Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia
Yoga is among the world’s oldest and most enduring practices for human health and wellbeing. It is a holistic discipline that integrates physical activity, breath regulation, mindfulness, and meditation, supporting physical function, mental well-being, and social connectedness.
The theme for International Day of Yoga 2026, Yoga for Healthy Ageing, affirms that yoga is not a practice confined to any single stage of life, but a lifelong resource that can be adapted to our changing needs and capacities, supporting vitality, independence, and dignity at every age.
In the rapidly ageing WHO South-East Asia Region, the demographic shift deepens the urgency of investing in healthy ageing interventions that are scalable, low-cost, and responsive to the Region's diverse cultural contexts. Yoga fulfils each of these criteria and addresses the core pillars of healthy ageing by improving mobility, protecting cognitive health, and reducing isolation through community. It reminds us that longevity is not just about adding years to life but also adding life to years.
Because yoga can be adapted to different fitness levels and health conditions, it offers an accessible way for many older adults to maintain their physical and emotional health. These benefits support several goals of the WHO Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030), including promoting independence, reducing fall risk, enhancing quality of life, and encouraging person-centred approaches to health and well-being.
The supporting global and regional policy architecture is substantial. The WHO Global action plan on physical activity 2018–2030 provides a framework for embedding structured physical activity, including yoga, within health systems. The WHO Global traditional medicine strategy 2025–2034 encourages the safe and regulated integration of evidence-based traditional medicine, such as yoga, into health systems.
On this International Day of Yoga, we are reminded that healthy ageing is shaped not only by the health systems we build, but also by the daily choices we make throughout our lives. Yoga, when practised regularly, safely, and in ways that are appropriate to individual needs and abilities, is one such powerful choice. “Yoga for Healthy Ageing” is an invitation to every person, at every stage of life, to invest in their own health and vitality, and to carry that commitment into their families, communities, and societies.
Proposed by India, the United Nations General Assembly in 2014, with the support of a record 175 Member States, declared 21 June as the International Yoga Day. The date—the summer solstice—was chosen for its symbolic association with light, balance, and longevity.