THE Embassy of India is reaching out to regional areas to promote yoga, their country’s legacy to the world and the legacy they also want the world to own. And it's free.
Embassy of India’s First Secretary of commercial and education, Narayanan Ramakrishnan, said the embassy is now targeting cities of the Philippines like Davao City to spread the good benefits of doing yoga, and a way of spreading this message is through the conduct of the International Day of Yoga held at Davao City Convention and Trade Center last June 10, 2018.
Ramakrishanan said that yoga is not only about physical exercises. It is also about the connection with the mind and the soul. It also helps relieve stress and calm the mind.
“Yoga teaches flexibility for the children, and [as an exercise] it benefits those with knee problems, arthritis, back pains. Flexibility it can help you physically,” Ramakrishnan said in an interview.
He added that yoga is very doable since it does not require anything but a mat to lie on; doing such exercise can also prevent lifestyle diseases common in India and the Philippines.
“What we want is to promote yoga at all levels for all Filipinos, all the children far and wide and we are doing this for free,” he said adding that a Yoga attaché is even appointed by their prime minister to promote Yoga in all parts of the world free of charge.
He said that they start to promote Yoga through partnering with local government offices, through the mayor’s office, on the police department, and the military.
This invitation seemed not to be in vain since the celebration first of its kind International Day of Yoga here in Davao was participated by 350 participants majority are Indian students from Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF), and police trainees and other locals of Davao City.
This International Day of Yoga in Davao, done in partnership with DMSF and Davao Medical Education Management Service (DMEMS), is in line with the (UN) declaration that June 21st as International Day of Yoga.
On that day the participants did yoga exercises with the guide of a trainer and were given shirts for free.
Among the organizers of DMEMs who were present in the event include Shearry Rea Andolana.
JayashruthiRamu, a second year medical student who joined the event, said that yoga does wonders for her as a busy student.
“It is important because it relaxes all the muscles of your body, if you have some pain, you’ll feel relaxed,” Ramu said.
Marilou Quirante, one of the police trainees under field training program who participated in the International Day of Yoga in Davao appreciated her yoga experience.
“They really gave the importance of yoga, especially the flow of energy in the body of a person. The exercise also has a mixture of spiritual, especially since it centers the energy in the body. It is unlike other types of stretching,” she said.
Quirante said that 45 trainees joined the event, covering three police stations of the city.
Davao is not the only place who became recipient of free yoga exercises, as the same event was also launched in Baguio and Iloilo.
Ramakrishnanadded that in their bid to strengthen youth’s awareness to yoga, the Embassy of India just signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Youth Commission, under the Office of the President.
“They are very enthusiastic, that is our target to really instill Yoga into the youth of the Philippines,” he said.