Representative Office of India, in partnership with Bethlehem Municipality and Beit Al-Shams for Self Development celebrated the second International Day of Yoga in Bethlehem, Palestine.

The ceremony included a welcome speech delivered by Indian Representative in Palestine Mr. Mahesh Kumar, in which he underlined the importance of spreading the culture and awareness of yoga in different communities and stressed on its role in connecting the body and the spirit.

Speaking at the ceremony, Honb’le Mayor of Bethlehem, Ms. Vera Baboun indicated that practicing yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being by positively changing the lifestyle of human beings worldwide.

Yoga originated in India thousands of years ago. It means unity between body and mind in order to contact the spirit, liberate it from sensory and mental energies and to achieve truth and wisdom. Yoga is considered as one of the most important pillars of Indian heritage and became known to the West in the nineteenth century, believing in its impact in generating positivity in humans, such as happiness, freedom, psychological balance, and harmony of mental feelings. Yoga includes physical and mental exercises, breathing exercises and meditation that all contribute to strengthening the individual physically, increases agility, improves mental performance, reduces tension and raises the ability to concentrate. Experts believe that yoga contributes to improving the health of the heart and blood vessels, through various physical postures during the yoga sessions, in addition to slowing down breathing rates, providing flexibility of the muscles and strengthening the balance point of the body.

In recent years, many yoga centers were established in Palestine, including Al Farashe Center and Katamesh Yoga Center in Ramallah, Nahed Yoga Center and Beit Al-Shams in Bethlehem, and al Farashe Yoga Center in Nablus. These centers aim to spread yoga culture in the Palestinian society and have witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of members recently.

Beit Al-Shams Center plays a major role in spreading the culture of yoga in Palestine. The center was by a group of individuals interested in practicing yoga in order to support the individual, family and community and to reach a healthy lifestyle through the safe and correct practice of yoga. The Center has trained dozens of male and female trainers, who in turn today teach yoga in various Palestinian localities, in addition to volunteering in various fields to support the Palestinian community in the face of daily challenges.

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