Yoga Day today, India’s global outreach includes Pakistan, 1,300 cities worldwide

India will celebrate International Day of Yoga (IDY) on Saturday by organising over 2,000 events across 1,300 locations in 191 countries, including Pakistan.

The Indian High Commission in Islamabad will hold a yoga event, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the cultural wing of the Ministry of External Affairs, said in a statement.

Marking the 10th anniversary of IDY, ICCR Director General K Nandini Singla said, “We will practically cover every country in the world. In countries like the US, multiple events will be held across various cities.”

A highlight of the celebrations will be ‘Yoga Bandhan’, a flagship event featuring 17 yoga gurus and practitioners from 15 countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Russia, China, South Africa, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Singapore and South Korea, leading Yoga Day events across India.

In Delhi, foreign yoga practitioners will lead gatherings at iconic sites such as Jantar Mantar, Qutub Minar, Purana Qila, and Humayun’s Tomb. Similar ‘Yoga Bandhan’ events will be held in other heritage cities, including Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bhopal and Gwalior.

“It is a matter of great satisfaction that yoga has come full circle. Yoga went from India to these countries. People abroad learnt yoga, and today they have come back to India to lead yoga demonstrations by Indian people in India,” said Singla.

This year’s IDY theme is ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health’.

The ICCR said preparations began months in advance, with global events marking the 100-day, 75-day, 50-day and 25-day countdowns. Over the last 100 days, 37 of its cultural centres worldwide have hosted yoga programmes in the lead-up to IDY 2025.