In a record bid to bring holistic wellness into everyday metropolitan life, Uttar Pradesh state has launched more than 100 special Yoga Parks in the state in the lead-up to the 11th International Yoga Day, which falls on June 21, 2025. The ambitious move, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is...
In a record bid to bring holistic wellness into everyday metropolitan life, Uttar Pradesh state has launched more than 100 special Yoga Parks in the state in the lead-up to the 11th International Yoga Day, which falls on June 21, 2025. The ambitious move, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is meant to turn yoga into a calendar-year public practice, from ceremonial one-day events to regular public health participation.
These Yoga Parks, situated in major cities like Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Kanpur, and Jhansi, are equipped with basic facilities like drinking water, seating arrangements, open gyms, and trained facilitators. These parks are designed to be inclusive wellness centers, offering regular yoga classes to citizens of all ages.
The government plans to open three yoga parks in every district with divisional headquarters and two in all other districts apart from divisional headquarters, which are planned after taking advice from local governments and institutions such as municipalities and gram panchayats. The district magistrates have been directed to find places and make arrangements for their maintenance and cleanliness.
The UP Yoga Day events this year will be a week-long celebration with an emphasis on youth participation and environmental conservation. The signature events are 'Yoga Unplugged'—youth participation in creative and competitive events—and 'Harit Yoga', the integration of yoga practice with environmental conservation through plantation drives and sanitation drives. The theme for 2025 is "Yoga for One Earth, One Health" with an emphasis on the universal and environmental application of the practice.
Key Points
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Over 100 Yoga Parks came up across Uttar Pradesh for round-the-year, permanent well-being.
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The parks are equipped with open gyms, certified trainers, resting stations, and potable water.
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Three parks in division headquarter districts; two in all other districts.
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Large cities with more than one park: Lucknow (9), Kanpur, Agra, Jhansi (12), Mathura-Vrindavan, Ghaziabad, Ayodhya, Firozabad.
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One-week Yoga Day celebrations with focus on youth and nature.
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Innovative campaigns: 'Yoga Unplugged' (youth engagement) and 'Harit Yoga' (nature conservation).
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Parks that remain open all year round, instilling lifetime physical and mental well-being.
"This initiative is a shift from symbolic remembrance to concerted public health action." — Principal Secretary Amrit Abhijat
Source: Free Press Journal, Hindustan Times, Economic Times, Deccan Herald