International Yoga Festival

International Yoga Festival Rishikesh
The International Yoga festival is an annual yoga event that celebrates the legacy of Yoga. It is celebrated every year in India’s Yoga capital- Rishikesh as it is the birthplace of Yoga. This week-long yoga event held in March brings together thousands of Yoga Gurus and Yoga learners from across the globe to the serene sanctified lands of Rishikesh.

International Yoga festival is an event that focuses on the purification and detoxification of mind, body, and soul by making Yoga a way of life.

Origin and History of International Yoga Festival Rishikesh
International Yoga festival was an event promoted by Uttar Pradesh Tourism when Rishikesh was still a part of Uttar Pradesh. Now it is promoted by the state tourism department and Uttrakhand Tourism Development Board in Rishikesh. In the beginning, it was held at Hotel Ganga Kinare during the first week of February. This festival continued for many years from the same venue and at the same time. In 1999, Uttar Pradesh Tourism asked Parmarth Niketan ashram in Rishikesh to start hosting the International Yoga festival. The mediation and yoga classes and other programs were organized at Parmarth Niketan Ashram, and the participants stayed at other hotels and ashrams. Pujya Shri Swami Veda Bharat Ji guided the early meditation classes in the festival, and Yogacharya Shari Bharat Bhushan Ji conducted the yoga asanas session.

Since its inception, the Yoga festival Rishikesh has garnered immense popularity which keeps growing with every passing year. In 2010, the Rishikesh yoga festival saw the most extensive participation. Some credit of the significant number of participants goes to the Maha Kumbh Mela which coincides with the Yoga festival Rishikesh. As the benefits of Yoga are becoming popular across the world, so is the popularity of the Rishikesh Yoga festival.