International Day of Yoga ends on Shanghai Bund with healthy ageing theme

Beijing,UPDATED: Jun 21, 2026 16:12 IST

Day of Yoga was celebrated on Sunday at Shanghai's Bund waterfront, one of the city's best-known landmarks, as part of this year's global observance of the event. The theme for the 2026 edition is "Yoga for Healthy Ageing".

The Shanghai programme marked the culmination of the Day of Yoga celebrations held across cities in China's Yangtze river delta, with Indian officials saying it brought to a close a 90-day run of activities and events in the region.

Indian Consul General in Shanghai Pratik Mathur said the event at the Bund, along Shanghai's coastline, provided the "perfect backdrop" for the conclusion of programmes held to mark IDY 2026 in cities and counties including Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Kunshan and Wuxi. In a post on X, the Consulate General of India in Shanghai said, "Consul General Shri Pratik Mathur was happy to host the splendid ceremony for the 12th edition of the Day of Yoga in Shanghai with a majestic view of Pearl TV Tower at the historic #BUND along the banks of the Huangpu river, a major landmark which is a testament to age old historic links between India and China."

Participants at the Shanghai event included B K Sapna, in charge of Brahma Kumaris, and Siddharth Chatterjee, former UN Coordinator for China. Mathur said Chatterjee's recently released book on yoga, "My Five To Thrive", was launched at the event, reflecting the global rise of the ancient Indian practice since the launch of Day of Yoga in 2014.

On Friday, more than 1,000 yoga enthusiasts, most of them Chinese, took part in the Day of Yoga event hosted by the Indian Embassy in Beijing. Addressing the gathering, Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami said the large turnout reflected yoga's growing popularity and universal appeal. "Yoga is truly for everyone - men and women, young and old, beginners and experienced practitioners alike. Because it is inclusive and accessible to all, yoga has also become truly international, bringing together people across cultures, languages and nationalities in the shared pursuit of health and well-being," he said.

The observance in Shanghai, along with the large turnout in Beijing, marked India's Day of Yoga events in China this year, with the Bund programme closing a wider series of celebrations across the Yangtze river delta.

With PTI Inputs

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