ANKARA
The Indian Embassy in Ankara on Friday commemorated a year of yoga classes it has been hosting.
The embassy distributed certificates to students who successfully completed their one-year course.
Speaking at the celebration, Ambassador Sanjay Bhattacharyya said: “Yoga is not just to bring peace to your mind, but to be able to spread it around you, so that you have the same feeling of harmony, peace and wellness in the society that you live in.”
He stressed the growing popularity of yoga not just in Ankara, but also in other parts of Turkey.
Underlining that he does not treat yoga as a “gym activity”, he said: “It should touch your heart.”
The classes were conducted by an accomplished Indian Yoga Guru Ankit Tiwari, who trained the people in traditional forms of various asana (postures), pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation.
Sharing her experience, one of the participants said: “We get to know Indian culture better, feel more close and most of us would like to visit India.”
Another participant said that the guru taught them a different philosophy and lifestyle.
“I rushed from my workplace to the embassy to participate in the yoga sessions,” she said.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency at the event, Tiwari said that yoga has lots of physical, mental, social and spiritual benefits.
Underlining that yoga enhances people’s awareness, Tiwari said: “If you want to be more aware and if you want to be more happy than you need yoga”.
At the end of the event the embassy screened a video featuring the history, philosophy, goals and practice of yoga.
The embassy has been running yoga classes since December 2018 for Turkish people of all ages.
