Yoga Connect summit inaugurated in Delhi
The Ministry of Ayush on Saturday inaugurated Yoga Connect-2025, a global summit themed “Yoga for one earth, one health”, at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.
Organised by the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN), the event was held ahead of the 11th International Day of Yoga (IDY), to be celebrated on June 21.
The summit brought together Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush, and Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav and Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat along with yoga gurus, scientists, policymakers and wellness leaders from across India, and abroad. The event witnessed the participation of over 1,000 delegates.
Speaking at the event, Jadhav said yoga had proven benefits in managing diabetes, heart diseases, cancer recovery, and elderly care. He highlighted the ministry’s efforts to mainstream yoga in public health, calling yoga a driving force behind India’s leadership in the wellness sector.
“Yoga is not just a health practice, it is becoming a tool for employment, skill development and global wellness diplomacy,” he said. Shekhawat lauded PM Modi’s vision of taking yoga from ‘chiti’ (individual consciousness) to ‘rashtrachiti’ (national consciousness).
“Yoga Connect is a call to embrace yoga not as an activity, but as a lifestyle. On June 21, let us celebrate IDY-2025 as a true tribute to India’s timeless wisdom,” he said.
Yoga guru Ramdev said nearly 2 billion people across 200 countries currently practiced yoga, and expressed hope that this number would reach 5 billion in the coming years.
The Yoga Institute Director Dr Hansaji Yogendra said yoga was not merely about performing exercises but also about living with awareness, intellect, and emotional balance. Swami Chidanand Saraswati described yoga as a path towards unity and inclusiveness, while Subodh Tiwari, CEO of Kaivalyadhama, called the summit a global effort to unite the yoga community across borders and cultures.
As part of the event, several reports and publications were released, including ‘Yoga Prabhava’ — a decade-long impact assessment of the International Day of Yoga; ‘Surveykshan’, which maps yoga’s national footprint; a scientometric analysis of global yoga research by Pahle India Foundation and CCRYN; ‘Bharatiya Vriksha Vaibhavam’, a tribute to India’s sacred tree heritage; an e-book tracing Prime Minister Modi’s yoga vision; and a video titled ‘Yoga Samavesh’, showcasing mass yoga participation.
Six sessions were held during the day on topics such as yoga and non-communicable diseases, women’s health, yoga technology and innovation, and the commercial applications of yoga. The concluding session featured Dr HR Nagendra, Swami Mukundananda and Dr MA Alwar, who deliberated on the broader vision of “Yoga for all”.
Delhi