International Day of Yoga: Durban's commitment to wellness and cultural harmony
Image: Supplied
More than 3,000 yoga practitioners are expected to descend on Durban's Amphitheatre on the International Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 21.
The event will be held under the theme 'Yoga for One Earth, One Health, and Oneness'.
Sivananda World Peace Foundation President Ishwar Ramlutchman said, clad in white, yellow, and green shirts to symbolise peace, energy, and the environment, participants from schools, universities, temples, mosques, churches, community, and private studios will create a collective canvas of wellness and mindfulness.
Participants will move to the same breath, symbolising unity amid diversity—an echo of South Africa's constitutional promise and rainbowism.
Ramlutchman said KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, Health Portfolio Committee chairperson Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, local councillors, Hindu religious leaders, and Zulu cultural ambassadors will be among the participants.
'Beyond the physical postures and serene breathing, the day will reflect a deeper provincial strategy: embedding wellness in public health,' Ramlutchman said.
He said this year's event promises to be more than a yoga exercise.
Durban, with its unique blend of Zulu heritage and Indian diaspora history, has since become the permanent national host for IDY.
Ramlutchman, a bridge-builder between Hindu and Zulu communities, said: 'Yoga is not Indian, Zulu, Christian or Hindu—it is universal. It is a spiritual and healthy gift to all humanity.'
He said that at the precursor events at the Congo Ground on June 1 and Giant's Castle on June 5, the universality of yoga was reflected in the programme.
The Durban beachfront is set to become a vibrant centre of wellness and unity as the city prepares to host the 11th International Day of Yoga on Saturday, 21 June 2025.
Image: Supplied
Ramlutchman said IDY also has implications for tourism and branding.
'With the Durban Amphitheatre now globally recognised as a symbolic yoga venue, the event strengthens the multicultural city's image as a destination not just for surfing and sun, but also for mindfulness and eco-conscious tourism,' Ramlutchman said.
'Hospitality sector leaders say there is growing interest in yoga wellness retreats along the North Coast and the Drakensberg, inspired in part by the annual Yoga Day momentum. Events like IDY offer spin-off economic benefits through hospitality, food vendors, local artisans, and fitness entrepreneurs.
'The Durban IDY is also a unique soft-power tool, forging India–South Africa ties through cultural exchange and public diplomacy.'
Ramlutchman said that despite growing visibility, yoga in South Africa still battles perceptions of exclusivity, seen by some as urban, elite, or culturally foreign.
'Durban's organisers are consciously decolonising the space, translating instructions into isiZulu, supporting Black instructors, and tailoring content for working-class and rural populations,' Ramlutchman said.
'There's also the risk of commodification. As yoga becomes trendy, its deeper roots—spiritual, ethical, and philosophical—must not be lost to commercialism or superficial branding.'
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