It was the first large yoga event held in Singapore, in the post-pandemic period since restrictions were relaxed on April 26, 2022, after a gap of more than two years. The theme for the event, celebrated on May 18, was ‘Yoga for Health and Harmony’ and was organized by Pragya Yoga and Wellness.
Yoga Mahotsav is a festival of yoga planned across 100 cities across the globe for 100 days with 100 organizations leading up to the International Day of Yoga. Singapore was day 34 of the countdown to June 21.
Yoga Mahotsav is a global initiative by the Ministry of AYUSH (Govt of India) and the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (New Delhi). The event was supported by the High Commission of India in Singapore. Iconic places such as the UNESCO heritage site: Singapore Botanical Gardens, Merlion, Gardens by the Bay, and Marina Bay Sands were among the sites where pre-events took place.
On the 18th morning, Pragya Yoga and Wellness organized the practice of the Common Yoga Protocol on the lawns of the High Commission of India. This event was inaugurated by Shri Surya from the High Commission.
Apart from the Indian diaspora, a large number of Singaporeans and citizens of other nationalities also join this yoga practice. This was followed by a short meditation session.Yoga for health and harmony was the topic of a discourse held in the evening at the Arcadia which is an iconic road in Singapore.
Participants learned about classical pranayama and how to practice yogic breathing for optimal health. A webinar on yoga for insomnia had very eminent speakers, who presented research-based evidence on sleep and shared novel protocols, developed and tested for insomnia. A specifically curated meditation for deep relaxation practice was also included in the webinar.
All these events were free and open to the public. They were live-streamed on multiple channels to reach a global audience.
The events were coordinated by Pragya Yog and Wellness whose founder Sujata Cowlagi, conducted the events. She is a globally renowned yoga teacher with more than twenty years of experience in holistic and integrative health. She is a senior advisor to multiple international organizations in public health. She has been instrumental in promoting yoga and culture not only among the Indian diaspora but also in the international community. She is also a researcher with a special focus on the relationship between yoga and antenatal health.
In the post-Covid geo-political global connection, Yoga Mahotsav will have a great impact on improving calming responses in a chaotic world.
