Time to distress: Soweto celebrated International Yoga Day
Experiencing the union of body and consciousness.
Friday, June 21 was declared International Yoga Day and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Soweto Campus, hosted hundreds of yoga enthusiasts who gathered to celebrate yoga day in a special way this past Saturday, having acknowledged the invaluable impact that yoga and a more mindful lifestyle will have on these young adults, UJ offered to host the annual event this year.
Since 2016, Soweto has been celebrating this day in a special way and these events have been facilitated by The Art of Living Foundation and sister organisation, The International Association for Human Values and various partners including the Alpha World Ministries.
Yoga is an ancient mental physical and spiritual practice, originating in India, the word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and it means to unite.
The event attracted people from all parts of Johannesburg, true to the meaning of Yoga and this year, the focus was on attracting the youth and its vibrancy attracted the young and young at heart, with the theme of the event being associated with wellness, a vision towards stress –free, violence-free communities through peacebuilding programs that strengthen the individual physically, mentally and emotionally.
The MEC for Gauteng Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, MEC Mbali Hlophe also attended the event and said that attending the event was very important to celebrate Yoga Day.
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“The Department felt it was important to be part of this event today to celebrate International Yoga Day, as yoga is not just an exercise but a mental experience to calm the mind. In a country with a high rate of violent crimes, yoga is important to calm the mind and help people to control their emotions and importantly take better decisions,” said Hlophe.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of The Art of Living Foundation & The International Association for Human Values said: “Yoga is not just physical exercises, it’s emotional integration, spiritual elevation, with a touch of a mystic element which gives you a glimpse of something which is beyond all imagination”.
The highlight of the programme was the yoga session conducted by the international senior teacher of The Art of Living Foundation, Swami Purnachaitanya, from Bangalore, India.
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