Indian Army Yoga Day Marked Across the Nation on 12th International Day of Yoga

The Indian Army Yoga Day was observed on 21 June across the length and breadth of the country, with formations from the high Himalayas to desert, coastal, island and field locations joining the 12th International Day of Yoga. Serving personnel, veterans, families, NCC cadets and civilians took part.

Gen Upendra Dwivedi leads troops at Tezpur

Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff, led the celebrations with troops at Tezpur in Assam. He joined soldiers for the session in the Eastern theatre.

Gen Upendra Dwivedi, who was felicitated at a retiring officers seminar earlier this month, has kept fitness in his public engagements through his tenure as Chief.

Indian Army Yoga Day draws 3,500 at Cariappa Ground

At New Delhi, Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, took part in a session at Cariappa Ground with more than 3,500 participants. The gathering brought together women, children, NCC cadets, serving personnel, veterans, families and civilians.

Defence Attaches from 17 countries take part

Defence Attaches from more than 17 countries joined the Delhi event. Their presence put a set of foreign military observers on the same ground as Indian troops and cadets for the morning.

Sessions held across every Command

Yoga sessions ran across all Commands, formations and stations, with troops and their families taking part through the day. The Indian Army Yoga Day ran at forward posts and peace stations alike.

The observance ran in parallel with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh marking the day in Shillong, while the Indian Air Force held its own sessions across stations on the same date. The Common Yoga Protocol guided the routines at most venues, in line with the national observance led by the Ministry of Ayush.

Theme of healthy ageing frames the day

This year carried the theme Yoga for Healthy Ageing. It sat close to the Army's focus on fitness and lifelong well being for serving personnel and veterans.

The celebrations also drew on the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the world as one family, a framing the Indian Army tied to yoga's reach beyond India. The Common Yoga Protocol and the day's wider conduct were detailed by the Press Information Bureau.

Yoga as a way of life

The Army has long treated yoga as more than a drill. For soldiers serving in demanding conditions, it feeds endurance, mental strength and emotional steadiness.