UNIFIL’s Indian peacekeepers organized a yoga session for the local population and fellow peacekeepers at their main base in Ebel es Saqi, south-eastern Lebanon, marking the International Day of Yoga on Thursday.
India’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Sanjiv Arora, inaugurated the event participated by some 260 yoga enthusiasts, including troops from various UNIFIL battalions and local residents. Lebanon’s renowned yoga practitioner from Beirut, Dunia Najjar, and her team conducted the yoga session.
At the end of the event, Mr. Arora and the commander of the UNIFIL Indian Battalion, Colonel Santosh Kumar Tripathi, appreciated the “passion and dedication” of the Lebanese people to learn and practice yoga.This is the fourth year in a row UNIFIL’s Indian peacekeepers have organized such an event celebrating the International Day of Yoga.
Between their peacekeeping duties, UNFIIL peacekeepers regularly organize various activities with the local population in order to enhance mutual trust and confidence between UNIFIL troops and Lebanese people, which is a key to furthering peace in south Lebanon.
Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness. The United Nations proclaimed 21 June as the International Day of Yoga with the aim to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga. The theme for the 2018 celebration is 'Yoga for Peace.'