Yoga in Saudi Arabia

Yoga in Saudi Arabia

Dr Ausaf Sayeed

The journey of Yoga in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia began nearly two decades ago when some Yoga enthusiasts began practising and talking about Yoga publicly, albeit in a severely circumscribed manner owing to traditional beliefs and prevailing misconceptions relating to Yoga. Gradually, Yoga began to gain acceptance as a “wellness sport” and as a natural remedy for tackling several lifestyle-related ailments like obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, emotional disorders and mental stress.

The formation of the Arab Yoga Foundation in 2010 provided a platform for Saudi Yoga enthusiasts to practice Yoga and remain connected.

The adoption of India-led Resolution by the United Nation’s General Assembly (UNGA) on December 11, 2014, declaring June 21^st as the “International Day of Yoga”, with an overwhelming majority of 177 nations voting for it, gave new momentum to Yoga at the international level and soon it assumed the proportion of a people’s mass movement in several parts of the world.

Growing Popularity of Yoga in the Kingdom

Yoga got a major boost in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia when it received formal recognition as a sporting activity in November 2017. This has allayed the misplaced fears among many in the Arab and the Muslim World that the practice of Yoga was incompatible with Islamic beliefs and gave confidence to several Muslim Yoga practitioners around the world.

Since then, Yoga has emerged as a hugely popular lifestyle choice among both Saudi nationals as well as expatriates. The popularity of Yoga can be gauged from the fact that hundreds of private Yoga studios led by trained Saudi instructors now operate in the Kingdom and men and women are taking up the practice in large numbers as a holistic approach to physical and mental well-being.

Vision 2030

The landmark Saudi Vision 2030 programme launched by HRH Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman five years ago brought about dramatic and unprecedented socio-economic transformation in the Kingdom, practically in every field of activity. Improvement in the quality of life of both Saudi citizens and expatriates, as well as empowerment of women, are the major components of Vision 2030.

The Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA), formerly the Mass Participation Federation, first under the Chairmanship of Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud and now under Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed has been encouraging people to increase their physical activity and lead a healthy life by focussing on community-level participation in events. The SFA is mandated with achieving a target of raising the physical activity levels in Saudi Arabia to at least 40% by 2030.

All these initiatives have led to the empowerment of women and their active involvement in sports and other extracurricular activities. These reforms have also led the Kingdom to emerge as a hub of major regional and global sporting events.  The Kingdom has already hosted the Diriyah ePrix Formula race in February this year which will be followed by Formula 1 Grand Prix in November 2021. The Kingdom has been hosting the widely popular Dakar Rally consecutively during the last two years and the third edition is planned for January 2022. Saudi Arabia had also hosted the Aramco Ladies International, a golf tournament for professional female golfers in November 2020. The Kingdom also has ambitious plans to promote cricket in a big way to attract the wholehearted participation of the huge Asian expatriate population. Overall, a very enabling and conducive atmosphere has been created in the Kingdom for sports and other physical activities.

Yoga Standards

This year, the Ministry of Sports of Saudi Arabia has formulated formal Yoga Standards and guidelines for practising Yoga in the Kingdom considering cultural sensitivities and local regulations. The Kingdom became the first country in the Gulf to come up with formal Yoga standards, a path-breaking initiative of long-term significance for the promotion of Yoga in the Middle East region.

These Yoga standards are detailed and outline the correct forms of Yoga that could be practised in the Kingdom. The Saudi Yoga Committee has also been set up as a formal entity affiliated with the Ministry of Sports to manage the Yoga affairs in the Kingdom.  The Committee may be headed by Ms Nouf Al Marwaai, the first recognised Yoga practitioner and ‘Yogacharini’ in Saudi Arabia who has played an instrumental role in getting Yoga recognized in the Kingdom and popularising it, especially among the women. The Government of India conferred upon her the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2018 in recognition of her efforts.

Bilateral Efforts in promoting Yoga

Both the Embassy of India in Riyadh and the Consulate General of India in Jeddah have been working relentlessly to popularise Yoga in the Kingdom. Over the years the International Day of Yoga celebrations on June 21 has seen enthusiastic participation by men and women, both Saudi and non-Saudi alike.

Yoga classes under the tutelage of experienced and certified Yoga trainers are held in the Embassy premises throughout the year, and even during the pandemic, virtual classes have been held regularly. These classes, which are open to all and held free of charge, have been immensely popular among Saudi nationals, diplomats and expatriate communities.

While the recognition of Yoga and the drafting of Yoga standards are historic milestones for Yoga in the Kingdom, this year, in the backdrop of 75 years of India’s independence as well as 75 years of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries, it has been decided to formalize the bilateral cooperation in the field of Yoga by signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) and the Leaders Development Institute of the Saudi Ministry of Sports to coincide with the International Day of Yoga. Another MOU with the Yoga Certification Board that covers Yoga certification and conduct of Yoga courses is in advanced discussions. These MOUs would not only help in the accreditation of Yoga institutions in the Kingdom but also facilitate the Saudi instructors in obtaining certifications as per the guidelines of the Yoga Certification Board of the Ministry of AYUSH.

The development of Yoga as a thriving and popular lifestyle activity accessible to all will continue to remain an area of priority under the bilateral cultural cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia in the years ahead.

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Author

Dr Ausaf Sayeed is serving as India’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.