MAKING YOGA ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL IN OMAN
Times News Service
The Art of Living courses that came to Oman in 1999 have helped in introducing various techniques and forms to the people in Oman and have proven to be stress-busters and happiness-initiators in their lives. “We teach stress-busting techniques,” said Kamal Ajay Khimji of the Art of Living foundation and the first Sahaj Samadhi meditation teacher in the Middle East.
Yoga, in all of its forms, helps in promoting a happy and peaceful society. It helps to calm the mind and results in good blood circulation in the body and keeps one happy. “As you participate in the programme, you release a lot of stress,” she explained. While there are many yoga teachers across the world, very few are qualified to teach advanced techniques, and Kamal is one of them. “Now, we have teachers in most parts of the Middle East to conduct basic programmes. But advanced-level teachers are very few. So, people either invite me to their country or they come here,” she said.
Kamal and the Art of Living Foundation have been promoting yoga among non-Indians, especially Omanis, in the country. Recently, they held the Middle East Yoga Teachers graduation, where many people from different nationalities graduated as yoga teachers, equipped to start training others across the country.
“I’m proud to say that we conducted the very first Middle East yoga teacher training programme,” she said.
She added, “Wherever they go, they will be able to take this knowledge with them. Our programme is an international programme recognised by the World Yoga Alliance.”
She further said, “We have some 12 Omanis who will graduate as teachers. They have come from different ministries and institutes. We have people from Sri Lanka, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, India, Pakistan, and Oman.”
Since 1999, thousands of people have completed the programme and benefitted from it.
“The first programme began in 1999. Then, I went on to organised courses with friends and other groups, and later, we started spreading it. Now, we are so many teachers. Thousands of people have completed the programme in Oman. A lot of people also come from outside the country to participate in the programme,” she said.