How to Celebrate the International Day of Yoga in 2021!
By: Heather Anderson, LPC
Everyone mark your calendars because International Day of Yoga is on Monday, June 21st! If you haven’t heard of the International Day of Yoga before now, you’re not alone. However, there seems to be a day for pretty much anything nowadays, and yoga is no exception.
The United Nations first established the International Day of Yoga in 2015 to raise awareness of the many benefits a person who practices yoga can experience (1). Since yoga is a practice designed to balance the body physically and mentally, it provides benefits for both these areas (2), such as:
- Decreases stress
- Relieves symptoms of anxiety
- Reduces Inflammation
- Improves heart health
- Improves quality of life
- Relieves symptoms of depression
- Reduces chronic pain
- Promotes sleep quality
- Improves flexibility and balance
- Improves breathing
- Relieves migraines
- Promotes healthy eating
- Increases strength
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have experienced an increase in stress and mental health issues alike (3). So, whether you are a beginner wanting to try out yoga for the first time or a long-time yogi, International Day of Yoga on June 21st is a great excuse to practice yoga and experience its benefits for yourself.
Here are three ways you can celebrate International Day of Yoga in 2021:
Find a yoga class to try out!
- The website “Yoga Classes Near You” (4) is a database that contains thousands of yoga classes. All you need to do is input your location and class level to find yoga classes near you. Level choices include all styles, mixed ability, beginners, intermediate, advanced, pregnancy, children/babies, sports/rehab, seniors, and workplace. You can filter your search even more by specifying the class style and day.
- Google (5) is a fantastic resource to search for something as general as “yoga studios near me,” to something more specific like “[unique] yoga classes near me.” For example, yoga classes that Include animals have become increasingly popular, so you may be able to find ones involving goats, cats, dogs, bunnies, and more with the help of a Google search.
Find a YouTube video to follow!
- The YouTube channel “Yoga with Adriene” (6) has over 600 free yoga videos for you to choose from, created by Adriene Mishler, who welcomes everyone to do their best, be authentic, and “find what feels good.” If you are a beginner, Adriene invites you to check out her Yoga for Beginners and Foundations of Yoga series designed to give you the tools to build a happy, healthy at-home yoga practice. Although, if you’d like to dive right in, you can begin one of Adriene’s 30 Day Yoga Journeys. Recently, Adriene created a separate YouTube channel, “Yoga con Adriene en Español” (7), in which she uploads her videos in Spanish.
- The article “20 Best YouTube Yoga Channels for When You Need Some Gentle Movement” by Hannah Chenoweth and Emily Shiffer (8) provides information and links to 19 other YouTube yoga channels, in addition to Yoga with Adriene, you can check out.
Find an app to download!
- There are likely hundreds of yoga apps available for you to download to your phone right now, but unfortunately, all apps are not equal. That’s where the article “7 Best Yoga Apps You Can Use Anytime and Anywhere” by Selina Tedesco and Rachel Rothman (9) can help. Since it provides information and links for the yoga apps that are the easiest to use, offer the greatest variance in classes, have awesome teachers, and provide the best workouts.
If you try out any of these during your celebration of International Day of Yoga, let us know. Until then, namaste my friends!
(1) https://www.un.org/en/observances/yoga-day
(2) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/13-benefits-of-yoga#TOC_TITLE_HDR_7
(4) https://www.yogaclassnearyou.com/yoga-classes
(6) https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene
(7) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaBC9214yCFbAys53dE-IFw
(8) https://www.self.com/story/best-youtube-yoga-channels
(9) https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health-products/g26950282/best-yoga-apps/
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