Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has held the first introductory lecture on yoga at the headquarters of the Sports Federation of Saudi Universities in Riyadh.
Saudi Yoga Committee, in cooperation with the Sports Federation of Saudi Universities, organized a virtual introductory lecture under the title “Yoga for male and female university students” on Monday.
The lecture covered both mental and physical health and plans to join professional yogasana sports training to be part of competitions locally and internationally.
The Saudi Gazette reported that the event came within the framework of an integrated system of programs and initiatives of the Saudi Committee for Yoga, under the title “Yoga for University Students of Both Genders”.
The event coincided with the arrival of the first yoga delegation to the Kingdom from the Asian Yogasana Sports Federation in India for the qualification course for the first Saudi batch of Yoga Referees, the report added.
The event included issues concerning the benefits of yoga for health and physical well-being in youth, yogasana sports for tournaments and competitions, and requirements for professional yoga training. It also included technical regulation of The Saudi Yoga Committee for Championships and Competitions in Saudi Universities.
The lecture, which motivated the youth to join professional yoga training, also shed light on the system of professional yogasana competitions within the university sports and the university league.
Nouf Almarwaai, President of the Saudi Yoga Committee, said that the committee seeks to achieve its vision of spreading yoga on a large scale within Saudi society. “Therefore it took the initiative to cooperate with the Saudi Universities Sports Federation in order to build a generation of yoga lovers, especially young people, to enjoy physical and mental health.”
Almarwaai said that the committee seeks to increase the number of practitioners and build yoga teams that participate in local and regional yoga championships.
It is notable that, in November 2017, Saudi Arabia’s ministry of commerce had approved the teaching and practice of yoga as a sport in the Kingdom.
On March 9, 2022, an introductory lecture was held that highlighted the cooperation between the SYC (Saudi Yoga Committee) and the Saudi School Sports Federation.
On March 13, 2022, Saudi Yoga Committee, Nouf Marwaai said, Yoga will soon be introduced to schools in the Kingdom as a sport.
Dr Nouf Marwaai is the first Saudi Yogacharya. Marwaai is also the founder of the Arab Yoga Foundation, which was established in 2010. It was the first yoga organization in the Gulf region.
