International Yoga Day 2025
— How Not to Yoga
Introduction
Every 21 June, the world rolls out its mats for International Day of Yoga (IYD), a United-Nations observance first proposed in 2014 and now celebrated in more than 190 countries. This year’s 11-year milestone carries the theme “Yoga for One Earth, One Health,” a reminder that the inner harmony we seek on the mat is inseparable from the well-being of the planet we stand on.
Yet there’s an irony to the global excitement: headline photos of contorted handstands and seven-day juice cleanses can obscure Yoga’s simplest truth. In the Bhagavad Gītā, Krishna devotes an entire chapter (Chapter 6, Dhyāna-Yoga) to explaining not just what Yoga is, but also when it is impossible.
Just Two Verses • Bhagavad Gītā 6.16 – 6.17
6.16
nātyaśnatas tu yogo ’sti
na caikāntaṃ anaśnataḥ
na cāti-svapna-śīlasya
jāgrato naiva cārjuna
6.17
yuktāhāra-vihārasya
yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu
yukta-svapnāvabodhasya
yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā
Translation (concise):
Yoga is neither for one who overeats nor for one who starves; neither for the excessively drowsy nor the perpetually restless.
For the person whose eating, recreation, work, and sleep are all in proper measure, Yoga becomes the destroyer of sorrow.
Reflection • “How Not to Yoga”
Krishna’s checklist feels almost mundane—meals, rest, daily effort—yet it exposes a common modern trap: extremes masquerading as commitment. Binge-watch a posture tutorial until 2 a.m.? Skip breakfast so you can “feel lighter” in class? Stack meetings without breaks, then expect the evening flow to rescue your nervous system? Krishna’s answer is clear: that isn’t Yoga.
International Yoga Day often invites beginners and veterans alike to join mass practices. The real invitation, however, may be to audit the hours off the mat. If our relationship with food, work, or sleep is imbalanced, no sun salutation sequence—however inspiring—can bridge the gap.
Checklist Before You Unroll the Mat
Element Extremes to Avoid “Middle Path” Questions
Eating “Cleanse-only” fasting · Constant snacking Have I eaten enough to sustain, not sedate?
Rest Doom-scroll until midnight · Weekend hibernation Did I wake refreshed, without an alarm marathon?
Work & Activity 14-hour desk sprint · Zero purposeful movement Have I alternated intense focus with short pauses?
Recreation Binge streaming · “No-fun” productivity cult Did I choose a hobby that genuinely refreshes me?
Mind News-cycle overload · Escapist numbness Have I given myself a silence buffer today?
Just One Action
Pick the wobblier leg of your lifestyle stool.
Tonight, jot down which of the four everyday arenas—eating, rest, work, play—feels least “yukta” (well-measured). For the next seven days, adjust just that one lever by no more than 10 %. Small, sustainable nudges count; dramatic swings do not.
Conclusion
On this International Yoga Day, the invitation is radical in its simplicity: Before you chase the perfect posture, cultivate the conditions that make Yoga possible. Krishna’s warning is both compassionate and liberating—Yoga is for everyone, but it thrives only where moderation lives. Whether you join a sunrise mass practice or watch from the sidelines, honoring that middle path is the most profound salute you can offer to yourself, to others, and—echoing this year’s theme—to the Earth that holds us all
Happy IDY 25
Suresh