Yoga event raises breast cancer awareness

In a unique breast cancer awareness campaign, a yoga enthusiast has performed more than 49, 000 ‘sun salutations’ in 12 steps over 12 hours along with more than 350 participants.

The yoga challenge was conducted from 6 am to 6 pm by Vyaniti Yoga in collaboration with the Embassy of India and Indian Social Club.

The programme, arranged as a part of the Breast Cancer Awareness month to explain the benefits of ‘sun salutation’ in the prevention of cancer, saw Dr Wahid al Kharusi, President of Oman Cancer Association (OCA), Rakesh Adlakha, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, and Dr Satish Nambiar, Chairman of Indian Social Club Oman, joining the yoga practitioners and explaining the benefits of yoga in fighting breast cancer. In all, 36 teams performed during the 12-hour relay, with five teams having only two participants performing the sun salutation for the entire 12 hours.

Vaishali Shetty performed maximum 1,080 sun salutations with a break in 12 hours and Naseer al Hizry, Bharati, Kamakshi, Dhruti and Vaishali did it non-stop 648 times.

The highlight was participation of Team Killimanjaro under Naseer al Azry, an Omani who performed 648 sun salutations along with his teammates and completed the 12-hour relay challenge. “I like yoga as it’s all the right breath and I could perform first time so easily due to right breathing which helped me to try more than what I could. I tried sun salutations last year before my Kilimanjaro trek and it helped me to develop strength and immunity”, Nasser al Azry said. “The importance of performing sun salutations is that it helps prevent cancer and maintain good health”, Prema Nagesh, founder of Vyaniti Yoga Studio, said.

Dr Wahid al Kharusi explained how yoga helps in absorption of oxygen and prevents cancer and appreciated the good work done by the team in spreading awareness.