On the 11th International Day of Yoga (IDY), several Sri Lankan ministers, parliamentarians, cricket legends, cultural icons, and local residents gathered at the iconic Independence Square in Colombo to practice yoga, highlighting its significance in promoting a healthy lifestyle.
The event was organised by the Indian High Commission in Colombo, in collaboration with Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry. More than 100 yoga instructors from across the island nation demonstrated yoga to participants, including members of the tri-forces, police, students, and yoga enthusiasts.
Several senior ministers of the Sri Lankan government, including Anil Jayantha and Chrishantha Abeysena, as well as Deputy Speaker Rizvie Salih and other prominent figures from industry, attended the event.
Meanwhile, several other IDY celebrations were also held in Galle, Kandy, and Jaffna, organised by diplomatic offices across the country.
The 2025 theme — ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health’ — emphasises the connection between personal well-being and planetary health, aligning with India’s broader vision of global harmony through traditional wisdom.
Earlier on Thursday, the Department of Ayurveda under the Ministry of Health of the Government of Sri Lanka, together with the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), the cultural arm of the High Commission of India in Colombo, jointly organised IDY celebrations across the island.
In a historic first, this event was simultaneously held at 113 Ayurveda hospitals, including teaching and research institutions across all nine provinces of the South Asian nation, along with four universities.
This collaborative celebration with SVCC marks the first time that the entire network of Ayurveda institutions in Sri Lanka has participated in IDY in a unified manner.
The SVCC supported the initiative by providing yoga mats, instructional books, and curated video content to all participating centres.
This island-wide event underscored the growing global recognition of yoga as a powerful tool for physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, while also strengthening traditional healthcare ties between Sri Lanka and India.
—IANS