Andhra Pradesh’s 1987 yoga law set the stage for PM Modi’s International Yoga Day in Visakhapatnam

Before 1987, yoga education in India was largely informal, with teaching standards varying widely across guru-led institutions. (File image)

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the International Yoga Day celebrations in Visakhapatnam on June 21, the event will not just highlight yoga’s global appeal but also shine a light on Andhra Pradesh’s little-known role in formalising yoga education in India.

Long before yoga became a flagship wellness initiative under the Modi government andhra Pradesh had laid the groundwork with the Andhra Pradesh Yogadhyayana Parishad Act, 1987 - the first dedicated yoga-specific legislation in any Indian state. Enacted during former chief minister NT Rama Rao’s second term, the law moved yoga from private ashrams into the formal education system, treating it as both cultural heritage and a public health tool, TOI reported.

Before 1987, yoga education in India was largely informal, with teaching standards varying widely across guru-led institutions. The Andhra law introduced three key reforms:

Standardised Curriculum: It replaced guru-issued diplomas with a uniform certification process.

Quality Control: The newly created Yogadhyayana Parishad had oversight of funding, inspections and research.

Mainstream Integration: Yoga was linked to the (Dr NTR) University of Health Sciences, allowing for clinical internships and cross-disciplinary studies, an early model for integrative medicine.

The Act’s preamble explicitly framed yoga as a “public health instrument,” a forward-thinking approach that predated the national Ayush framework by nearly a decade.

Despite its innovations, the law was repealed in 1990 after a change in government. However, a high-power committee resolved to preserve the institutions it had established. Though the Parishad lasted only three years, its impact endured, shaping later policies on structured yoga education.

According to TOI, PM Modi’s presence at the 10th International Yoga Day in Visakhapatnam now brings Andhra’s historical contribution back into focus. The state’s 1987 law not only formalised yoga as an academic discipline but also set a template for evidence-based research, a legacy that continues to influence India’s wellness policies today.