International Yoga Day 2026



This year, the theme for International Yoga Day was ‘Healthy Ageing’, at every stage of life. The High Commision of India, Kumaran Periasamy, invited Balbir to deliver a speech at the annual yoga celebration at the Strand in London. Balbir spoke about how yoga for healthy ageing also applies to art forms, as the two disciplines come into dialogue through practitioners of both, shaping their evolution over time. BSDC worked with Devika Rao and her dancers to embody this idea on stage, delivering an Indian Classical Dance performance shaped by the performers’ yoga practices.


Credits




“ Yoga plays an important role in the lives of many of the dancers and artists BSDC works with. Yoga’s capacity to improve physical fitness is widely known, but equally important is its impact on mental health and creative wellbeing. The difference yoga makes to artists and their art form, whether it be Indian Classical Dance, contemporary dance, music or something else entirely, can be profound..

- Balbir Singh MBE ”





Movement Director

Balbir Singh

 Dancers    

Aiswarya Saji
Avintha Rengarajan
Devika Rao
Sanjeevini Iyer
Suhani Rao Boinpally
Vyshnavi Rao


 Photography

Vipul Sangoi