[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Seminar projects holistic approach to health" ids="66014,66015,66013,66016,66012"] JEDDAH — Projecting a holistic approach to health in a bid to bring about a balance between mind and body, the Consulate General of India in association with Arab Yoga Foundation (AYF) held a seminar-cum-workshop to mark the 2nd International Day of Yoga recently at the Consulate's premises. Mohd. Shahid Alam, deputy consul general, thanked the AYF for planning out a program that would inculcate interest in practicing this form of exercise. "We are grateful to the foundation for taking the lead to mark this day and to tell us more about yoga practices." "Yoga is a holistic development that enables through exercise a harmony between mind and body. Through AYF we'll learn more about yoga," he added, while throwing open the stage to the AYF. Earlier, Anand Kumar, consul consular, welcomed the guests and too thanked AYF for their support in staging the event before the advent of Ramadan. "We have gathered here to celebrate the UN recognized day (June 21 — International Yoga Day), and for the next three hours yoga experts will present you yoga postures, meditation techniques and a practical workshop to reveal what yoga is." "The fact that it is a balance between mind and body that develops the sense of oneness in oneself would be embodied in the seminar and workshop conducted by the AYF, and I thank them for their contribution and support," he added. The event comprised of presentations, workshops and conference. The program also included an introduction to yoga, benefits of yoga and demonstration of simple yoga postures. Certified yoga teachers from Arab Yoga Foundation explained the effect of various yoga poses, different forms of meditation and benefits of yoga for healthy and natural lifestyle. Nouf Marwaai, President of the Arab Yoga Foundation (AYF), then expounded on the yoga philosophy with a stress on the holistic approach to health and wellbeing. She said the philosophy of this discipline is a "complete human system of every dimension". Nouf said: "It is an Indian system of different practices, you need to learn it in specific order and it is not a religion but a man-made system." "The system is designed to control the body and mind to gain better control of oneself — at the mental level. Body gets energy from prana (life force) and the mind's psychological manifestations of the physical aspects is controlled through breathing and exercise in order to achieve wellbeing," she added. "Yoga helps, through regulated breathing, act on the sympathetic nervous system and control body-mind emotions. It makes you more active, flexible and strong while giving you a psychological boost by helping in control stress, enhancing memory while making one more focused and calm," Marwaai said. This was immediately followed by Suzette Garza's, a certified yoga teacher in Jeddah, discourse on how the movement of yoga spread to the West. A proponent of Iyengar yoga, developed by B. K. S. Iyengar, which is a form of Hatha yoga that puts emphasis on detail, precision and alignment in the performance of posture (asana) and breath control (pranayama), Garza highlight the growth of this stream of yoga in the US and then all over the West. "This practice brings a regimen in the discipline that has to be followed strictly. The gaining of correct knowledge (abhyasa) helps in development of strength, mobility and stability. Iyengar, with his model, brings to yoga all the life's aspect in one page," she added. Iyengar has systematized over 200 classical yoga poses and 14 different types of pranayama (with variations of many of them) ranging from the basic to advanced. This helps ensure that students progress gradually by moving from simple poses to more complex ones and develop their mind, body and spirit through a step-by-step approach. A life journey of a breast cancer patient (Batool Sababab) and how she used yoga to battle this disease was then highlighted. The breast cancer survivor said that "Sharing was key (after she found out that she had cancer six months ago) and then I fought it with attitude and healthy lifestyles." Batool added: "I had a great circle of friend to inspire me, and Nouf is a great example, through the testing time. And I'm here to help anyone who is going through a similar situation." Then Murali Krishnan, certified Ashtanga yoga teacher and founder of Malaysia Yoga Academy, illustrated through speech and action what is Ashtanga yoga. He also helped launch the Ashtanga KSA Community and also demonstrated on stage various postures that are essential to practice this discipline. And the asanas displayed by Krishnan was as good as gymnastics. Ashtanga yoga is a system of yoga transmitted to the modern world by K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009). This method of yoga involves synchronizing the breath with a progressive series of postures — a process producing intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs. The result is improved circulation, a light and strong body, and a calm mind. A brief self inspiration story of yoga by Osama Nattu (self transformation) and a guided meditation and pranayama for the audience by Nadir Zakaai set the stage for the later yoga activities and workshop for men and women separately held by the AYF yoga masters. Zakaai, who takes a leaf out of the Art of Living book, is a proponent of meditation, which in turn clears the mind. He stressed that with slow and systematic control one can develop the ‘art of doing nothing' that would help give brain some rest and in process invigorate oneself.
