Indian Embassy in Muscat hosts session on yoga

Muscat: As part of various Yoga events being organised in the run-up to the celebration of the second International Day of Yoga on June 21 in Oman, the Embassy of India, Muscat, in association with the Art of Living LLC, Oman, organised a Yoga session at the Indian Embassy Lawns on January 18.
The theme of the session was, “Work Life Balance and Health: Distress to De-Stress.”
Iman Mutlaq, a Yoga expert and recipient of the award “Middle East Woman of the Year 2015” was the keynote speaker. She demonstrated some basic Yoga postures and breathing exercises.
It was followed by an introduction to Ayurveda by Kaushani Desai. There was an Odissi dance performance and the screening of a short film on Yoga. The session was attended by around 800 Omani and Indian nationals, both women and men. The participants enthusiastically participated in doing Yoga Asanas and breathing exercises.
The embassy had earlier associated itself, as part of a series of events being organised in the run-up to the second International Yoga Day, with Art of Living in organising a Yoga session on a mountain top in Muscat to greet the rising sun on January 2. The event was organised to spread awareness about Yoga and its benefits among the people. It drew 108 Yoga enthusiasts, who performed the Sun Salutation, Pranayama and meditation.
While addressing the 69th session of United Nations General Assembly on September 27, 2014, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, had urged the world community to adopt June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.
Speaking at the UNGA, Modi said: “Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. It embodies the unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well-being. Yoga is not about exercise, but to discover the sense of oneness with ourselves, the world and nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us to deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.”
Thereafter, the UNGA had declared on December 2014, through a unanimous resolution, that June 21 will be observed as the International Day of Yoga. The resolution recognised that Yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being and that wider dissemination of information about the benefits of practising Yoga would be beneficial for the health of the world population.
It also invited all members and observer States, the organisations of the U.N. and other international and regional organisations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organisations and individuals, to observe the International Day of Yoga, in an appropriate manner and in accordance with national priorities, to raise awareness about the benefits of practising Yoga. The First International Day of Yoga was observed in 2015 and throughout the world, including in Muscat, by holding Yoga sessions, talks, symposia etc.