Poland’s enduring fascination with yoga, a practice with a history extending over a century, continues to flourish. The country boasts a vibrant yoga community, with over 300,000 practitioners, supported by approximately 1,000 dedicated yoga centers and 8,000 instructors, as reported by the Embassy of India in Poland.
This growing enthusiasm for yoga in Poland coincides with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to the country, a trip that reignites interest in the spiritual discipline. Prime Minister Modi was instrumental in the global recognition of yoga; his proposal for an International Yoga Day, first introduced during a speech at the UN General Assembly on September 27, 2014, led to the establishment of June 21 as the official day of celebration.
Poland has embraced this annual event with significant zeal, celebrating it with much fervor each year. The practice of yoga in Poland, however, has roots that trace back more than a hundred years, long before the global celebration of Yoga Day.
The Embassy of India in Poland highlights that the yoga community in the country is well-established, with the Association of Schools of Yoga expanding from 11 member schools in 2013 to 50 today. Prominent organizations such as the Art of Living Foundation, Brahma Kumaris University, and the Association of Yoga Iyengar play crucial roles in advancing the practice.
Despite the rising popularity of yoga, comprehensive demographic data on practitioners is still lacking. Historically, yoga faced some resistance due to traditional Catholic perspectives on its links to Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. However, as more Poles experience the benefits of yoga, its acceptance and prominence in Polish society continue to grow.
As Prime Minister Modi prepares for his visit to Poland from August 21 to 22, followed by a trip to Ukraine on August 23, the significance of this visit is underscored by the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Poland. Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, noted in a briefing that this visit is a significant milestone, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in 45 years.
