19-06-2025
Yogandhra 2025: Visakhapatnam set to host mega yoga event with 5 lakh participants
When dawn breaks on June 21, Visakhapatnam's Beach Road will transform into a sea of synchronised movement. The city is set to host Yogandhra, a celebration to mark International Day of Yoga, aiming to break records.
Stretching across a 28-kilometre coastal corridor from RK Beach in Visakhapatnam to Bheemunipatnam, the event is expected to draw five lakh yoga practitioners young and old, experienced and new. They will be performing yoga in unison as part of an attempt to enter the Guinness World Records for the world's largest open-air yoga gathering, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will be taking part.
Behind the scenes, the massive logistical choreography is being overseen by AYUSH, the Visakhapatnam District Department of Sports and the Andhra University Department of Yoga in addition to the Visakhapatnam district administration. Earlier in the week, Home Minister V Anitha highlighted the key arrangements being made in view of the gathering, which will include medical camps set up at every kilometre, supported by 200 ambulances and 2,000 CCTV cameras. 'Preparations are on to set up more than 300 compartments (sections) along Beach Road. In each compartment, around 1,000 participants will be performing yoga together,' says June Gallyot, District Sports Development Officer of Visakhapatnam and the nodal officer coordinating the event. 'Each unit will have a trained yoga instructor and two demonstrators to guide participants with correct posture and breathing techniques.' The effort, she says, is the culmination of weeks of training and mobilisation.
More than 47 sports associations, in addition to the Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association, are lending their strength, with over 10,000 athletes and sportspersons expected to participate. These include swimmers, gymnasts, martial artists, football players and cyclists who have been roped in not just as participants but also as ambassadors to inspire youth engagement. A trial run was conducted on May 21 along parts of the Beach Road corridor as part of the Yoga Month launch, providing insights into managing footfall, spacing and synchronisation.
A highlight of the event will be the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP), a 45-minute structured session designed by the Ministry of AYUSH to bring uniformity and flow to public yoga events. The yoga session in Visakhapatnam will begin with one minute of prayer. This will be followed by six minutes of loosening practices to prepare the body for asanas. The heart of the session is a 25-minute yogasana sequence that will include foundational postures such as tadasana, bhadrasana, vajrasana, bhujangasana, and end with savasana for relaxation. The final segment will dedicate 12 minutes to kriya, pranayama, dhyana and sankalpa.
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The event also underscores the contribution of 900 yoga gurus, master trainers and practitioners from prestigious yoga institutions and spiritual organisations like Art of Living, ISHA Foundation, Patanjali Yogpeeth, and the Indian Navy. 'Our team trained 8,000 teachers is May, and over the past week, we've been conducting yoga awareness sessions and training programmes across educational institutions and community centres,' says Arunadevi, yoga guru and founder of Hyderabad-based Arunayoga, who will be guiding participants at a compartment at the RK Beach stretch during the Yoga Andhra event.
'The reach of yoga has expanded far beyond urban areas. Rural communities too are taking to it. Yoga is not merely a physical discipline; it's a journey towards mindfulness and inner balance,' she adds. As part of the pre-event build-up, she led a special yoga session for women on June 17 at Beach Road, focusing on stress relief and hormonal health through gentle asanas and breathing techniques.
A major youth force behind the event is Andhra University, which has trained 1,400 students including 200 foreign students, who will serve as student trainers. These students underwent a week-long intensive programme at their respective colleges, mentored by scholars and PhD candidates from the AU Yoga Department. The event isn't limited to the beach. Alternative venues like Andhra University Engineering Grounds, Viswanadh Sports Club in Akkayapalem are also being activated to ensure inclusive participation from across the city and its neighbouring districts. On the evening of June 20, the Andhra University Engineering Grounds will witness a gathering of 25,000 participants from the Alluri Sitharama Raju District, who will come together to perform Suryanamaskar in a synchronised display with an aim to create a new record.
Travel troubles
The build-up to Yoga Andhra has also triggered a wave of outrage on social media, with many residents taking to platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram to express frustration over traffic snarls and sudden diversions. Several posts have highlighted long commutes and lack of timely updates. 'It took me nearly 60 minutes to reach Siripuram from MVP Colony in the evening. This can't be the price of a yoga event,' posted one user, echoing the sentiment of several commuters caught in gridlocks during trial runs. Many have raised concerns about traffic diversions and movement restrictions, particularly during peak morning hours and late evenings when rehearsals and preparations are underway.
