International Yoga Festival

Relax the body and give rest to your mind and soul at the International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh. This festival takes place for one week and allows visitors to learn and practice different styles of yoga. World class yoga gurus participate in the festival to give advice on yoga to the visitors.

Legend behind the International Yoga Festival

The International Yoga Festival is held at the serene Uttarakhand hill station, Rishikesh. This is both a state sponsored and private event.  The tourism board of the Uttarakhand government and the Parmath Niketan Ashram of Rishikesh work jointly in organizing the festival. Visitors of any age are invited to take part in the festival as there are special trainers who offer practice lessons in yoga.

The local government authorities in Uttarakhand promote the International Yoga Festival as one where you can experience an awakening of senses through meditation in the lap of nature. Rishikesh is famous as the oldest destination for yoga enthusiasts over the world.

Customs, Traditions and Cultural Importance of the International Yoga Festival

Who would not like to experience the magic of yoga in its birthplace? A visit to Rishikesh in the first week of May will help you to rejuvenate the senses by practicing different styles of yoga under the guidance of the experts in this field.

The Parmath Niketan Ashram makes arrangements for over 70 hours of classes to be held during the one week long festival. The different styles taught and practiced here are Kriya Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Iyengar Yoga and Power Vinyasa Yoga. For those who do not want to only practice, but also learn about the various forms of yoga, lecture sessions are held during the course of the festival inside the Ashram.

It is said that the International Yoga Festival plays an important role in making Rishikesh one of the highly visited pilgrimage sites in India. You can stay at the Parmath Niketan Ashram which has lodging facilities.  But you need to do the registration online before the start of the festival for taking part as well as staying at the Ashram.

Yoga capital Rishikesh is home to a number of yoga schools. You can also enroll in these schools while on a visit to the International Yoga Festival.

Notable Yogis at the International Yoga Festival

Spiritual leaders and saints who have provided lessons and lectures on yoga at the International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh are:

• H H Sri Shankaracharya Swami Divyanand Teerthji
• H H Swami Veda Bharatiji
• H H Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji
• Swami Ramdev
• Hikaru Hashimoto
• Mohan Bhandari
• Dr David Frawley
• Brahmachari Vishwapal Jayant
• Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
• Vaiyasaki Das & Kaisori