Indian Olympic medallist boxer Mary Kom will join thousands of UAE residents to celebrate International Yoga Day on June 21.
The Indian consulate in Dubai is organising a yoga gathering at Al Wasl Football Club to coincide with the international event, established by the United Nations last year after Indian prime minster Narendra Modi proposed it at the UN General Assembly. More than 170 countries, including the United States, Canada, China and Saudi Arabia have signed up to commemorate the day.
Yoga, a physical, mental and spiritual discipline that dates back to the Vedic period, has seen a surge in popularity in the last few years. In the Emirates, about 16 types, including Ashtanga, Bikram, Acro, Hatha, Iyengar and Yantra, are taught.
The Dubai event is expected to attract 15,000 residents, school and university students. Kom, a five-time World Amateur Boxing champion, will be joined by Major General Nasser Al Sayed Abdulrazak Al Razooqi, the president of the UAE Karate and Taekwondo Federation and a member of the UAE National Olympic Committee.
The sessions will be led by Indian yoga teacher A G Mohan, who is also an author and co-founder of Svastha Yoga and Ayurveda in India. The 70-year-old instructor is a longtime disciple of the late Tirumalai Krishamacharya, also known as the “Father of Modern Yoga”.
Mohan was also the convener of Sri Krishnamacharya’s centenary celebrations. Maryam Ovissi, the founder of the Beloved Yoga studio in the US will also be flying in for the occasion.
• International Yoga Day is at Al Wasl Football Club on June 21 from 8pm. Entry is free. For more information, follow #DUBAIYOGA on social media and the Indian Consulate on Facebook
aahmed@thenational.ae
