Yoga is a way of life steeped in the Indian civilisation and is an integral part of its evolution, Indian Ambassador Sanjiv Arora said while launching a special event on the practice at Katara - the Cultural Village.
The event, organised by the Indian embassy in collaboration with Katara, took place on Friday night, with a number of envoys to Qatar, yoga experts and professional trainers as well as guests participating in the event.
The event was aimed at the introduction and celebration of the first International Yoga Day (IYD). IYD was adopted by 177 countries at the United Nations General Assembly in December last year in response to a call by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Accordingly, June 21 was declared as International Yoga Day.
To mark the occasion, the Indian embassy will organise a public event, an open-to-all programme, that will be attended by some 21 communities, according to Arora.
Arora also appreciated Katara’s role in supporting the embassy’s initiatives and this event in particular. He stressed the importance of bringing different communities together by bridging cultural differences among them, highlighting the role of yoga in such a move.
“Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian civilisation. It embodies the unity of mind and body, thought and action, restrain and fullfilment. It is a holistic approach to health and wellbeing…. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us cope with climate change,” he quoted from Modi’s speech on yoga at the UN.
A documentary titled ‘Yoga for Harmony & Peace’ was presented to introduce yoga to the attendees. It was followed by some yoga lessons performed by professionals to instruct the audience on how to practise different postures and benefit from them.