Srinagar: In a first of its kind, water sports athletes performed floating yoga on the Pokhribal lake here as the celebrations for the International Yoga Day kick-started in the valley on Friday.
Enthusiastic water sports athletes participated in a unique water yoga session at the lake, in the Downtown area of the city. Participants performed yoga exercises in water, showcasing a new approach to combining fitness and aquatic activities.
The session was organised by the J&K Water Sports Kayaking and Canoeing Association as part of preparations for International Yoga Day.
“This is the first time that we are doing floating yoga in Pokhribal lake. And we celebrated this entire week as yoga week. We want to promote yoga among athletes because we work a lot on physical fitness. But, we did not quite have that concept for mental fitness. Through yoga, we can develop mental fitness in our athletes,” International water sports star Bilquis Mir said.
Mir, India’s sole female judge for kayaking and canoeing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, said yoga and water activities bring peace of mind and joy.
“This was the objective to do floating yoga in water because when you do any activity in water, it is an adventure. You get a lot of peace and joy, and this yoga session went well. I feel so much joy after the yoga session. I think every person should bring yoga into their daily routine,” she said.
“Mental balance is essential to achieve your target. Because, when you are mentally strong, you will achieve any target,” she added.
The participants undertook various water activities and yoga asanas.
“Yoga usually does not happen in water sports. But, today we experienced something different, we did yoga in water. We did many activities in water, we also did many yoga asanas,” Muskan Mehraj, a young athlete, said.
As part of the yoga week celebrations, yoga events were also held at other places in the run up to the International Yoga Day on Monday.
The Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council organised a yoga event at the Jhelum riverfront in the Rajbagh area of the city here, in which students, athletes and officials from the council participated.
“We are all aware, the day after tomorrow, June 21, is International Yoga Day. This is the biggest day for everyone who practices yoga daily. This serves as an opportunity for every individual to come forward, practice yoga, and express their talent. It allows them to assess their state of mind and state of being, ensuring they express themselves well and maintain a free mind,” Toiba Nazir, a participant, said.
District AYUSH offices of Shopian and Pulwama, in south Kashmir, organised ‘Run for Yoga’ event to promote awareness about the importance of yoga and encourage healthy lifestyles.
The events witnessed participation from officers and officials of the AYUSH Department, healthcare staff, students, youth volunteers, and members of the general public.
