Yoga for Healthy Ageing. Around 3,000 participants are expected to take part in the mass yoga session at the main event in Delhi.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will organise Yoga Day celebrations on a large scale across the country. Simultaneous yoga sessions will be conducted at all regional centres of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), National Centres of Excellence, training centres, and Khelo India institutions. More than 15,000 participants are expected to join these events nationwide.

In addition, various National Sports Federations, state sports departments, sports universities, and other sports institutions will organise yoga programmes, ensuring participation from across the country's sporting ecosystem.

Dr Mandaviya said that since the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposal in 2014, the annual event has evolved into a global celebration of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

The Delhi programme will feature a special yoga session led by renowned celebrity fitness and yoga instructor Anshuka Parwani, who has played a significant role in popularising fitness and yoga among both celebrities and the general public.

Athletes, students, senior citizens, fitness enthusiasts, yoga practitioners, and families will participate together to demonstrate the positive impact of yoga on health and well-being.

The global celebration on June 21 is expected to witness the participation of millions of people across more than 180 countries. Over the past decade, the International Day of Yoga has emerged as one of the world's largest health and wellness movements, with India continuing to play a leading role.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar