2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

The year 2010′s festival coincided with the divine and auspicious occasion of the Maha Kumbha Mela in Haridwar and Rishikesh, so the participants were able to partake in the divine Festival of the Nectar of Immortality! The participants were blessed with the presence, satsang, and divine words of revered saints and spiritual masters, as well as the great teachings of world-renowned yogacharyas including:

The Inaugural and Valedictory Sessions were also graced by the presence of the Uttarakhand Government and Tourism Department, including the Honorable Chief Minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhariyal (Nishank), Tourism Minister Shri Madan Kaushik, Chief Secretary Shri Napalchyal, and Principal Secretary Tourism and Culture Shri Rakesh Sharma. The auspicious occasion of Holi fell during the Festival and participants had the opportunity to travel to Haridwar, into the heart of the Kumbha Mela for a divine Holi celebration!

2009

The participants were blessed with the presence, satsang, and divine words of revered saints and spiritual masters, as well as the great teachings of world renowned yogacharyas including:

The Festival was graced by the presence of the Honorable Governor of Uttarakhand, Shri B.L. Joshiji. Uttarakhand Government and Tourism Department were represented by Shri Indu Kumar Pande, Chief Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand; Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, Minister, Animal Husbandry; Shri Utpal Kumar Singh, Secretary, Tourism & CEO, Uttarakhand Tourism Board; and Shri Rajive Bhartari, Additional Secretary, Tourism & CEO Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board. We also had a special ballet on Ganga by Sharmila Ganguly & Arindam Dasgupta.

2008

The International Yoga Festival 2008 was inaugurated on March 1st in a huge ceremony performed by the hands of the Honorable Chief Minister, Shri B.C. Khanduri. The concluding ceremony was performed by the hands of the Governor of Uttarakhand, Honorable Shri B.L. Joshi and Shri Prakash Pant, Tourism Minister, with a special nauli demonstration by Pujya Swami Ramdev. This year’s festival was the largest festival yet, including 500 participants from 32 countries across the world, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, UK and USA and many more. During the one-week festival, the participants imbibed the nectar of: Kundalini Yoga, lyengar Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Meditation, pranayama, kriya yoga, yoga nidra, nada yoga, reiki and more. Further, there were special cultural events organized by Uttarakhand Tourism each evening. The participants also heard inspiring and uplifting discourses and satsang with many saints and teachers including Pujya Sri Shankaracharya, Swami Divyanand Teerth, Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Pujya Swami Ramdev, Dr. David Frawley, Swami Vishwananda, Sadhvi Suhrad (Premben) and Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati. Yogacharyas included Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Birijoo Mehta, Sadhvi Abha Saraswati, Duncan Peak, Saul David Raye, Bhavini Kalan, Hikaru Hashimoto, Brahmachari Bishwapal Jayant, Maa Gyan Suveera, Janet Attwood, and many, many more. This year, a wonderful new program was established by Clive Mayhew and Eriko Kinoshita called Yoga Aid. Inspired by Pujya Swamiji’s talks on “Giving is Living,” they established a program through which yoga teachers and yoga students raise money for charity by joining together to perform 108 sun salutations. It has grown to a great success around the world.

2007

The annual International Yoga Festival was officially inaugurated in a huge ceremony performed by the hands of the Honorable Governor of Uttarakhand, H.E. Shri Sudarshan Agarwal. The concluding ceremony was graced by the presence of numerous spiritual leaders from Rishikesh and Haridwar including M.M. Swami Asanganand Saraswati, Swami Chinmayand Saraswati, Swami Chidanand Saraswati, M.M. Swami Hans Das, Acharya Balkrishan, Swami Prem Varni, Swami Hari Chetanand, and Swami Rishishvaranand. This year’s festival included more than 350 participants from 38 countries across the world, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, UK and many more. During the one week festival, the participants imbibed the nectar of: Kundalinin Yoga, lyengar Yoga, Vinysa Yoga, Meditation, pranayama, kriya yoga, yoga nidra, nada yoga, reiki and more. This year they also had special classes in Indian vegetarian cooking, as it was emphasized that it is just as important to practice yoga OFF the mat as yoga on the mat! The participants were blessed also with the presence, satsang and divine words of revered saints and spiritual masters, including H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, H.H. Pujya Sri Shankaracharya, Bhanpura Peeth, Swami Divyanand Teerth, H.H. Pujya Swami Hans Das and H.H. Pujya Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

2006

The 2006 Festival included nearly 300 delegates from 28 countries across the World, including USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Russia, China, Korea, Romania, Italy, Argentina and South Africa. There were 16 esteemed yogacharyas who also came from across the world. During the one week festival, the participants imbibed the nectar of: Kundalini Yoga, lyengar Yoga, Meditation, pranayama, yoga therapy and pranic healing, yoga nidra, nada yoga, reiki and tai chi. The participants were blessed with the presence, satsang and divine words of revered saints and spiritual masters, including H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, H.H. Pujya Sri Shandkaracharya, Bhanpura Peeth, Swami Divyanand Teerth, H.H. Pujya Swami Veda Bharti and H.H. Pujya Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The yogacharyas included Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa from Hollywood, USA, Birjoo Mehta from Mumbai, Sensai Sandeep Desai from Mumbai, Sadhvi Abha Saraswati from Rishikesh, Maa Gyan Suveera, special guest renowned Vedantist Dr. David Frawley (Pt. Vamadeva Shastri) from USA, and many more. Uttarakhand Government and Tourism Department was represented by the Honorable Minister, Tourism Lt. Gen. T.P.S. Rawat, Honorable Chief Secretary Shri Ramanchandran, and Principal Secretary of Tourism Shri Alok Jain. The Valedictory program was graced by the presence of H.E. the Governor of Uttarakhand, Shri Sudarshan Agarwal. We also had a special dance performance by renowned dancer Smt. Sonal Mansingh.

2005

The International Yoga Festival 2005 was inaugurated on the 1st of March by the hands of the Honorable Governor of Uttranchal, H.E. Shri Sudarshan Agarwal. This year’s festival included over 250 participants from 33 countries across the world including the USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Russia, China and South Africa. The expert yogacharyas came from India and many other countries, offering classes in Kundalini Yoga, lyengar Yoga, Meditation, Pranic healing, Pranayama, Reiki, Vedic Astrology and much more. Further, the participants had the opportunity to have satsang and question-answer sessions with Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, President and Spiritual Head of Parmarth Niketan, Pujya Swami Divyanand Teerthji, Shankaracharya Bhanpura Peeth, Pujya Swami Gurusharananandji, and Pujya Swami Veda Bharatiji. The Chief Guest at the concluding session was the Honorable Minister of Tourism, Government of Uttranchal, Shri TPS Rawat. Famous actors Vivek Oberoi and his father Suresh Oberoi were also present for the festival. The participants were blessed with the presence, satsang and divine words of revered saints and spiritual masters, including H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, H.H. Pujya Sri Shandkaracharya, Bhanpura Peeth, Swami Divyanand Teerth, H.H. Pujya Swami Veda Bharti and H.H. Pujya Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The yogacharyas included Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa from Hollywood, USA, Birjoo Mehta from Mumbai, Sensai Sandeep Desai from Mumbai, Sadhvi Abha Saraswati from Rishikesh, Maa Gyan Suveera, special guest renowned Vedantist Dr. David Frawley (Pt. Vamadeva Shastri) from USA, and many more. Uttarakhand Government and Tourism Department was represented by the Honorable Minister, Tourism Lt. Gen. T.P.S. Rawat, Honorable Chief Secretary Shri Ramanchandran, and Principal Secretary of Tourism Shri Alok Jain. The Valedictory program was graced by the presence of H.E. the Governor of Uttarakhand, Shri Sudarshan Agarwal. We also had a special dance performance by renowned dancer Smt. Sonal Mansingh.

2004

This year was the Ardh Kumbha Mela in Haridwar and Rishikesh so the atmosphere was particularly exuberant and divinely charged! The Festival was graced by Pujya Sri Shankaracharyaji, Swami Divyanand Teerthji, in addition to the other saints and yogacharyas. The inauguration was also graced by the presence of Pujya Swami Munishanandaji. More than 150 students came from over 20 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Holland, India, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, Nepal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UK, USA and Zambia. There was a wide variety of yoga offerings including Kundalini Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Reiki, Pranayama, Power Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Pranic Healing, Music Therapy, Yoga Therapy, Nada yoga, Meditation and special satsangs & question-answer sessions with H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji. The teachers included: Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, who taught Kundalini Yoga; Maa Gyan Suveera, reiki master from Hyderabad who taught Reiki; Brahmachari Vishwa Pal Jayanti who taught Power Yoga, Pranayama and Ayurveda; Pujya Swami Veda Bharati led a special meditation session; Laxmi Narain Joshi taught Pranic Healing, Dr. K.L. Seshagiri Rao gave lectures on philosophy; Sadhvi Abha Saraswati taught Yoga Nidra and Nada Yoga; Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati taught meditation and gave lectures on spirituality; Karin O’Bannon, senior teacher of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Los Angeles taught Hatha Yoga and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali; and Kiran Porat, famous Indian classical vocalist, offered music therapy. Uttaranchal Tourism Department was led by Shri N.N. Prasad, Principal Secretary of Tourism and Culture. The valedictory program was graced by the Honorable Governor of Uttarakhand, Shri Sudarshan Agarwal.

2003

2003 was the first year with more than 100 participants. We had hearly 130 participants this year and the number of classes also increased significantly. Kundalini Yoga was taught by Gurumukh Kaur Khalsa and Karmen Kamla. Yogasanas were taught by Sadhvi Abha Saraswati, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Mohan Bhandari and Laxmi Narain Joshi. Power yoga was taught by Brahmachari Vishwapal Jayant. Vedic Chanting was taught by Sadhvi Abha Saraswati and we introduced Reiki also, taught by Maa Gyan Suveera. Pujya Swamiji, Pujya Swami Veda Bharati, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati and Brahmchari Rama also gave divine discourses, and we also had beautiful devotional singing led by Gurudass Singh Khalsa.

2002

From 2002, the Festival truly started growing and blossoming in size and scope. Discourses were given by Pujya Swamiji Dayanandaji, Pujya Swami Sakshatkritananda, Brahmachari Rama, Sadhvi Bhagawati and Dr. Anne Glasier. Classes on yoga, meditation and pranayama were led by Pujya Swami Veda Bharti, Sadhvi Abha Saraswati, Gurumukh Kaur Khalsa, Brahmachari Vishwapal Jayant and Margo Velog.

2001

Late in the year 2000, the State of Uttarakhand (first by the name of Uttaranchal) was formed out of Uttar Pradesh in the area from Roorkee up into the Himalayas, which included Rishikesh as well. Hence form 2001 onward, the Yoga Festival has been jointly organized by Parmarth Niketan Ashram alongside Uttarakhand Toursim.

2000

The participants loved the ashram environment in 1999 so much that in the Millennial year 2000, Uttar Pradesh Tourism offered an “Ashram Package,” giving the participants the option of staying at the ashram instead of the hotel. Nearly everyone chose the ashram option! That year was the last year with a “hotel” option. As it is a Festival of Yoga, everyone understood that the ashram environment could not be matched in a hotel. For the inauguration in 2000, Dr. Karan Singhji came as the Chief Guest. Inspiring discourses were given by Pujya Swamiji, Pujya Swami Veda Bharati, Pujya Swami Sakshatkritananda, and Brahmachari Rama. Shantimayi led devotional kirtan programs, and classes were taught by Yogacharaya Bharat Bhushanji. The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department and Government was led by Shri Ravindra Singh, Shri B.M Vohra and Shri S.P Singh.

1999

The International Yoga Festival was originally a creation of Uttar Pradesh Tourism, in the days when Rishikesh was still part of Uttar Pradesh. Held at Hotel Ganga Kinare in the first week of February, the Festival ran for many years and attracted a small number of participants. In 1999, the Government of Uttar Pradesh approached Parmarth Niketan Ashram to host the Festival at the ashram. Participants were still staying at the hotels, but their classes and programs were held at Parmarth. Pujya Swami Veda Bharatiji gave inspiring discourse and led mediations. Yogasanas were taught by Yogacharya Bharat Bhushanji and his team. The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department was led by Shri Ravindra Singh, Director General Tourism, Shri B.M. Vohra, Commissioner, Garhwal and Shri R.C. Pandey, Assistant Director, Tourism. What began with a handful of people in a hotel, studying under one or two yogacharyas has grown into one of the most renowned Festivals in the world, attracting several hundred participants from more than 30 countries across the globe to learn from dozens of yogacharyas in an innumerable variety of styles and forms.