Yoga practice at sunrise - peaceful meditation
Scotland's International Yoga Day

Scotland's International Yoga Day 2026

Join us for a day of yoga, mindfulness, and community.

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Presented with the Scottish Hindu Foundation · The Shankaracharya Foundation

The event

On 20 June, Scotland joins the global community to celebrate International Yoga Day. This isn't just a series of classes; it is a coordinated national movement designed to improve physical and mental resilience for all.

Through our flagship gathering at The Pyramid, Glasgow, alongside community-led activities across the country, we bridge ancient tradition and modern Scottish life.

Event schedule

Due to be announced soon. Full timings, sessions, and stage programme will be published here as soon as they are confirmed.

Tickets will be available via Eventbrite. We will share the official listing link alongside the schedule.

Schools Yoga Tour

Workshops for students — mindfulness, resilience, and teamwork in schools across Scotland.

In honour of the International Day of Yoga (21 June), our team organises a workshop tour to support the mental health and wellbeing of Scotland's students. This isn't just about physical exercise; it is a journey into mindfulness, resilience, and teamwork, rooted in a living tradition that spans over 5,000 years.

Benefits for students

Yoga is more than a stretch; it's a toolkit for life. Our workshops are designed to provide immediate wins for students' mental and physical health:

  • Instant stress decompression: Simple pranayama (breathwork) techniques to lower cortisol and manage exam-season anxiety.
  • Sharpened cognitive focus: Movement sequences that reset the brain, improving concentration and information retention.
  • Emotional resilience: Teaching the pause — helping students respond to challenges with calm rather than impulse.
  • Physical vitality: Improving posture and mobility (ideal for counteracting desk slouch).
  • Social connection: Team-building exercises that foster empathy, trust, and community.

How the workshop works

We know the school diary is packed. That's why we've optimised our tour into a 30-minute high-impact session that can be delivered in a gym hall, assembly space, or even a large classroom.

  • The context (5 mins):A brief, engaging introduction to yoga's roots and its journey from the Hindu tradition to modern Scotland.
  • The flow (20 mins):An active, inclusive session led by Glasgow's top-tier teachers, focusing on team-building poses and mindful movement.
  • The toolset (5 mins): A takeaway meditation or breathing technique students can use at their desks when they feel stressed.

Partner with us

The best of Glasgow

We aren't just bringing yoga to your school; we are bringing Glasgow's premier yoga talent. Our facilitators are highly vetted, insurance-certified, and deeply experienced in working with children and young people. They combine modern physiological expertise with the spiritual depth of the practice.

Cultural integrity

By partnering with the Hindu community, your school is choosing an authentic educational experience. We move beyond “yoga as exercise” to honour the heritage, ethics, and philosophy that make yoga a holistic path to wellbeing.

Bring the tour to your school

We handle the logistics; you provide the space. Organised in close collaboration with school leadership, we ensure the content aligns with your specific Health and Wellbeing (HWB) goals for the term.

Contact us

To bring the Schools Yoga Tour to your school, email us with your location, year groups, and preferred term.

Email the team

Our three pillars

Community Vitality

Making wellness accessible to every corner of Scotland, regardless of age, ability, or background.

Workplace Bliss

Partnering with Scotland's leading industries to tackle workplace stress and promote a culture of health.

The Fun Pose

Bringing joy and playfulness to wellness through celebration and community connection.

Align with wellbeing

Showcase your organization's commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and employee health. Scotland's International Yoga Day offers a unique platform to reach an engaged, health-conscious audience.

“Investing in the health of our nation is the most sustainable investment a business can make.”

Why partner with us?

Brand visibility

National press coverage and high-traffic digital placement.

Employee engagement

Exclusive "Corporate Wellness Packages" for your staff.

Social impact

Support local mental health charities through our "Yoga for All" fund.

Origins of yoga & Yoga Day in Scotland

From the Himalayas to the Highlands: the journey of yoga

Yoga originated in the sacred Vedic traditions of ancient India. Developed by sages and scholars, it was never intended to be just “stretching.” It was designed as a holistic science to unite the body, mind, and spirit.

Yoga is one of the world's oldest holistic traditions, with origins stretching back over 5,000 years to ancient India. Far more than a physical practice, yoga emerged as a comprehensive system for cultivating harmony between mind, body, and spirit.

The earliest references to yogic practices appear in the Vedas, sacred texts composed between 1500 and 500 BCE, where meditation, breath control, and spiritual discipline are central themes. Over time, these ideas were further explored in the Upanishads, which shifted the focus inward — encouraging self-inquiry, awareness, and liberation (moksha) through disciplined practice.

Yoga was systematised in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a foundational text that outlines the Eight Limbs of Yoga — ethical living, self-discipline, posture, breath, sensory awareness, concentration, meditation, and ultimate union or clarity of consciousness. This framework continues to guide yoga practitioners around the world today.

As yoga evolved, later traditions such as Hatha Yoga placed greater emphasis on the physical body as a vehicle for spiritual growth, introducing postures (asanas) and breath practices (pranayama) that are now widely recognised. Despite its global spread, yoga remains deeply rooted in its original purpose: cultivating awareness, balance, compassion, and dharma.

International Day of Yoga

Recognising yoga's universal value, the United Nations officially declared 21 June as the International Day of Yoga in 2014. The date coincides with the summer solstice, symbolising light, renewal, and transformation — themes that align closely with yogic philosophy.

Since then, the International Day of Yoga has become a worldwide celebration of wellbeing, bringing communities together across cultures, faiths, and generations to experience yoga as a shared human practice.

Scotland's International Yoga Day

Scotland has embraced International Yoga Day with a distinctly community-focused and inclusive spirit. Each year, smaller events are held across the country — from Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen to local parks, studios, and cultural venues — welcoming people of all backgrounds and abilities.

In recent years, Scotland's International Yoga Day has grown into a flagship celebration, hosted in Edinburgh and more recently Glasgow, and supported by the Scottish Hindu Foundation. These events often combine yoga practice with meditation, cultural performances, talks on health and wellbeing, and opportunities for reflection. What makes Scotland's celebrations unique is the emphasis on accessibility, community wellbeing, and shared heritage — yoga presented not as a commercial trend, but as a living practice that supports physical health, mental resilience, and social connection.

Impact & long-term plans

Healthcare partnerships, schools, and community celebration — building something that lasts.

The impact so far

NHS Edinburgh: yoga on prescription

One of the most significant milestones to date has been the introduction of yoga on prescription through NHS Edinburgh. By working in partnership with healthcare professionals, yoga is now being recognised not just as a wellbeing activity, but as a supportive, preventative health intervention.

Through social prescribing pathways, patients are being signposted to yoga as a complementary option to help manage stress, anxiety, low-level depression, chronic pain, and overall wellbeing. This marks an important shift from yoga being perceived as an optional lifestyle activity to becoming a credible, accessible tool within community healthcare.

This initiative helps to:

  • Reduce barriers to access, particularly for those who may not otherwise seek out yoga.
  • Support patients holistically — addressing mental, emotional, and physical health together.
  • Ease pressure on traditional clinical services by providing non-medical wellbeing support.

Working with the NHS to make yoga more accessible

Our collaboration with the NHS goes beyond a single programme. It represents a shared commitment to health equity and accessibility.

By working closely with health professionals, community groups, and local organisations, we aim to ensure that yoga:

  • Is inclusive and welcoming to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.
  • Is delivered safely, responsibly, and with appropriate clinical awareness.
  • Reflects the needs of local communities rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

This partnership approach ensures yoga remains grounded, evidence-informed, and aligned with wider public health goals across Scotland.

International Yoga Day: growing every year

Each year, International Yoga Day in Scotland continues to grow in scale, reach, and impact. What began as a single celebration has evolved into a nationwide moment of connection — bringing together communities, teachers, organisations, and first-time participants.

The growth of International Yoga Day reflects:

  • Rising awareness of yoga's benefits for wellbeing and mental health.
  • Strong community appetite for inclusive, shared experiences.
  • Increasing collaboration between cultural, health, and grassroots organisations.

More importantly, it demonstrates that yoga in Scotland is not static — it is a living, evolving practice that continues to meet people where they are.

Looking ahead: our long-term plans

Expanding the Schools Yoga Tour

Looking to the future, a key priority is to expand the Schools Yoga Tour, bringing yoga directly into educational settings across Scotland. Children and young people today face increasing pressures — from academic stress and social challenges to digital overload and anxiety. Introducing yoga in schools offers practical tools that support emotional regulation and resilience, focus and self-awareness, and physical movement and healthy habits.

By expanding the Schools Yoga Tour, we aim to:

  • Reach more schools across urban, rural, and underserved areas.
  • Support pupils of all ages with age-appropriate, inclusive yoga practices.
  • Work alongside teachers and education professionals to complement existing wellbeing initiatives.

This is not about replacing physical education or mindfulness programmes, but about adding another supportive layer — one that equips young people with lifelong tools for balance and wellbeing.

A sustainable vision

The impact we are building through healthcare partnerships, community celebration, and education is part of a longer-term vision: a Scotland where yoga is accessible, grounded, and embedded into everyday life — not reserved for a select few. By focusing on collaboration, inclusion, and long-term sustainability, we aim to ensure that yoga continues to support individuals, communities, and public wellbeing for generations to come.