BEIJING: Over 100 Chinese yoga enthusiasts took part in an event organised by the Indian Embassy here on Sunday to celebrate the ancient Indian practice ahead of the International Yoga Day on June 21.The International Yoga Day (IYD) is usually celebrated with enthusiasm in China, where yoga is very popular, with numerous events being organised since its inception by the United Nations in 2014.Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri and Deputy Ambassador, Dr. Acquino Vimal took part in the Yoga event held at the India House here.Addressing the gathering, Misri said Yoga offers a physical as well as a spiritual path to wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic.”At a time when our mental faculties are being increasingly bombarded by external factors, Yoga offers us the space to slow down our minds, relieve stress and impart balance to our existence”, he said.”Indeed, the central purpose of the physical aspects of Yoga is to prepare the mind for meditation. So if you are able to go beyond the physical aspects, which obviously make you feel very good in your bodies, and move to the spiritual aspects, you will discover a whole new dimension of yourself,” he said.”But no matter which aspect you choose to focus on, Yoga will inculcate in you habits of discipline, reflection and detachment, which, if practiced by enough of us, can help build a more mindful, compassionate and spiritual society” he said.He complimented the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre of the Embassy of India for undertaking a series of yoga outreach events.”In the coming days, it will be expanding its activities by taking up the important task of certification of yoga professionals for the purposes of training. More details will be made available by the Centre in the coming days,” he said.A number of Chinese yoga teachers from Yogi Yoga school headed by its founder Mohan Bhandari took part in the over an hour-long yoga sessions.Yoga associations all over China are expected to hold events to mark the IYD on Monday.Considering the popularity of yoga, China has established a Yoga college in Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming, capital of southwest China”s Yunnan province in joint collaboration with India.
