Hundreds of people gathered indoors to celebrate the fourth International Day of Yoga held by the Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday.

Around 500 people who are members of yoga clubs in the southern metropolis converged on the building of the Ho Xuan Huong Sports Club in District 3 to mark the day, which first took place in 2015.

The participants, young and old, simultaneously performed yoga postures following instructions by Akhil Arya, an Indian teacher of yoga.

K. Srikar Reddy, Consul General of India, said at the celebration that yoga yields harmony, reduces stress, and improves personal ability in constructing a peaceful and progressive world.     

He believed it would play an essential role in strengthening relations between India and Vietnam.

People practice yoga in the Ho Xuan Huong Sports Club’s building in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, June 23, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The ancient Indian practice has been enthusiastically welcomed in Vietnam during the past many years.

Le Thi Truong Chinh, 67, said she would doubtless continue practicing yoga after having taken it up for six years due to its health benefits.

The heart condition and sciatica that used to torture her have become considerably less serious, she said.

Thanh Nga, the mother of a girl who attended the event, said she enrolled her daughter in yoga classes to boost the child’s power concentration, relieve her stress from overloading schoolwork, which is easily seen in Vietnamese educational settings.

Yoga proves invaluable in treating chronic diseases, increasing physical agility and generating tranquility of the mind, an instructor present at the celebration said.

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