(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) The first batch of 30 Omani sports coaches passed out from the pilot Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP) at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex on Sunday.The eight-day YLTP was organised by the Ministry of Sports Affairs (MoSA) in partnership with the Oman chapter of the Art of Living Foundation under the slogan Train the trainers'.The programme used stress-eliminating breathing techniques, basic yoga and deep relaxation to help the coaches realise their inner potential and ability to live a happy, fulfilling and meaningful life.It focused on leadership, teamwork and communication skills to help them come together in a spirit of service. During the programme, participants even volunteered for community projects.Under the Train the trainers' programme, yoga was taught to the coaches, who are now trained to pass on their skills and training to youths in their individual communities, towns, schools and colleges. The trainers would help people in their communities become stress-free, more alert and productive.They will now reach out to and impact positively the road safety and other productivity/entrepreneurial programmes in the country. Ajay Khimji, Art of Living faculty and Apex body member, Gulf/ME, said, ''The foundation has, for the first time in the Gulf, conducted this programme for Omani coaches from different parts of the country. This a nation-building programme from the foundation. It will help them be more focused, dynamic, responsible and committed to society.''One of the participants, Said al Dhuli from Nizwa said, ''Yoga is not merely a sport or a game. It's a way of improving the quality of our life. The knowledge we gain from this course will be useless if we don't put it to practice. Before we start spreading what we learnt about yoga, we should believe in it ourselves, so others will believe it too.''Essa Ali Khamis al Mamari from Sohar, said, ''In this course, I felt that my body, mind, heart, and breath all worked together in harmony. I feel more relaxed, comfortable, and can concentrate better. I have better control over myself.''
