The importance of yoga has increased during coronavirus.

International Yoga Day 2020: This year, keeping in mind the coronavirus pandemic and the social distancing norms, the International Yoga Day will be marked virtually. According to the website for yoga, maintained by the Union Ministry of AYUSH (yoga [dot] ayush [dot] gov [dot] in), the 6th edition of the occasion would be around the theme “Ghar Ghar mein Yog” or “Yoga at Home, Yoga with Family”, and it would signify the importance of staying at home to practice social distancing and curbing the spread of COVID-19. Moreover, practicing yoga would be beneficial for the people.

The website added that this year, due to the pandemic, people have the opportunity to experience the true effects of yoga. It added that during his last Mann Ki Baat address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that all over the world, people have started learning yoga, including those who do not know its importance. Adding that yoga is good for immunity, community as well as unity, the website quoted PM Modi as saying that the importance of yoga has increased during coronavirus because it strengthens the immune and the respiratory system.

How to celebrate International Yoga Day 2020?

This year, people can practice yoga from their homes, with their families by following the ‘Common Yoga Protocol’ or CYP on June 21 from 7 am to 7.45 am. The CYP is available on the yoga website, the website of the Union Ministry of Ayush and social media handles. The protocol will also be played on several television channels in the run up to the International Yoga Day.

International Day of Yoga: Common Yoga Protocol

In the CYP shared by the government, the common guidelines before, during and after Yoga are enlisted, along with the exercises one should do. The 45-minute routine includes exercises for the entire body and it also details the techniques, benefits and caution for each pose.

Guidelines for Yoga

As per the protocol, yoga should be practiced in a clean and calm environment, with relaxed body and mind. It should be practiced on an empty or light stomach and in case a person feels weak, he should consume a small honey in lukewarm water. A mattress, yoga mat or a folded blanket should be used for the practice and comfortable cotton clothes should be worn to ensure easy movement. If a person is exhausted, ill, in a hurry or under acute stress, he should not practice yoga. Moreover, people with chronic disease, pain or cardiac conditions should consult a physician or yoga therapist before practicing yoga, and pregnant or menstruating women should consult yoga experts.

Yoga practice should start with a prayer or an invocation to create a calm environment and relieve stress of the mind, and each asana should be performed slowly with awareness of the body as well as breath, the protocol states. The guidelines also direct that unless explicitly stated, a person should not hold his breath while practicing yoga, and breathing should be carried out using nostrils unless stated otherwise. The body should not be held tightly and any undue jerks should be avoided during the practice and the exercises should be performed based on the person’s capacity. The limitations of each yoga exercise should be kept in mind and the exercises should always end with a deep silence or meditation.

A person should ensure that he takes a bath or eats something only 20 to 30 minutes after completing the yoga practice.

The videos as well as the PDF document of the CYP can be accessed via the ministry website. The document also contains the textual references of the exercises enlisted in the protocol, in case a person wants to further study any of them.