Saudi Arabia organizes its first Yoga festival in Jeddah

New Delhi: Saudi Arabia's first yoga festival took place on Saturday with much fanfare in the commercial centre Jeddah. The festival was organized by the Saudi Yoga Committee (the new Saudi Yoga Federation), a body under the Saudi Arabia Olympic Committee, Ministry of Sports. 

Indian Consul General Shahid Alam and CEO of Saudi Yoga Committee Ahmad Alsaady were also present on the occasion. 

The event was organized at the Juman Park, King Abdullah Economic City in Jeddah and saw the participation of a number of top Saudi yoga teachers. 

Speaking to Zee News, Nouf Marwaai, the President of the Saudi Arabia Olympic Committee which was formed in May 2021, said, "The idea behind holding the event was to bring Yogis (yoga instructors) together. The Saudi Yoga Committee's strategy is to promote Yoga in the society and encourage people to participate in Yoga activity."

Consul General @Shahid_IFS at the first Yoga Festival in Saudi Arabia  #yoga #AmritMahotsav @MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy @iccr_hq @IndianEmbRiyadh https://t.co/TjBWyHKkSt — India in Jeddah (@CGIJeddah) January 30, 2022

Marwaai, a 2019 Padma Shri awardee, lauded the leadership of Saudi Arabia, saying that they have been "very supportive on health and wellness, and sports activities". She stated this is a part of vision 2030 and that the response from people is amazing and it's very popular.

Two famous yoga teachers, Dana Algosaibi and Natalie Kriedeih, were also seen at the Yoga Festival.

Khaled Alzahrani, a Saudi Yoga teacher who has a Yoga centre in Jeddah, was also seen performing Sirsasans and other advance asanas. 

Irum Khan, an Indian national teaching Yoga in Saudi Arabia since 2008, and Yoga Master Murali Krishna also participated.

Yoga goes public in Saudi Arabia.. pic.twitter.com/a1stAytQbx — Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) January 30, 2022

Two famous yoga teachers seen at the Yoga Festival in Jeddah: one is Saudi National Dana Algosaibi & one Lebanese national Natalie Kriedeih, both seen teaching yoga on the stage. pic.twitter.com/h0uHCJaH0Q — Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) January 30, 2022

It is noteworthy that amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Yoga has gained popularity in various countries as it is seen as a supportive practice that reduces anxiety.

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