The ISHA FOUNDATION volunteer community in Jakarta celebrated the 2026 International Yoga Day as more than just a shared exercise activity, but also as a reminder of the importance of building balance in today’s increasingly fast-paced and stressful modern life.
Through a series of walkathons, meditation, and open yoga activities in the Car Free Day Sudirman area and Plataran City Forest on Sunday (June 21), dozens of participants from various professional backgrounds and ages participated in activities that emphasized yoga as a universal well-being technology.
The event began in the morning with a walkathon in the Car Free Day Sudirman area, followed by a group meditation and yoga session in Plataran City Forest. One of the ISHA FOUNDATION volunteers, Datu Permata, said that the public’s understanding of yoga is often limited to physical movements.
“Yoga is known as movements that stretch and flex the body, but it’s actually much more than that. It’s about how we build balance within ourselves,” he said.
The exercises introduced are part of a holistic approach aimed at helping us build a better quality of life, both physically, mentally, and emotionally. This view aligns with the message of ISHA FOUNDATION founder Sadhguru who emphasized that yoga is not a specific philosophy, ideology, religion, or belief system.
According to Sadhguru, yoga is a set of technologies or methods to improve the quality of human life that can be applied by anyone regardless of religion, race, gender, or social background. “If you are human, then this technology applies to you”, he said.
Amidst increasing public attention to quality of life and mental health, approaches such as meditation, breathwork, and mindful movement activities are gaining popularity, especially in urban areas with their fast-paced lives and high work pressures.
World Health Organization (WHO) data shows that approximately 12 billion workdays are lost annually globally due to depression and anxiety. This situation is prompting more and more people to begin seeking ways to maintain a more holistic life balance.
Through open and inclusive activities, the ISHA FOUNDATION community hopes that more people will become familiar with simple practices that help improve their quality of life, from breathing control and meditation to yoga as part of their daily routine.
