Dubai, UAE – Saudi Arabia is gearing up to celebrate International Yoga Day on June 21 in Riyadh City, an Indian daily The New Indian Express reported.
The Indian diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia has been actively promoting and organizing various yoga events as part of their Quality of Life and health initiatives under Vision 2030. These events have taken place in camps, schools, and colleges across the country.
“On June 16th the Indian community in Saudi Arabia celebrated Yoga at Real Madrid Stadium in Riyadh and the programme was called ‘Disha Yoga Meet’,” Indian Ambassador to KSA, Dr Suhel Ajaz Khan was quoted by the paper. “More than 2000 Yoga enthusiasts joined the event which was by diplomats from other missions and also by Saudi Arabian Yoga instructor and Padma Awardee, Nouf AL Marwai who is also the President of the Saudi Yoga committee.”
Yoga Day celebrations are not limited to Riyadh alone. Several other cities across Saudi Arabia, including Al Jubail, Al Madinah, Al Munawawarah, Macce, Taif, Al Bahah, Abha, Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, and Najran, are also participating in this event, the paper reported.
Nouf Marwaai, the President of the Saudi Yoga Committee, is a well-known figure in the yoga community. She was honored with India’s fourth largest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 2018.
Nouf Marwaai is the founder of the Arab Yoga Foundation in Saudi Arabia, which has successfully taught yoga to over 10,000 people and trained more than 700 individuals to become yoga instructors.
Ambassador Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan has expressed his gratitude to the leadership of Saudi Arabia for embracing yoga and allowing its practice throughout the Kingdom. He highlighted the positive impact of yoga on the mind, body, and soul, and appreciated the growing interest and participation in yoga among the Saudi population.
Saudi Arabia was officially introduced to yoga in 2017, initially through virtual introductory lessons. Since then, the country has made significant progress in promoting yoga, culminating in the participation of the national team in the first-ever international contest, the Mt. Everest International Yoga Championship, held in Kathmandu, Nepal from June 8-10.