Marking the International Day of Yoga, the Indian Embassy in Homs holds an event in the old city

Homs, (ST)- The square of Umm al-Zinar Church in the old city of Homs hosted the “Yoga for Health” event, which was held by the Embassy of India in Syria.

The event included exercises for the “yoga protocol” with the participation of 75 trainees representing several governorates who carried out physical exercises with respiratory techniques accompanied by special music, under the supervision of certified trainers.

In a statement to reporters, the Indian Ambassador to Damascus, Dr. Hafiz Al-Rahman, pointed out the people’s need for yoga and its simple and beneficial exercises, especially in this difficult time that the world is going through because of the outbreak of the Corona epidemic.

“We want to convey a message to the world through yoga that health is the most important thing in our lives that we have to pay attention to,” He said.

The Ambassador highlighted the strong friendship ties between Syria and India, noting the special importance of Homs because it embraced the Silk Road linking India with Arab and European countries,   stressing that the churchyard of Umm al-Zinar was chosen to hold the event for the sanctity of this place.

Feryal Yazbek, a yoga trainer from Homs, stressed the necessity to spread the culture of yoga as a way to take care of mental health and improve thinking so that the person becomes more aware and integrated into the surroundings, indicating that yoga is a calm sport followed by conscious breathing that reflects positive results throughout the day.

Riam Al-Shadaidah, a yoga trainer from Damascus, talked about the many benefits of yoga on health, especially to fight the depression and the pressures of daily life, as it helps to communicate and discover the sense of oneness with yourself, noting that a set of exercises called “yoga protocol” were implemented today.

The trainee, Maimona Al-Ali, stressed the need to raise awareness of the benefits of yoga, as it has a positive role on the physical and mental levels in addressing problems and accepting the other.

It is worth mentioning that the idea of an International Day of Yoga was first proposed by the current Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on 27 September 2014.

Amal Farhat