(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) There was a time when Nabil al Mahrouqi was quite irascible. Losing his temper didn't take too much effort he recalls. If that wasn't enough his tendency to get anxious about small things did little to help.
Working in a juvenile correction home required Mahrouqi to have nerves of steel. A yoga workshop in 2010 was just what he had been looking for. 'It helped me evolve emotionally and mentally' he says.
Today as a happiness programme teacher at the Art of Living Foundation in Muscat Mahrouqi is among the few Omani yoga instructors hoping to spread the holistic goodness of the discipline.
Until 16 years ago yoga was quite alien to Oman says Kamal Khimji representative of the Art of Living Foundation (international faculty) and International Association of Human Values.
Apart from a string of misconceptions that were associated with the discipline it was a very new idea in the region. 'But with greater awareness about yoga people are now realising its true benefits' she says.
The change is evident as Oman joined in to mark the first International Day of Yoga with the rest of the world on June 21.
As part of the celebrations Art of Living Oman held free yoga sessions at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher on Sunday concluding it's three month long event Yogathon 2015.
For instructors and yoga practitioners in Muscat a day dedicated to yoga only does greater good in spreading awareness about its numerous benefits. 'The real purpose of yoga is spiritual mental and physical well-being' says Mahrouqi.
Mahrouqi who holds weekly sessions at the juvenile correction home has witnessed the lives of so many youths transform within a short span of time. 'Their behaviour changed gradually. They became a lot calmer and patient' he says. It was also one of the reasons why he decided to become an instructor and make it a compulsory programme in the home.
Julia Smith a yoga enthusiast residing in Oman feels that people misconceive yoga as a physical stretching regime. 'This is actually only one of eight aspects of the practice. There is so much more to it. The asana practice (the physical postures) is just a way of focusing through meditation and breath on our true inner self to really connect with our spirt and shine from within' she says.
Kamal agrees. 'Health benefits of yoga are multiple. You not only focus on physical health but your overall physiology and food. It also helps promote a stress-free mind and a disease-free body and this has a direct impact on our society' she says.
The growing popularity of different forms of the discipline in the sultanate including Hatha Ashtanga and contemporary borrowed styles like power yin and prenatal yoga only goes to show how yoga is transgressing barriers.
Lindsey Layne Ward Hoffman who focuses on prenatal yoga at Bloom a family yoga studio has had many Omani mothers-to-be take her class. Doctors are advising the regimen now she says.
'Prenatal yoga is about creating a community. It's more than just yoga it's a place to meet other mothers-to-be to ask questions and navigate the ins and out of pregnancy birth and beyond. A prenatal yoga class is designed to help prepare your body for labour ease physical discomfort and help you connect to your baby and your breath. Your breath is a vital tool in birthing your baby. It can help decrease fatigue increase mental focus and manage pain' she says.
Julia who trained in Ashtanga and yin yoga in the US wishes to promote her learning among friends and family and started Green Roots Yoga a hobby class for the purpose.
'I have encouraged many students to delve deeper into the eight limbs of yoga through physical practice. I've also seen students go on to take their own teaching training after I introduced them to yoga. I was only there to guide them. They sought this path themselves and am so happy to see them take the spiritual path' she says.
Yoga enthusiasts in Muscat participate in an Art of Living session (Muscat Daily)
In Oman the Art of Living Foundation is among the few institutions attempting to thwart apprehensions related to the discipline. 'One of the measures we employed to spread awareness about yoga was by conducting free sessions in schools corporates and government establishments. We also took our programmes into the villages and interiors of Oman where we taught the villagers simple techniques basic postures and informed them about the benefits. So far more than 25000 people have benefited from our free programmes. This has played an important role in impacting the society because people now have the right knowledge about the discipline and they've taken it to their communities' says Kamal.
Art of Living already has three Omani instructors who teach Sudarshan Kriya – a rhythmic breathing technique - to yoga enthusiasts.
Kamal who conducts the happiness programmes advanced meditation as well as children's programme for the Art of Living Foundation in Muscat and abroad is only glad that yoga finally got its due with a day marked exclusively for it by the United Nations. '
I used to suffer from migraine headaches since childhood but my migraine vanished with Sudarshan Kriya and regular meditation. I was also prone to many allergies and now they have significantly reduced' says Kamal.
'The cherry on the cake is that I am happy from within and happier still to share what I have been given' she adds.
Top 10 benefits of YOGA
All-round fitness
Weight loss
Stress relief
Inner peace
Improved immunity
Living with greater awareness
Better relationships
Increased energy
Better flexibility and posture
Better intuition
(Source: www.artofliving.org)
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