Yoga makes it to Unesco's cultural heritage list

Yoga has been inscribed as an element on the Unesco’s list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said on Thursday.

All 24 member countries of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage “unanimously” supported India’s proposal for inscribing of Yoga on the Unesco list.

The decision was taken during the 11th session of the committee held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the minister said.

“Huge achievement for India. #YOGA as an element has been inscribed in the @UNESCO list of Intangible #CulturalHeritage of the World. All 24 member countries of the IGC (Intergovernmental Committee) supported and it was a unanimous decision,” Sharma tweeted.

With the committee’s approval, yoga has become the thirteenth intangible cultural heritage that has been listed from India so far with Unesco.

“The philosophy behind the ancient Indian practice of yoga has influenced various aspects of how society in India functions, whether it be in relation to areas such as health and medicine or education and the arts. Based on unifying the mind with the body and soul to allow for greater mental, spiritual and physical well-being, the values of yoga form a major part of the community’s ethos,” a post on the Unesco’s website read.