Tel Aviv, Jun 22 (PTI): With COVID-19 related restrictions completely lifted, hundreds of yoga enthusiasts from all over Israel descended at the iconic Park Ha-Tachana in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening to celebrate the 8th International Yoga Day with renewed vigour.
"It is a wonderful feeling to be back to freely celebrate the International Day of Yoga after a two years hiatus", a beaming Yoga enthusiast, Ruth, who had come all the way from Jerusalem for the event, told PTI.
Presence of more than two hundred yoga practitioners at the occasion, amid a series of other events across the country, attests to the growing popularity of the ancient Indian practice here, which has also seen growing acceptance across the globe following its recognition by the UN eight years ago.
"On behalf of the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, I congratulate you on the 8th International Yoga Day! The warm ties between Tel Aviv-Yafo and India and between our two countries may be seen in joint projects in many fields, and this is only one example", Tel Aviv's Mayor, Ron Huldai, told the gathering.
"No one was surprised when the UN decided on International Yoga Day eight years ago. Yoga is the unity of body and mind", Huldai noted.
"This year, India, like Little Israel, is celebrating 75 years of independence, and the two countries are marking 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between them. This number is barely blinking in the millenial ancient psyche of our two peoples. And it's good that we have so much more to do together", he further added.
A country with probably the highest number of practitioners and Yoga teachers per capita of population, Israelis held Yoga sessions in parks even during the lockdown period while following COVID-19 norms, maintaining social distancing and limiting numbers.
Despite Tuesday being a working day, Yoga enthusiasts in Israel found time to arrange several events in parks, beaches, promenades, old railway station turned social gathering spots and other picturesque spots across the country starting early in the morning going into late evening.
"Yoga is one of the most precious gifts from India to the world. And it’s a time-tested technique for lowering stress, building resilience and fostering a centeredness of mind - all of which are increasingly vital in our lives today, especially in the wake of COVID-19”, India's Ambassador to Israel, Sanjeev Singla, told the gathering at Park Ha-Tachana.
Almost every form of Yoga has patrons in Israel but Ashtanga Yoga with 95 centres across the country is clearly the favourite. Vinyasa and Vijnana with more than fifty centres across the country rank among the next favourites.
There are more than 1,100 registered Yoga teachers in Israel and Yoga centres can be found in almost every major township of the country.
Another popular stream of Yoga is the Iyengar School of Yoga which has 30 centres across the country.
Its centre in Jerusalem's Talpiyot area has organised an open week from June 19 to 24 on the occasion of International Yoga Day to familiarise interested Israelis with the form amid growing interest.
Ephrat Michelson, the Yoga teacher at the Talpiyot centre in Jerusalem says, "for the yogis, every day is the day of yoga", quoting her gurus.
"Preschool yoga, prenatal yoga, workplace yoga, yoga for soldiers… yoga in its many forms has found its way into virtually every area of Israeli life. Even government ministries and the Jerusalem prosecutor’s office offer weekly yoga sessions to workers", Chen Eytan, a Yoga teacher, who volunteers at schools and kindergartens, pointed out.
Ayo Oppenheimer, a Yoga teacher whose daily sessions at the Gan Sachar (Sachar park) in Jerusalem attracts hundreds of people during normal times organised two events to celebrate the International Yoga Day on Tuesday.
"The first class was a mind-clearing Vinyasa flow class focusing on the theme 'be here now' that was held at the Urban Place coworking space in the center of Jerusalem. The space is an entire floor of the Jerusalem Central Bus station and is a working hub for many types of people", Ayo told PTI.
The second class was a gorgeous and scenic sunset yoga practice on one of the tallest rooftops in the heart of Jerusalem, overlooking the Israeli Parliament, Supreme Court, Gan Sacher Park and the city center. It was more of a gentle Vinyasa-Hath hybrid, what I call 'body bliss yoga', and was a gentle way to breathe, stretch, unwind from the day, open the body and the hips and welcome in the evening. It featured breath work and extended periods of observation - the colour of the sky, the movement of the clouds overhead, the emergence of the first star, etc.", she enthusiastically narrates.
Besides the big event at Park Ha-Tachana in Tel Aviv, the Indian embassy organised a special Yoga event at Ganei HaYehoshua on June 18 and also a public yoga event in the city of Ashdod in association with Ergun Shevet Oley Hodu and the Municipality of Ashdod on 20th June.
Ashdod has the highest concentration of Indian Jews in Israel.
The event at the Park Ha-Tachana, jointly organised by the Embassy of India and Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality, was moderated by Meyran Menkes, a well known Israeli actress who also happens to be a yoga teacher.
Israeli musician Ron Paz chanted the Shanti mantra, Yoga students of ICCR Israel performed rhythmic and artistic Yoga, Israeli Yoga Teacher Eyal Chehanowski led Sun Salutations in Hebrew, Indian Yoga Teacher Uday Kumar Saama conducted common Yoga protocol and Ron Paz and team concluded the gala event with a musical performance.
Yoga's popularity in Israel can be made out from the fact that it is taught across the country at schools and even kindergartens and the youngsters here are generally aware of its Indian origin.
Among many interesting facets of the Israeli Yoga scene is the new growing trend of pregnant women practicing it during the nine month period. PTI HM RCJ RCJ
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)