The International Yoga Festival (IYF) is held at Parmarth Niketan Ashram, in cooperation with AYUSH Ministry of Government of India, Uttarakhand Tourism and Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) since the year 1999.
The IYF was originally a creation of Uttar Pradesh Tourism when Rishikesh used to be a part of U.P. Initially, it was held at Hotel Ganga Kinare in the first week of February.The festival attracted a small number of participants mostly from India and some from Asian countries. In 1999, the Government of Uttar Pradesh approached Parmarth Niketan Ashram to host the Festival at the ashram.Since then it has grown into one of the most renowned festivals in the world, attracting hundreds of participants from many countries across the globe to learn from dozens of yoga teachers. When IYF was last conducted in the year 2017, it had drawn over 2000 people from nearly 101 countries and had a participation of numerous renowned yoga preachers, dignitaries, faith leaders and yoga-acharyas.
Parmarth Niketan, an ashram located along the banks of river Ganga in Rishikesh, is considered to be the largest ashram in Rishikesh with over 1000 rooms, beautiful gardens and also home to many renowned saints and yogis. Hence, making it a suitable location for hosting such an international event.
According to the presenters of IYF; this festival will help in the exploration of one’s own innate and hence in a way helps in achieving the true state of Yoga. Where the festival is mainly accredited for keeping the legacy of Yoga alive, it also focuses and spreads the importance of other ancient Indian sciences and cultures like Pranayam, Meditations, Power of Chanting, Kirtan Bhakti, Music and Dance.
Every year many yoga practitioners from all around the world take part in this festival where they get to learn authentic yoga lessons and listen to around 70 revered saints, yoga-acharyas, presenters and experts and gain knowledge on different Yoga philosophies and explore wide facets of Yoga.
IYF is a 7-day festival usually held in the first week of March every year. It covers over 70 hours of Yoga classes and classes beginning at 4:00 a.m. each morning with Kundalini Sadhana (prayer) and each day ending at 9:30 p.m. with cultural dance and music performances. The different yoga classes carried out include Lila Yoga, Traditional Hatha Yoga, Kundalini yoga, Yoga of Love, Inbound Yoga, Sunrise Nada Yoga, Golden Bridge Yoga, Bharat Yog, Hip Hop Asana, Iyengar Yoga, Yuvaa Yoga, Yogi Yoga.
Each day the festival consists of meditation and spiritual sessions; Indian Sattvic breakfast, lunch, and dinner; Ganga aarti in the evening; cultural performances by ashram students, Kirtaniyas, performers from across the world, etc.
In 2017, the International Yoga Festival apart from usual yoga classes also hosted sessions from renowned speakers on topics like Yoga Therapy as Contemporary Medicine, Kirtan Workshop, Holistic Healthcare to Cure the Diseases of Mind and Body, Sufi Meditation, The Wonderland of Your Consciousness, talks on Nature Preservation and the Expansion of Consciousness, Reiki class, Shoulder Bliss, Experiencing the Medical Science and Health benefits from Yogic Postures, Kirtan Concert by the Kirtaniyas, Epigenetics, the Power to Change the Unconscious Mind, Buddhist meditation, Science of Creating Heaven on Earth.
The participants also indulge in many other activities. The previous year the participants and dignitaries from all over the world took a pledge to save Ganga and other rivers across the world, extended their support to ‘WASH’ alliance, and pledged to save Earth from dangerous climate changes.
This year IYF will mark screening of a 90-minute movie on displaying a man’s search for a voice that saved his life. The movie will discuss what intuition is and how it works and how one accesses it.