By Aishwarya Singh Raikwar
It is the high time that India leverages Yoga Diplomacy to enhance its soft power, build stronger international relationships, and promote global health and well-being. This project began in 2014, when the Indian government proposed a resolution at the United Nations, calling for June 21st to be declared as International Day of Yoga. This year marked 10 years since that declaration, and with time yoga has grown a lot.
Yoga is many things rolled into one; it is a trend, a lifestyle, a tradition, a culture, and a science. It is also perceived as India’s gift to the world. This year the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Jammu and Kashmir, where he was joined by other yoga enthusiasts, the Indian military also joined in. Soldiers performed yoga at their postings from the snow-capped mountains of Himalayas, to the deserts of Rajasthan, to aircraft carriers at Sea. It was truly a nationwide celebration. Not just in India, yoga day is a big deal outside the country as well, especially in the west. Yoga culture has caught on well in countries like the United States. In fact Prime Minister Modi marked last year’s yoga day in New York. This year too an event was organized there.
Yoga Market
Globally around 300 million people regularly do yoga, which is more than 8% of the world population. Many of them do it at home, but some also prefer studios. There are more than 48,000 yoga studios in the US alone, more than 2,000 in Canada. more than 4,000 in Britain and more than 2,000 in Australia. It tells you how popular yoga is with all this reach, and also means that yoga is a money spinner. There are studios, yoga mats, instructors, and put together it is a big economy. The yoga Market is worth $107 billion, and it is growing at nearly 99.4% per annum.
Diplomacy around Yoga
Lets explain what yoga has done for India’s brand and how it has helped India diplomatically. Yoga is popular and lucrative and it has helped India in broadly two ways. The first is the messaging. Yoga has popularized Indian philosophies of tolerance and harmony and it is like a window to Indianness and that is very important. These days, propaganda is prevalent. Yoga can help you express your side of the story by revealing the true Indian values, which is crucial when dealing with rivals who are continuously trying to smear you.
The second way is that yoga has boosted India’s Global standing not just as a country, but as a civilization. It shows how scientific the yoga poses are. Considering that yoga was developed thousands of years ago, it also proves how advanced ancient India was. India can work to include yoga and wellness initiatives in bilateral and multilateral agreements. This may involve setting up yoga centres in partner countries, training local yoga instructors, and organizing joint wellness programs. Also, the running of global public diplomacy campaigns aimed to promote the benefits of yoga. These campaigns can highlight stories of transformation and healing through yoga, supported by scientific research.
Yoga in the Changing Times
India has been very accepting of new forms of yoga. New forms of yoga include yoga with puppies, yoga with goats, and couple yoga. India has never questioned any of these new types or methods; on the contrary, it has accepted them, and in doing so the reach of yoga has expanded worldwide. According to some reports, India is planning another move to increase the popularity of yoga: inclusion in the Olympics. India is bidding for the 2036 Games. It is pushing for the inclusion of six disciplines, including yoga. It is unclear how the yoga competition will take place, but if successful it will increase India’s stature and yoga’s popularity.
Avenues Ahead
The question is, what more can be done? Yoga tourism is a segment that is already developing in some parts of the country, and the proposal is simply to come to India to learn authentic yoga. Develop yoga tourism packages that attract international visitors to India for yoga retreats, teacher training, and wellness vacations. This again requires investment, more yoga centers, more travel facilities, and more instructors, and if India gets involved it can unveil the economic potential this sector holds. The global wellness tourism market is huge at nearly $814 billion. The second focus should be on diplomacy: right now, attention to yoga disappears after Yoga Day and does not extend to India’s regular diplomatic engagements. Highlighting India’s rich yoga heritage and offering engaging experiences can position India as a premier destination for authentic yoga experiences.
Offering scholarships and training programs for international students and practitioners to study yoga in India. This can involve collaborations with Indian universities, yoga institutes, and the Ministry of AYUSH. Establishing more Indian cultural centres and yoga institutes abroad. These centres can offer regular yoga classes, workshops, and seminars, and serve as hubs for broader cultural exchange. Actively participating in and organizing pavilions at global wellness and health expos to showcase India’s leadership in yoga and wellness. Including yoga demonstrations and sessions in cultural diplomacy events, state visits, and international conferences to highlight India’s cultural heritage.
Strengthen partnerships with the United Nations, World Health Organization and other international bodies to promote yoga as a tool for health and wellness. Collaborate with international NGOs and nonprofit organizations to bring yoga to underserved and marginalized communities around the world. Promote the integration of yoga into health systems globally. This may involve sharing best practices, research and case studies on the health benefits of yoga and collaborating with international health organizations. Collaborate with global companies to incorporate yoga into their employee wellness programs. Doing so can be an important step in promoting health and productivity in the workplace, and these initiatives can be a game changer for India in the long run.
New Delhi can rethink the fact that other countries regularly leverage their soft power: Finland has sauna diplomacy, China has panda diplomacy, France has food diplomacy, Brazil has soccer diplomacy. So why can’t India build a new brand of yoga diplomacy? It would be a strategic move and would fit into India’s policies as a flexible, peace-loving country. Every year Yoga Day brings images and headlines and a lot of goodwill for India, but after 10 years it is time to leverage this to achieve tangible benefits from yoga.
Author: Aishwarya Singh Raikwar – She has more than five years of experience in government advisory, consulting and academia. She is currently Assistant Manager at the Vibrant Villages Program (VVP) Cell of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Aishwarya has contributed to India’s prestigious G-20 presidency, delivered a TEDx talk, and received the Young Researcher Award at the Asian Tourism Research Conference. She is passionate about oceans and their role in addressing some of the biggest challenges of our time, such as climate change, maritime security, sustainable development, and international relations.
Image Credit: DPA/Europa Press ( Narendra Modi practicing yoga with hundreds of people at the United Nations headquarters).