Famous for its cultural history and spiritual living, Mysuru is about to gain yet another feather in its cap. The Karnataka state government has made a proposal to the Union Ministry of Ayush to make Mysuru India’s first “Yoga District,” an effort that comes as a testament to the region’s long-standing fondness for wellbeing and holistic way of life.
Approximately 50 percent of the households in the Mysuru district practice yoga on a regular basis, as per a recent evaluation carried out by an Ayush inspection team in 2024. The percentage brings the district almost to the level of fulfilling the parameters for formal certification. The aim is to encourage 100 percent household practice and include yoga as an integral part of all the districts’ families’ lifestyle.
Mysuru has a vibrant wellness economy. Among Karnataka’s 326 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (Ayush health centres), there are 22 in Mysuru, and all of them have a trained yoga teacher as staff. The centres are a key factor in the propagation of daily practice of yoga, health awareness, and prevention of diseases.
Aside from that, there’s even a private university, a few naturopathy colleges, panchakarma centres, and yoga hospitals situated within the district, cementing even further the position of Mysuru as the epicentre of traditional and alternative medicine.
The plan to make Mysuru a Yoga District was conceived in 2017 but did not pick up steam thereafter. With the recent Ayush team visit and increased popularity of yoga across the country, the Karnataka government has reassessed and intensified the plan. The state government will provide its approval shortly, after which final approval will be taken from the central government.
Mysuru is already a favourite among yoga students from all over the globe. The city hosts nearly 25,000 foreign nationals every year who come and learn yoga in its natural state. Gokulam, Yadavagiri, and Jayalakshmi Puram are very favourite among global yoga students.
Besides, Mysuru also educates almost 8,000 yoga teachers annually through its 600 certified yoga schools, reinforcing its position in the production of highly qualified yoga professionals both within India and internationally.
When Mysuru is officially declared a “Yoga District,” it will be entitled to greater financial funds, specialized infrastructure, and routinized government support for yoga-related activities. This will mean additional public outreach activities, yoga promotion on school levels, and more integration into public health systems.
Such recognition would not just affirm Mysuru as the leadership hub of the yoga movement but also create a national benchmark for yoga as an integral part of everyday living to enhance physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
As India becomes more and more a yoga-promoting nation and international well-being movement, Mysuru stands as a beacon of a city where yoga is more than an ancient tradition but a vibrant, daily part of city life. With profound community engagement, institutional support, and international recognition, Mysuru’s vision of becoming India’s first Yoga District is not only best to happen it’s best to happen to them.
