Amman Citadel rolls out mat for International Day of Yoga

AMMAN — The Indian embassy in Amman on Friday held celebrations to mark the 5th International Day of Yoga at the Amman Citadel, sharing the joy with more than 20 yoga institutes, freelance yoga practitioners and yoga lovers.

Although the day was mandated in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly, the practice of yoga originated and has been practised in India for more than 6,000 years, according to Chargé d’Affairés Murugaraj Dhamodaran.

Cultural Attaché Puneet Ghai noted that Indian embassies around the world celebrate the day with the locals in the hopes of “spreading this harmonious way of life to the world”.

The celebrations at the Citadel included a two-hour yoga class with the participation of yoga trainers from  Jordan.

Starting the session was Sameera Dajani, an 88-year-old yoga trainer often recognised as the first to introduce Jordan to the philosophy.

“I have been practising yoga for more than 40 years. It all started when I was teaching physical exercise classes to Palestinian refugees, and a friend of mine told me that I should introduce yoga in these classes. I had not even thought about that at the time as no one in the country probably knew what yoga was, starting with me,” she told The Jordan Times.

Dajani later went to London and took intensive yoga classes, learning both the physical and philosophical side of it. She now teaches three yoga classes a week, as well as two other exercise classes.

“Yoga keeps me young. It is more than just a physical activity, it is a philosophy. A lifestyle,” she added.

Zeina Tahboub, who practises energy therapy, said that yoga has been proven to help patients. She told The Jordan Times that “because it is not just the physical activity but the philosophy and lifestyle that come with it, yoga teaches a person to become calmer and more serene in their way of life”.

Coming as a “saviour from the modern sedentary lifestyle”, as put by Dhamodaran, the theme of this year’s event in India was “Yoga for Heart”.

On the occasion, local newspapers reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Indian government is working on making yoga “a pillar of the preventive healthcare and wellness system”.